Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Creative Services

The Creative Services Manager elevates the strength, integrity, and reputation of the university brand by effectively guiding, creating, and implementing strategic, compelling, and differentiating creative brand communications; leads the team in the creation of visually compelling and innovative designs; oversees the development and execution of design projects, ensuring alignment with the brand vision, business goals, and design standards; collaborates with cross-functional teams; guides the team through the creative process while managing resources, timelines, and quality control.

• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of designers, fostering a collaborative, productive, and innovative environment
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand project requirements, objectives, and deadlines
• Direct the creation of high-quality design work, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and messaging
• Oversee the design and production of a variety of materials including brochures, presentations, digital ads, website assets, event graphics, etc.
• Develop and implement design strategies that support brand consistency across all marketing materials, including digital, print, social media, and internal communications
• Manage multiple design projects simultaneously, from concept to execution, while meeting deadlines and maintaining high-quality standards; ensure efficient workflows, project management practices, and team collaboration
• Provide clear creative direction and constructive feedback to team members throughout the design process
• Stay current with design trends, software, and best practices
• Work with external vendors, photographers, illustrators, and other collaborators as needed
• Provide regular feedback and direction to campus, college, and other unit creators and communicators

Level:

– Principal Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates awareness of broad issues and management trends. Applies exemplary management principles. Evaluates impact of policy and adjusts accordingly. Ensures appropriate skills are developed and maintained within team/unit. Realigns staff responsibilities to meet desired changes. Provides administrative and policy direction. Develops and articulates broad goals. Fosters collaboration between units. Engages in written and verbal communications that reach a university-wide and/or broad external audience. Develops and implements solutions to highly complex and often controversial problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees teams of other supervisors/managers
– Leads a business unit

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Plans, forecasts, develops, and/or approves budgets
– Typically has final signature authority for business unit

Problem Solving:

– Encounters highly varied and complex problems that may have a significant impact on multiple units and/or the University
– Regularly develops creative and/or novel approaches to resolve the most difficult problems
– Creates an environment that encourages imaginative solutions to problems

Independence of Action:

– Work results are not clearly defined and may be frequently changing
– Sets own goals and determines how to accomplish results with few or no guidelines to follow
– Oversees completed work of others and is accountable for unit results
– Delegates advanced tasks to others and provides guidance to team members

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– May represent the University externally
– Collaborates closely with team members and other leaders across the University
– Communicates a compelling vision that inspires and motivates others

• Comp Grade – 16
• Minimum – $123,200.00
• MidPoint – $157,100.00
• Maximum – $191,000.00