Associate Director of Visual Communication, Center for Academic and Professional Communication (CAPC) at Rice University in Houston, Texas

Job Description:

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in a PDF format to avoid formatting issues.

Position Summary

The role of Associate Director of Visual Communication at CAPC (Center for Academic and Professional Communication) is a leadership position that involves designing and implementing visual and multimodal communication initiatives within the organization. The ideal candidate will be responsible for developing workshops and resources for faculty and students, consulting with individuals, especially those in STEM fields, on visual projects, organizing a biennial symposium, managing in-house visual projects, assisting with CAPC's visual communication assessment, and potentially teaching a credit-bearing course on visual and multimodal communication on an annual basis.

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the salary depending on qualifications and experience begins at $75,000 a year. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements

• Master's degree in visual communication, graphic design, multimedia studies, communication studies, or a related field.
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  Three or more years of relevant experience in academia, including teaching and collaborating with faculty, with a strong background in visual communication pedagogy, design theory, and/or multimedia production.
  
  
  • In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted.
  
  
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  Skills
  
  
  • Demonstrated experience working with STEM researchers is highly desirable, demonstrating the ability to effectively communicate complex ideas visually to diverse audiences.
  • Demonstrated expertise in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with a specialization in visual communication principles and practices.
  • Proven track record of developing and maintaining partnerships between academic departments and programs, with a particular emphasis on integrating visual communication into curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Exceptional leadership and project management skills, with the ability to effectively guide and mentor staff and faculty in utilizing visual tools and techniques.
  • Strong problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to addressing challenges related to visual communication initiatives.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including faculty, students, and external partners.
  • Prior experience in supervising and managing student workers is desirable, particularly in the context of visual communication projects.
  • Expertise with visual tools and software, such as Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), and experience in visual communication, including graphic design, multimedia production, data visualization, and visual storytelling, is highly preferred.
  
  

Preference

• PhD is preferred.

Additional Skills

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  Leadership and Team Management: Ability to lead and manage teams effectively, including staff members, faculty, and student workers, to ensure successful project execution and collaboration.
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  Project Management: Proficiency in project planning, execution, and evaluation, with a focus on meeting objectives, timelines, and quality standards.
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  Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify and address challenges that may arise during project implementation, fostering innovative solutions.
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  Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate ideas, collaborate with stakeholders, and convey complex concepts effectively to diverse audiences.
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  Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Capacity to foster partnerships and collaborations across different academic disciplines and departments within the university to promote interdisciplinary approaches to communication education and research.
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  Curriculum Development: Experience in developing and refining curricula for credit-bearing courses in communication pedagogy, language acquisition, and/or composition studies, tailored to the needs of undergraduate and graduate students.
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  Evaluation and Improvement: Familiarity with assessing the effectiveness of educational programs and projects, collecting and analyzing data for evaluation purposes, and implementing improvements based on findings.
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  Mentorship and Guidance: Ability to mentor and provide guidance to staff, faculty, and student workers, fostering their professional development and promoting a supportive and collaborative work environment.
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  Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities, project requirements, and institutional needs, while maintaining a high level of performance and professionalism.
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  Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: Dedication to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the CAPC and across Rice University, ensuring that programs and initiatives are accessible and inclusive for all students and stakeholders.

Essential Functions

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  Strategy Development: Develop and initiate new strategies to enhance the CAPC's efforts to educate the Rice community about effective visual communication efforts, addressing complex communication challenges effectively and innovatively.
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  Consultation and Guidance: Provide expert consultation and guidance to faculty and students on visual projects, particularly within STEM fields, ensuring alignment with academic objectives and fostering effective communication of complex ideas.
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  Symposium Organization: Lead the planning and execution of a biennial symposium on visual and multimodal communication, engaging experts and stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and networking opportunities.
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  Project Management:
  
  
  • Administer program operations, ensuring efficient, effective, and productive operations.
  • Create and implement plans to achieve center objectives and mission, while interpreting, implementing, and ensuring compliance with policies and regulations.
  • Recommend changes to procedures and processes to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Oversee in-house visual projects, including designing promotional materials, presentations, and other communication assets.
  • Manage multiple projects simultaneously under pressure while maintaining consistency with organizational branding guidelines.
  
  
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  Assessment and Analysis:
  
  
  • Develop reports and recommend and implement changes to improve alignment with institutional mission and goals.
  • Utilize strong data analysis skills to analyze data, identify trends, and derive actionable insights to inform program enhancements.
  • Assist in evaluating the effectiveness of CAPC's visual communication efforts through data collection and analysis.
  
  
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  Teaching and Curriculum Development:
  
  
  • Teach workshops for the CAPC and faculty partners, imparting expertise in visual communication to enhance academic and professional success.
  • Potentially teach a credit-bearing course on visual and multimodal communication, developing innovative curriculum and delivery strategies to equip students with essential skills for effective communication.
  
  

• Develops, implements, administers, and evaluates programs by conducting research activities within the program, analyzing data, creating reports, reviewing trends, and making program improvement recommendations.
• Develops and implements strategies related to outreach, events, communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising/funding.
• Creates short-term and long-term plans to achieve mission and objectives of the program.
• Devises and manages financial and budgetary plans for the VisComm. symposium approves and monitors expenditures.
• May teach a course, seminar, or workshop.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

About Us

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.