Associate Director of Design and Creative Production

Job Category
:
President's Office

Requisition Number
: ASSOC
002942

• Posted :
  October 8, 2026
• Full-Time
• Hybrid

Showing 1 location

Chicago, IL 60603, USA

About SAIC

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities.

SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

SAIC’s Marketing and Communications team advances the School’s reputation and promotes the value of an art and design education through storytelling, brand stewardship, transparent communications, and collaborative engagement that promotes recruitment and fundraising.

Position Summary

The Associate Director of Design and Creative Production provides senior creative leadership and oversees the day-to-day operations of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) design function. Working closely with the Director of Marketing in the Office of Marketing and Communications, this position translates marketing and communications objectives into creative strategies, designs, and outcomes that support SAIC’s brand, enrollment, advancement, and institutional priorities.

Responsibilities

• Provides senior creative direction for brand, marketing, admissions, advancement, and institutional initiatives, developing concepts and visual approaches that support project goals.
• Leads the design team’s creative process from concept through completion, providing guidance, feedback, and quality control to ensure work meets a high standard of design and aligns with SAIC’s visual identity.
• Manages and mentors design staff, including assigning work, balancing workloads, establishing expectations, providing ongoing feedback, and supporting professional development.
• Owns project management and creative operations for the design team, establishing priorities, assignments, workbacks, timelines, milestones, and processes to ensure projects are delivered on schedule and within budget.
• Manages and maintains design projects in Asana, providing visibility into project status, team capacity, deadlines, dependencies, and outstanding decisions, and proactively identifying and escalating issues that may affect delivery.
• Manages the day-to-day coordination and execution of design projects, working with internal partners, vendors, agencies, and other creative contributors to ensure projects have the information, resources, approvals, and timelines needed to move forward, while partnering with the Director of Marketing and Assistant Director of Marketing on stakeholder communication and project priorities.
• Leads or contributes hands-on design for complex and high-priority projects across print and digital media, including campaigns, advertising, environmental graphics, merchandise, social media, and other marketing and communications materials.
• Oversees creative production and ensures the quality and accuracy of final deliverables, including print specifications, file preparation, proofs, vendor coordination, digital production,…