Associate Director of Design and Creative Production

# Associate Director of Design and Creative Production School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA Education

Nonprofit## Why this work mattersSAIC educates thousands of artists, designers, and scholars, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and cultural enrichment through one of the most respected art and design programs in the world.

View the full listing and apply →Listed 9 Oct 2026

Applications are handled by School of the Art Institute of Chicago, not by Hard Problems.## About the role

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been educating artists, designers, and scholars for more than 150 years. Located in downtown Chicago, SAIC offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs with an interdisciplinary approach to art and design. Its fine arts graduate program consistently ranks among the top four in the nation. SAIC is affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago Museum and provides students with on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities.

Notable alumni and faculty include Georgia O'Keeffe, David Sedaris, Cynthia Rowley, and Nick Cave.### The role

The Associate Director of Design and Creative Production sits within SAIC's Marketing and Communications team, which advances the school's reputation through storytelling, brand stewardship, and communications that support recruitment and fundraising. The role reports to and works closely with the Director of Marketing, translating marketing and communications objectives into creative strategies and outcomes that support SAIC's brand, enrollment, advancement, and institutional priorities.

It carries senior creative leadership responsibility and oversees the day-to-day operations of the design function.### What you would do
* Provide senior creative direction for brand, marketing, admissions, advancement, and institutional initiatives, developing concepts and visual approaches aligned with project goals.
* Lead the design team's creative process from concept through completion, giving guidance, feedback, and quality control to ensure work meets high standards and aligns with SAIC's visual identity.
* Manage and mentor design staff, including assigning work, balancing workloads, setting expectations, and supporting professional development.
* Own project management and creative operations for the design team, establishing priorities, timelines, milestones, and processes to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
* Manage design projects in Asana, maintaining visibility into project status, team capacity, deadlines, and dependencies, and proactively flagging issues that may affect delivery.
* Coordinate day-to-day execution of design projects with internal partners, vendors, agencies, and other creative contributors, partnering with the Director and Assistant Director of Marketing on stakeholder communication.
* Lead or contribute hands-on design for complex and high-priority projects across print and digital media, including campaigns, advertising, environmental graphics, merchandise, and social media.
* Oversee creative production and quality of final deliverables, including print specifications, file preparation, proofs, vendor coordination, digital production, and quality assurance.
* Support the development and evolution of SAIC's brand guidelines, visual standards, templates, and identity systems, and promote consistent brand application across projects and platforms.
* Manage freelance designers, agencies, vendors, and other external creative partners, providing creative direction, coordinating deliverables, and keeping projects on scope and schedule.
* Develop and improve creative processes, project-management tools, templates, and workflows to increase efficiency and support the team's…