Director of Graphic Design

Rice Engineering is seeking a Director of Graphic Design for Rice University Athletics, an on-site role in the United States. This position shapes the visual identity across external-facing platforms, leading creative direction, maintaining brand standards, and ensuring consistent design quality for athletics initiatives, events, and campaigns.

What you’ll do

• Lead and oversee the graphic design function for Rice University Athletics, setting visual direction and standards for Athletics, the Owl Club, and other external-facing initiatives.
• Develop and execute high-level creative concepts for brand campaigns, marketing initiatives, postseason work, recruiting efforts, special events, and other priority projects.
• Provide creative direction and oversight across Rice Athletics design deliverables to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with departmental and university brand standards.
• Create high-level visual content for social media, digital platforms, recruiting, print materials, presentations, environmental graphics, signage, video boards, ribbon boards, and other departmental platforms.
• Build and maintain graphic design systems, templates, standards, and workflows to support a consistent visual identity across Rice Athletics.
• Collaborate with Creative Services, Communications, Marketing, Development, Ticketing, and sport programs to develop creative strategies and visual solutions aligned to departmental priorities.
• Manage design workflows, including prioritizing incoming requests, coordinating projects, establishing timelines, and ensuring successful delivery.
• Lead photography strategy and coverage for designated games, events, practices, recruiting initiatives, and special events.
• Photograph designated athletic events and initiatives, while overseeing editing, organization, distribution, and archiving of photography assets.
• Coordinate and provide creative direction to freelance photographers, student photographers, student designers, interns, and other creative contributors as needed for event and project coverage.
• Serve as a resource for coaches and staff on visual branding, graphic design, photography, and creative best practices.
• Identify opportunities to evolve the Rice Athletics visual identity with innovative approaches while maintaining established brand standards.
• Stay current on trends and best practices in sports design, photography, branding, social media, and visual storytelling.
• Mentor and develop student interns and other creative personnel.
• Perform additional related duties as assigned.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree
• Three or more years of relevant professional experience in graphic design, creative services, sports creative, marketing, or a related field
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Proven experience developing and maintaining visual identities and brand systems
• Strong knowledge of typography, layout, color theory, photography, and print and digital production
• Ability to provide creative direction and lead multiple projects from concept through execution
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize creative resources in a fast-paced environment
• Working knowledge of photography equipment, editing, workflows, and asset management

Workplace details

• Location: Exclusively on-site, with all duties performed in person on campus.
• Schedule: Requires working nights, weekends, and holidays based on team schedules.
• Travel: Regular travel required.

Preferred experience

• Experience within collegiate or professional athletics
• Experience leading graphic design or creative direction for a sports organization or brand
• Experience photographing live sporting events
• Experience managing or mentoring designers, photographers, interns, freelancers, or other creative personnel

Technologies

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• InDesign

How to apply

Attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid formatting issues.