CIRES​/Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist

Job Summary

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder invites applications for a Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist within the CIRES Communications team. This is a full-time professional position that sits at the intersection of graphic design, excellence, strategic brand thinking, and user-centered science communication.

CIRES is an internationally recognized leader in environmental science research, housing more than 900 scientists, engineers, and professionals who work to understand the Earth system and people’s relationship with the planet. The CIRES Communications team amplifies this work across diverse audiences from policymakers and the public to the scientific community and university collaborators. The Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist will play a central role in shaping how CIRES looks, feels, and tells its story: elevating the institute's visual identity, supporting flagship publications, leading trainings that empower researchers to communicate their science more effectively, and applying design thinking and design research methods to strengthen communication strategy across the CIRES enterprise.

This role is ideal for a creative professional who understands that great design is not decoration, it is inquiry, strategy, and communication. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in visual design and a genuine curiosity about science, paired with the ability to write and edit independently and the strategic instincts to translate complex research landscapes into coherent, compelling visual and narrative frameworks.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

is an internationally recognized leader in innovative environmental science and research and is located at the University of Colorado Boulder. At CIRES, more than 900 environmental science professionals work to understand the dynamic Earth system, including people’s relationship with the planet. CIRES has partnered with NOAA since 1967, and our areas of expertise include weather and climate, changes at Earth’s poles, air quality and atmospheric chemistry, water resources, solid Earth sciences, and more.

Our vision is to be instrumental in ensuring a sustainable future environment by advancing scientific and societal understanding of the Earth system.

The team serves the institute's nearly 900 scientists, staff, and fellows, as well as our partner labs at NOAA's David Skaggs Research Center (DSRC) in Boulder. We produce science journalism, digital content, social media, publications, events, and visual media that connect CIRES research to the audiences who need it most. We are a collaborative, mission driven team that values creative excellence, scientific integrity, and institutional partnership.

• Serve as the primary graphic designer for CIRES Communications, producing high-quality visual assets across print and digital channels, including publications, reports, infographics, posters, fact sheets, event materials, and social media graphics.
• Lead graphic design for CIRES's flagship print publication, Spheres magazine, and other long-form editorial and outreach publications, including layout, typography, image selection and editing, and coordination with print vendors.
• Inform and advance CIRES's branding strategy by developing and implementing design frameworks that enable CIRES labs, centers, and programs to demonstrate consistent visual alignment with the CIRES enterprise while preserving their individual identities.
• Lead a strategic redesign of the CIRES brand and logo, integrating alignment with University of Colorado Boulder brand standards and exploring how CIRES's identity can more clearly signal its role as a CU…