Assistant Director, Advertising and Creative Services

University of Rochester•Rochester, NY

1d•$109,000 - $163,600•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Creative Services reports to the Director, Creative & Brand Strategy and leads the day-to-day operation and delivery of creative services in support of University of Rochester Medicine priorities. The role translates creative and brand strategy into team priorities, resource plans, workflows, and high-quality creative execution across channels and initiatives. The Assistant Director provides creative direction and operational leadership for an in-house team of designers and copywriters, ensuring work is strategically aligned, on brand, on time, and appropriately resourced. The role oversees workload, capacity, processes, and performance; identifies opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality; and directly manages and develops creative staff in a collaborative, accountable, and innovative team culture. This position partners with stakeholders across Marketing, Communications, Web, Digital Content, and other areas to shape audience-focused creative approaches. It oversees work from discovery and concept development through production, review, and delivery across print, digital, social, video, out-of-home, and other channels, and may contribute directly to creative work when appropriate.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Art, Design, or a related field and 10 years of experience in a strategic communications or creative director role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of HIPAA privacy rules and ability to manage the HIPAA consent authorization process for stories involving a patient's personal health information.
Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; comfort communicating with all levels of faculty and staff and speaking in front of groups.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree.
Health care experience, especially in an academic medical center setting.
Five years of supervisory or management experience.
Appreciation for the power of creativity and understanding of what resonates with audiences.
Exposure to multimedia production and strong understanding of video, photo, and motion production processes.
Ability to manage creative teams and projects in a fast-paced environment, execute multiple campaigns and competing priorities, and work with minimal supervision.
Proficiency in conceptual creative problem solving and strategic integrated content messaging systems; ability to develop creative, series-driven approaches for varied topics, platforms, and audiences.
Strong organization, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to manage stressful situations with a solution-oriented approach and positive attitude.
Ability to manage administrative projects, make sound decisions, and support the design and implementation of new programs; knowledge of project management best practices.
Ability to translate strategic plan concepts and brand strategy into effective creative direction and tactical solutions; experience developing creative systems and assets for strategic marketing and communications campaigns with proven results.
Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams, influence stakeholders, and provide context or reshape material as needed.
Willingness to embrace change, learn new technologies, and stay curious about the evolving marketing landscape.
Strong experience managing creative teams and direct reports in the creative industry.

Responsibilities

Translate strategic priorities into clear creative direction and cohesive execution across campaigns, initiatives, and digital, print, and video channels.
Drive innovation aligned with brand standards, audience insights, and organizational priorities.
Supervise, mentor, and develop in-house designers and copywriters, and manage external freelancers or agencies as needed.
Partner with the Director, HR, and department leaders on hiring, onboarding, goal setting, performance management, career development, and succession planning.
Translate organizational and creative priorities into resource plans, project sequencing, timelines, and deliverables; allocate creative resources day to day.
Monitor workload, capacity, timelines, dependencies, and risks, and adjust resources or sequencing or recommend priority changes to keep projects on track.
Define, document, and continuously refine creative processes, workflows, approval pathways, tools, and reporting.
Use workload, productivity, and workflow data to identify trends, anticipate capacity needs, and recommend operational improvements.
Identify process-improvement opportunities and implement solutions that strengthen operational performance.
Partner with colleagues and leaders across departments to translate business and communication objectives into strategic, audience-focused creative approaches.
Consult with stakeholders to clarify objectives, audience needs, scope, and creative requirements, recommending approaches that balance goals, brand standards, resources, timelines, and channel needs.
Provide direction on marketing strategy, storytelling, engagement tactics, and brand application while balancing creative solutions with brand standards and business goals.
Help resolve competing creative needs, complex project requirements, and cross-functional dependencies with appropriate leaders and stakeholders.
Build working relationships across teams to improve planning, coordination, and the effectiveness of creative services.
Oversee creative work from discovery and concept development through production, review, and delivery across print, digital, social, video, out-of-home, and other channels.
Review work at key stages to ensure quality, accessibility, brand alignment, audience relevance, and strategic effectiveness.
Make or facilitate creative decisions that keep work progressing and escalate significant strategic, brand, resource, or stakeholder issues to the Director as appropriate.
Promote experimentation with new tools, formats, technologies, and storytelling approaches to improve creative quality, efficiency, or audience engagement.
Perform other duties as assigned.