Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Creative Services

The Strategic Communications Manager - Creative Services serves a key role in the University's Office of Strategic Communications; 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

• Brand management
• Concept design
• Content management
• Content strategy
• Creativity
• Design strategy
• Feedback
• Project Management
• Stakeholder engagement
• Strategic Planning
• Visual design