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Purdue University

Associate Director of Design

🇺🇸 Fort Wayne, IN

🕑 Full-Time

💰 $60K

💻 Communications

🗓️ November 13th, 2025

Edtech.com's Summary

Purdue University Fort Wayne is hiring an Associate Director of Design in the Office of Enrollment Management. This role develops and executes innovative visual design strategies to support the University's branding and communication priorities, managing projects from conceptualization through completion while collaborating with internal partners and external vendors.

Highlights
  • Develop and execute creative visual approaches for branding, marketing, and communication campaigns.
  • Create original visual concepts for communications materials including publications, advertising, and online assets.
  • Coordinate brand development projects and supervise photography, illustration, and graphic asset creation.
  • Monitor project deadlines, budgets, and quality control through all phases of development.
  • Proficiency required in Adobe Creative Cloud, project management tools like Basecamp, and Macintosh environments.
  • Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, advertising, communications, or related field with five years of relevant experience.
  • Experience preferred in higher education or agency creative environments with strong knowledge of branding and integrated marketing materials.
  • Salary of $60,000 per year.
  • Benefits include free Purdue University Global tuition, insurance from day one, and generous paid time off with additional PTO in December.
  • The position requires occasional early, late, or weekend hours and some local or regional travel; not a remote position.

Associate Director of Design Full Description

Join Purdue University Fort Wayne: 
Purdue University Fort Wayne is currently seeking a fulltime, onsite Associate Director of Design in the Office Enrollment Management. Associate Director of Design conceptualizes, develops, and executes highly visible communications and design strategies that support the top priorities of the University. Highly engaged on brand-focused projects, and helps cultivate, integrate, manage, and guide multi-faceted projects through all phases of execution in association with a variety of creative inputs. The annual salary for this position is $60,000.00.
 
Primary Responsibilities:
  • Develops and executes innovative, creative, and integrated visual approaches to support and enhance multi-tiered branding, marketing, and communications campaigns.
  • Develops original visual creative concepts and project specifications for assigned communications materials, including branded initiatives, signature institutional and publications, advertising, web and online assets, and identity development.
  • Meets with University partners and external vendors and helps oversees, create, and expand brand on identified projects from concept through completion. 
  • Develops and directs highly customized photography, illustration, and related graphic assets. Coordinates and aligns usage across many brand platforms, and follows related campaign assets through stages to ensure quality control at every stage of development.
  • Monitors deadlines across multiple project suites, adheres to procedures and budgets at all stages of project development. Reports progress and status at expected times to project managers. Maintains accurate documentation in project tracking systems.
  • Other duties as assigned.
 
Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, advertising, communications, or related field.
  • Five years of highly relevant, hands-on experience in developing design, integrated marketing collateral, identity systems, branding, communications, marketing pieces, advertising campaigns, supported by strong and diversified portfolio.
  • Previous professional experience at a higher education in-house creative team, corporate or nonprofit in-house creative team, or advertising/marketing/branding agency is highly desirable.
  • Demonstrated mastery of leading creative development software, hardware, file creation. Includes proficiency in key components of Adobe Creative Cloud, project management systems such as Basecamp, and Macintosh networking, file sharing, and archiving environments.
  • Strong knowledge of core online, digital, social considerations, as well as printing and manufacturing, including pre-press. 
  • Proven experience in developing high-quality, results-driven communications and marketing materials.
  • Exceptional references to creative ability, and character of work performance.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of effective processes for strategic creative development and integration, principles of branding, and design strategies to successfully drive visual communications in both online and print.
  • Demonstrated superior creative and highly relevant skills in a wide variety of evolving and integrated creative areas, including brand direction, photography direction, web and digital integration, multimedia asset creation, social and mobile environments, branded environments, and visual systems.
  • Highly aware and able to effectively and persuasively convey ideas on current trends, best practices, and leading developments in visual identity and brand development.
  • A strong commitment to collaboration and the ability to work intuitively, flexibly, and effectively in a fast-paced in-house agency environment while contributing to a highly productive and creative studio culture.
  • Ability to effectively contribute and professionally respond to the evaluation and critique of a body of creative work, as typified by honest and constructive feedback.
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communications skills. Exceptional organizational and project management skills with ability to build effective partnerships at all levels.
  • Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
  • Must be highly proficient and accurate in all phases of work performed — collection and dissemination of project information, proofing and revision phases, project specifications, deadlines, creating project files, and creating and maintaining archival materials.
  • Excellent judgment, impeccable integrity and reliability, and high ethical standards that engender trustworthiness. Demonstrated commitment to diversity and to building and supporting inclusive communities.
  • The position may require presence and commitment before 8 a.m., after 5 p.m., and on weekends, both on- and off-campus.  Some local and regional travel required for meetings, events, and conferences.
  • This position may be required to be in off-hours or off-location conditions as required to execute special projects or critical communications as conditions may demand.
 
Benefits:
  • Free tuition through Purdue University Global.
  • Fee remission for a traditional Purdue degree for yourself, your spouse, and your child(ren).
  • Insurance starts on first day of employment.
  • Generous Paid Time Off – additional PTO in December.
  • Additional benefit information: https://www.purdue.edu/hr/benewell/
 
Additional Information:  
  • This is not a remote-working position.
  • Resumes and cover letters that contain portraits or personal information are not permitted.
  • Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position. 
  • A background check and misconduct screen will be required for employment in this position. 
 
Purdue Fort Wayne is an EEO/AA
FLSA Status
Exempt