The University of Kentucky is seeking an Executive Director of Graphic Design to lead enterprise-wide graphic design services within the Division of Marketing & Strategic Communication. This onsite role in Lexington, KY sets the creative vision and oversees design delivery across colleges, administrative units, UK HealthCare, and Athletics. You will guide strategy, quality, and operations for a distributed design team and help ensure brand consistency throughout the university.
Role Overview
You will establish and manage the graphic design strategy and visual standards for the university, serving as the senior authority for design quality, brand integrity, and creative execution. The position includes direction and final review for high-profile, strategically important projects, along with oversight of intake, workflow, prioritization, and resource allocation.
Responsibilities
- Establish and lead the university’s graphic design strategy and visual standards
- Serve as the senior authority for design quality, brand integrity, and creative execution
- Provide direction and final review for high-profile and strategically important projects
- Lead, mentor, and develop a distributed team of approximately 30 designers
- Oversee project intake, workflow management, prioritization, and resource allocation
- Manage design service operations, performance metrics, budgeting, and process improvements
- Partner with campus leaders to align creative initiatives with institutional priorities
- Promote enterprise-wide consistency through governance, standards, and best practices
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- 8 years of related experience
- Extensive experience in graphic design leadership, brand management, and creative direction
- Strong leadership and talent development skills
- Experience managing creative teams and large-scale design operations
- Ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution
- Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills
- Experience implementing processes that improve efficiency, quality, and service delivery
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Strong graphic design knowledge and visual communication skills
- Ability to provide creative direction and evaluate design quality
- Brand stewardship and visual identity management
- Leadership, coaching, and development of creative professionals
- Ability to review, critique and elevate the work of others
- Strategic thinking and sound decision-making
- Project prioritization and workflow management
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills
- Ability to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders and teams
- Experience managing multiple priorities in a complex environment
- Knowledge of accessibility, usability and contemporary design best practices
Supervisory Responsibilities
Yes. This role includes leading and developing a distributed team of approximately 30 designers.
Benefits
- Meaningful impact: Shape how the university presents itself to audiences across Kentucky and beyond
- Executive leadership opportunity: Influence brand strategy and creative direction at an enterprise level
- Creative influence: Lead high-visibility projects across academics, healthcare, athletics, and administration
- Collaborative environment: Partner with communicators, marketers, designers, and university leaders
Preferred Education / Experience
Experience leading creative teams, design operations or major creative initiatives within a complex organization. Demonstrated ability to establish and uphold brand standards, provide creative direction, evaluate design quality and guide the work of other creative professionals. Experience managing multiple priorities, clients or stakeholder groups simultaneously. Experience in higher education, healthcare, athletics, nonprofit, agency, corporate, governmental, or similarly complex environments
Application Details
- Location: Lexington, KY (onsite)
- Salary: USD 95,826 - 162,947 per yearly
- Minimum Experience: 8 years
- Education: Bachelor’s degree
- Deadline to Apply: 08/18/2026
Our University Community
- Tobacco & Drug Free campus
- Nondiscrimination statement based on race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status
- Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources, including a national background check and/or drug screen
