Senior Manager of Brand and Graphic Design (Full-Time, Onsite)

MASS MoCA•North Adams, MA

54d•$68,000 - $78,000•Onsite

About The Position

MASS MoCA is entering an exciting period of growth and transformation under new leadership and a newly launched Strategic Plan, and seeks a Senior Manager of Brand and Graphic Design to help shape how the museum tells its story visually across all platforms. Reporting to the Director of Communications & Content, the Senior Manager oversees all branded content development, production, and related budgets, and serves as a lead brand ambassador — ensuring a consistent visual identity across all internal and external touchpoints, including print, digital, web, social, and presentations. This role requires an experienced art director and graphic designer who leads and manages in-house graphic designers and oversees workflow within the design team. The role collaborates closely with key stakeholders across the museum — including curators, creative producers, visitor experience, campus and civic initiatives, and advancement — to assess needs, audiences, and project timelines, and ensure alignment with strategic campaign objectives. This is a newly created position designed to support a critical and exciting period of growth and positioning for MASS MoCA. The successful candidate will thrive on collaboration and enjoy working in a fast-paced, highly adaptive environment. The ideal candidate brings a high standard of professionalism, institutional design sensibility, and pragmatic know-how, and works efficiently across multiple projects and priorities. As one of the department’s senior managers, this role partners closely with the Senior Manager of Marketing Operations to shape team culture, align creative vision, operational planning, and cross-departmental priorities. Proven experience managing multiple projects with diverse working groups and simultaneous deadlines, while maintaining design excellence, is essential.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or Visual Communication, or equivalent experience
Minimum of 5 years of in-house or agency experience (museum/nonprofit experience preferred)
Minimum of 3 years in a supervisory or team leadership role, with experience in performance management, scheduling, and mentoring creative staff.
Proven track record of building, leading, and motivating high-performing teams
Must be process driven, demonstrate strong visual design skills, possess a careful attention to detail, appreciate art in all its many forms and have a solid understanding of user-centered design principles
Keen ability to incorporate compelling and relevant photography into branded content and materials
Proven capabilities to develop creative within established graphic and style guidelines, and able to articulate strategic opportunities to transcend or evolve guidelines as needed
Art direction and copy editing experience required in both print (collateral, direct mail, advertising) and digital (web, digital display, and social media)
Confidence to inquire about needed information including the who (audience), what (format), and when (timeline) of each design request
Strong project management skills, with an ability to prioritize competing deadlines
Photoshop and InDesign fluency required; experience with Asana a plus
Commitment to the highest standards of customer service and professionalism
Ability to work both collaboratively and independently
Comfortable working a flexible schedule, including some weekend, holiday, and evening events
Ability to travel occasionally for events and industry meetings
This position is based on site at MASS MoCA’s North Adams campus; regular in-person attendance is required

Nice To Haves

museum/nonprofit experience preferred
experience with Asana a plus

Responsibilities

Devise and develop original ideas for marketing, promotional, wayfinding and organizational materials (digital, print and merchandise) that enhance MASS MoCA’s narrative and brand identity, incorporate existing artist assets, support revenue goals, and drive audience and member engagement across various platforms and environments
Serve as a brand ambassador, ensuring consistent visual and editorial identity across all internal and external touchpoints — print, digital, website, social, and presentations
Develop and launch scalable design templates and brand system to support a globally distributed network of collaborators, artists/exhibitions, and philanthropic partners
Oversee the design of exhibition-related materials including object labels, exhibition identity and merchandise
Recommend and support the production of compelling photography, animations, and videos to support digital campaigns, presentations, and brand storytelling
Be the primary point of contact for all internal stakeholder design projects to the C+C department including visual arts, public programs, The Studios at MASS MoCA, performing arts, visitor experience and advancement to clarify scope, audience and timelines for design projects
Oversee the creative process, from concept development to final production, ensuring consistency and quality in all design deliverables, and communicate proactively to internal stakeholders timelines and project updates
This position manages a small in-house design team, currently composed of two Graphic Designers, and provides strategic leadership for all branded content and visual design initiatives across departments.
Manage the employment — including hiring, performance management, scheduling, and mentoring — of department design staff
Manage photo and video shoots to document strategic initiatives, performances and audience engagement
This job description is intended to describe the general nature of the role and the work being performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. The Senior Manager may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as assigned or requested by Director of Communications and Content