Design Lead

Design Lead

Westminster University

Supervisor: Director of Marketing

Department: Office of Marketing, Communication, and Events

Position Summary

The Design Lead is Westminster's visual brand steward, reporting to the Director of Marketing. This role moves beyond brand maintenance into proactively shaping where Westminster's brand goes next, bringing initiative, strategic vision, and hands-on craft to every project.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing and in partnership with the Junior Graphic Designer, the Design Lead originates creative concepts and campaign thinking, translates institutional strategy into compelling visual solutions, and actively problem-solves to elevate the brand across print, digital, social, advertising, and editorial materials. They work cross-functionally with the internal MarComm team and campus partners.

The ideal candidate pairs strong design execution with strategic, big-picture thinking: someone who is constantly asking how Westminster's brand can be stronger, more cohesive, and more distinctive. They're excited to bring that thinking to a mission-driven institution with a strong sense of community and a real commitment to educational values, and they're energized by the cultural and creative life around them.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Creative Direction and Brand

• Serve as vision holder for Westminster's brand, proactively identifying opportunities to strengthen and evolve the university's visual identity, and contributing creative concepts and strategic design solutions that advance university goals and elevate projects from concept through execution
• Develop wireframes and visual direction for campaign initiatives, partnering with the web team and other campus partners
• Evaluate creative work across departments to identify where visual direction should shift, translating institutional priorities into cohesive visual communications
• Ensure consistency, quality, and brand alignment across all marketing and communications materials, print through digital

Brand Operations and Project Management

• Participate in project intake with the Director of Marketing, bringing design-specific questions to define project goals and creative briefs
• Manage individual design projects and deadlines to ensure high-quality, timely execution
• Strategize, design, and produce the Westminster Review magazine, annual event invitations, and other institutional publications
• Translate campaigns across mediums — platform specs, reformatting, ensuring one campaign holds together from print to web
• Develop and maintain university-wide design templates (Canva, PowerPoint, and other branded resources)
• Co-manage print production and vendor relationships (estimates, specs, timelines, delivery); support sourcing of freelance creatives and specialty vendors
• Maintain Westminster's brand portal (CLC Brand Manager 360)
• Present creative work and brand direction to stakeholders, advocating for strategic design
• Solve production and creative challenges proactively
• Stay current on design trends and production best practices

Team Leadership and Mentorship

• Mentor the Junior Graphic Designer and student employees, fostering craft and creative growth; track the team's project pipeline with the Director of Marketing
• Present creative work and brand direction to external stakeholders/clients and internal teams
• Partner closely with the Director of Marketing as a strategic creative counterpart — helping shape direction, not just receiving it

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or related field
• 7+ years of professional graphic design experience, including meaningful agency or client-facing time and demonstrated growth into higher-level creative ownership
• Strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity and systems-level thinking — not just campaign execution — across print, digital, social, web, and editorial
• Demonstrated experience developing wireframes or UX/interface design for websites or digital products
• Familiarity with Canva and PowerPoint, to support campus clients effectively
• Demonstrated experience presenting creative work to executive stakeholders and/or external clients, and navigating feedback with confidence
• Proven ability to translate a campaign or brand across multiple channels while maintaining cohesion
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; working proficiency in XD or similar
• Exceptional written, verbal, and visual communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Motion graphics or animation experience (After Effects, Premiere Pro, or similar)
• Illustration skills, or experience writing briefs for and managing illustrators/specialty creatives
• Experience in higher education or another complex, multi-stakeholder institutional environment
• Mentorship experience
• Editorial design experience for print publications (magazines, annual reports, or similar)
• Familiarity with brand portal/DAM systems (e.g., CLC Brand Manager 360) or similar platforms

Diversity and Inclusion:

Promote an Inclusive Westminster through demonstration of the commitments included in the Westminster University Diversity Statement. Participate in developmental activities to increase understanding and awareness of issues related diversity, equity and Inclusion both individually and as related to my field of work, profession or discipline.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Westminster University is committed to a diversified workforce, equal opportunity, and nondiscrimination. To this end, Westminster prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment based on race or ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, disabilities, genetic information, status as a veteran, or any other category or classification protected by applicable federal, state, or city laws.