The University Relations division at the University of Denver speaks with a unified, authentic and resonant voice to strategically advance the university’s brand with four goals in mind:

- To promote and protect DU’s reputation
- To inspire students to enroll and engage
- To increase inclusion
- To strengthen the University

The University Relations (UR) team aims to strengthen DU’s strategic position locally, regionally and nationally through data-driven and authentic storytelling across multiple channels with focused support on the university’s value drivers: academics and research; enrollment and admissions, athletics and advancement. Whether through public or media relations, digital strategies, social media, print, podcast, issues or crisis management, community relations or thought leadership and training, UR drives results through narratives that involve words, pictures and design. With true understanding of and connection with our diverse audiences, we aim to foster collaborative problem solving, creativity and innovation.

Position Summary

With guidance from creative leadership, the Manager, Design Services will manage a small team of designers and provide design leadership to the University Relations division, partnering with marketing and communications colleagues to plan and execute integrated marketing and communications projects.

The Manager will also serve as a lead designer on the team, using their creativity, technical skills, and design expertise to craft and execute design concepts in support of university marketing and communications goals. Their work will span a variety of channels, including print, digital, and multimedia—often under tight deadlines.

The Manager will play a key role in evolving the university’s brand expression and brand kit and will serve as a key brand advocate for the entire DU campus. As part of a highly collaborative marketing team, they will work closely with campus partners, division leadership, other creatives, and marketing and communications colleagues on a daily basis, helping prioritize incoming requests and providing art direction to other designers on the team.

Essential Functions

Design Team Management

- Lead, art direct, and manage a small team of designers, bridging the gap between brand strategy and visual execution. (25%)
- Manage and coordinate projects with external vendors, including contract designers, printers, and illustrators. (10%)
- Coordinates incoming design requests, project workflows and communications to meet deadlines, including providing timely status updates.
- Continually evolve the university’s brand expression, including leading professional development efforts for designers and staying up to date with industry trends.
- Collaborate with other marketing and communications managers and directors to plan and execute integrated marketing and communications projects.

Lead Designer
- Serve as lead designer, executing design concepts through images, layouts, motion, and other design elements across a variety of digital and print channels, including making revisions and optimizations based on performance.
- Generate and present design concepts under the supervision of creative leadership.

Brand Consultation
- Serve as a brand steward, consultant and advocate, holding established visual standards while continuing to work with division leadership to maintain and optimize the brand.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities





- Ability to generate creative ideas and lead the execution of those ideas in collaboration with peers, direct reports, and senior leadership.
- Effective time management skills and the ability to delegate and prioritize work to meet deadlines.
- Ability to work in various media, including digital, print, photo, and motion.
- Excellent design skills and meticulous attention to detail.
- Track record of success working with multiple stakeholders and the ability to collaborate across divergent points of view.
- Ability to communicate clearly in oral and written form, explaining strategic design concepts and decisions in a simplified way.
- Competency in industry-standard design software, including Adobe Creative Cloud design programs, Figma, and Canva.
- Competency with Microsoft Office products, including Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced collaborative environment, juggling multiple deadlines at once.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues across different levels of the organization.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, digital design, or a related field plus 4 years of experience in graphic and visual design, both in print and digital platforms; OR any equivalent combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
- Demonstrated design success, with a supporting design portfolio that highlights both conceptual thinking and robust execution.
- Experience working with clients directly and managing projects from concept through execution.
- Experience working with outside vendors and production management.
- Experience art directing junior and mid-level designers.
- Experience in motion graphics and animation.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in a higher education setting or other large, complex organization.
- Experience with a project management system (e.g., Wrike).
- Experience creating brand templates (e.g., in Canva) for use by a range of skill levels across a complex organization.
- Experience managing or mentoring student employees and/or contractors.

Working Environment

- The successful incumbent must live or be willing to relocate to the Denver metro area. In accordance with the University’s flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for a hybrid work schedule, typically with 3 days per week in office and 2 days per week remotely. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team specific needs.
- Some travel as well as occasional weekend or after-hours work will be required to fulfill duties, especially related to on-campus event support.
- Activities are primarily performed in an environmentally-controlled office setting subject to extended periods of sitting, keyboarding and manipulating a computer mouse (70%); frequently required to move for varying lengths of time and travel moderate distances to perform work (30%).
- Regular activities require ability to quickly change priorities which may include and/or are subject to resolution of conflicts.





Physical Activities

- Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
- Occasionally required to move about the office/campus.

Work Schedule Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Application Deadline For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) September 17, 2026.

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:

The salary grade for the position is 11.

Salary Rate:

The salary rate for this position is $84,000.

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:

The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

- Resume
- Cover Letter The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are based upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history and National Sex Offender Registry background check.

📌 Manager, Design Services (Quinte West)
🏢 University of Denver
📍 Quinte West