Production Designer

Production Designer

Job #: 042513
Location: Syracuse, NY
Pay Range: $20.50 - $24.00

Hours: Standard University business hours
8:30am - 5:00pm (academic year)
8:00am - 4:30pm (summer)
Hours may vary based on operational needs.

Job Type: Full Time

This role provides comprehensive design and production support for the Division of Advancement and External Affairs Office of Strategic Communications and Donor Experience. This role creates and manages visual content for fundraising, engagement and stewardship materials across all print and digital platforms. This position is responsible for sourcing, organizing, cataloging, and retouching media assets for division-wide use. The incumbent uses and develops templates and support systems/platforms that enable self‑service options for commonly used pieces.

This position works with the AVP to ensure digital and print materials produced within the division align with University brand, marketing and communications standards, as well as style guidelines. Working closely with the Director of Digital Experience, the Production Designer will help facilitate the production of physical collateral and help liaise with Procurement and vendors. The position requires creativity and systematic organization to manage the divisions visual assets and production workflows effectively.

The Division of Advancement & External Affairs expresses a shared mission that is collaborative, trusted, respectful, future‑focused and is aligned with the overall University. All current and new employees embrace and demonstrate dedication to promoting shared values in an inclusive work culture to propel the future of advancement operations in their everyday work.

• Bachelors degree in graphic design, visual communications, related field or minimum five years experience is required.
• Experience in graphic design and production; experience in higher education or nonprofit setting preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator).
• Experience with digital asset management and photo editing workflows.

• Demonstrated proficiency in graphic design with strong portfolio showcasing print and digital work.
• Understanding of branding and maintaining brand compliance.
• Proficiency in photography editing, retouching and color correction.
• Familiarity with print production processes, specifications and vendor management.
• Ability to create templates and work in systems to develop self‑service design production.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Understanding of fundraising and donor engagement communications preferred.

• Design and produce fundraising, engagement and stewardship collateral for print and digital distribution.
• Create layouts that effectively communicate messaging while maintaining visual appeal and brand compliance.
• Collaborate with communications staff to understand project goals and translate content into compelling visual designs.
• Ensure all materials meet professional standards and advance divisional objectives.
• Develop and/or refresh templates for common collateral pieces to enable more self‑service production options.
• Create flexible, user‑friendly templates that maintain brand standards while allowing non‑designers to produce quality ad‑hoc materials.
• Document template usage and assist with providing training to staff on proper usage.
• Provide design support for systems that facilitate self‑start or self‑service materials.
• Source, organize and retouch photography and other media assets for use across the division.
• Edit and retouch images to meet quality standards and project requirements.
• Establish relationships with other media staff throughout the University to ensure a rich pool of resources for completing projects requiring media assets.
• Provide design and visual expertise as needed.
• Conduct design review and evaluation to ensure compliance with University brand standards. Review materials produced internally and by external partners for adherence to brand guidelines and divisional…