Art Director, Cancer Care Creative Strategy

Medical University of South Carolina; South Carolina; On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Medical University of South Carolina Office of Communications and Marketing seeks an experienced Art Director to lead creative direction and enterprise storytelling for cancer-care initiatives in Charleston, SC. This role translates complex clinical information into compelling visual campaigns that strengthen MUSC's brand and engage patients.

The Art Director partners with brand strategy and cross‑functional teams, delivering hands‑on design, scalable systems, and mentorship to designers and

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication Design, Advertising or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in graphic design, art direction, and creative leadership.
• Experience leading and collaborating with external creative agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative strategy for cancer-care initiatives and integrated campaigns across channels.
• Partner with marketing, communications, content and digital teams to ensure brand standards and alignment.
• Oversee production of assets across print, digital, environmental, and multimedia channels.
• Develop templates, toolkits, and resources to strengthen cancer-care marketing and brand consistency.
• Provide mentorship to designers, freelancers and agency partners.

Skills

Creative leadership

Conceptual thinking

Brand storytelling

Communication

Design systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design/Visual Communication

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

PowerPoint

Canva

DAM systems

Job description

Entity Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Regular Cost Center CC002311 SYS - Marketing Campaigns Pay Rate Type Salary Pay Grade Health-32 Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Work Shift

Job Description Summary MUSC Office of Communications and Marketing seeks a collaborative Art Director to lead creative direction, integrated campaigns and enterprise storytelling for cancer-care initiatives. This role elevates the quality and impact of cancer-care communications through audience-centered marketing and compelling visual storytelling that strengthen the MUSC brand, engage audiences and advance MUSC's strategic priorities.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Brand Strategy, the Art Director is an integrated thinker with exceptional design, conceptual and communication skills, translating complex clinical and scientific information into compelling campaigns that guide patients and audiences throughout the cancer-care journey through the seamless integration of words and visuals. This leader develops creative brand strategy while remaining hands‑on, delivering high‑quality design for priority initiatives when needed.

Working across clinical, research, academic, digital, and enterprise communications teams, the Art Director serves as a trusted creative partner to internal stakeholders and agency collaborators, ensuring cohesive, high‑impact communications across channels.

This in‑person position is based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Key Responsibilities

• Creative Leadership & Direction (35%) Lead creative strategy for cancer‑care initiatives, shaping integrated campaigns, visual systems and storytelling that elevate MUSC’s brand and engage audiences across the patient journey. Translate complex clinical and research information into compelling visual narratives across the cancer‑care journey. Develop insight‑driven creative solutions that strengthen brand positioning, increase engagement and support measurable marketing objectives. Partner with the Senior Director of Brand Strategy to advance enterprise‑wide creative brand standards, alignment and innovation. Execute exceptional hands‑on design for high‑priority initiatives, applying strong conceptual thinking and visual craftsmanship. Provide creative direction and mentorship to designers, freelancers and agency partners to ensure consistent, high‑quality execution. Leverage audience insights, campaign performance and engagement data to continuously improve creative effectiveness.
• Enterprise, Digital, and Agency Collaboration (25%) Ensure all internally and externally produced creative work aligns with MUSC brand standards and strategic direction. Partner with marketing, communications, content and digital teams to deliver integrated, accurate and channel‑optimized campaigns. Serve as a cross‑functional creative partner, fostering collaboration and alignment across the enterprise. Oversee the organization and retention of agency‑produced assets within MUSC's digital asset management (DAM) system, ensuring accessible, compliant, and well‑managed libraries.
• Production and Creative Operations (20%) Oversee creative asset development from concept through final delivery, ensuring quality, accuracy, and alignment with project objectives. Manage creative workflows, timelines, and production across multiple concurrent initiatives. Produce production‑ready artwork and collaborate with vendors and agency partners across print, digital, environmental, and multimedia channels. Maintain efficient creative processes, file‑management standards, and production systems.
• Education and Engagement (15%) Develop templates, toolkits, and resources that strengthen cancer‑care marketing, storytelling, and brand consistency. Lead workshops, presentations, and coaching that promote creative best practices and elevate communication quality. Champion a culture of design excellence, innovation, and thoughtful storytelling.
• Other Duties (5%) Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication Design, Advertising or a related field.
• Experience: 10+ years of experience in graphic design, art direction, and creative leadership, preferably within a creative agency, healthcare organization, or academic medical environment. Experience leading and collaborating with external creative agencies. Demonstrated ability to develop creative strategy while delivering exceptional hands‑on design execution.
• Skills: Exceptional design ability, conceptual thinking, refined visual aesthetic and sound creative judgment. Proven ability to lead creative direction, mentor designers and elevate the quality and consistency of creative work. Ability to balance creative excellence with strategic marketing objectives using audience insights and performance data. Experience using campaign analytics and audience research to inform creative strategy and optimize outcomes. Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, PowerPoint, Canva, digital asset management (DAM) systems, analytics platforms, accessibility tools and project management software. Ability to translate complex clinical and scientific information into clear, engaging visual communications. Strong portfolio demonstrating brand identity development, integrated campaigns and cross‑channel execution across digital and print. Experience building scalable design systems, templates and creative standards. Excellent communication, presentation, collaboration and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities. Knowledge of HIPAA requirements, accessibility standards and inclusive design principles.
• Additional Job Description Education: Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Work Experience: 7 years progressive work experience and 2 years management experience.

Physical Requirements

• Mobility & Posture Standing: Continuous
• Sitting: Continuous
• Walking: Continuous
• Climbing stairs: Infrequent
• Working indoors: Continuous
• Working outdoors (temperature extremes): Infrequent
• Working from elevated areas: Frequent
• Working in confined/cramped spaces: Frequent
• Kneeling: Infrequent
• Bending at the waist: Continuous
• Twisting at the waist: Frequent
• Squatting: Frequent
• Manual Dexterity & Strength Pinching operations: Frequent
• Gross motor use (fingers/hands): Continuous
• Firm grasping (fingers/hands): Continuous
• Fine manipulation (fingers/hands): Continuous
• Reaching overhead: Frequent
• Reaching in all directions: Continuous
• Repetitive motion (hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders): Continuous
• Full use of both legs: Continuous
• Balance & coordination (lower extremities): Frequent
• Lifting & Force Requirements Lift/carry 50 lbs. unassisted: Infrequent
• Lift/lower 50 lbs. from floor to 36”: Infrequent
• Lift up to 25 lbs. overhead: Infrequent
• Exert up to 50 lbs. of force: Frequent
• Examples: Transfer 100 lb. non-ambulatory patient = 50 lbs. force
• Push 400 lb. patient in wheelchair on carpet = 20 lbs. force
• Push patient stretcher one-handed = 25 lbs. force
• Vision & Sensory Maintain corrected vision 20/40 (one or both eyes): Continuous
• Recognize objects (near/far): Continuous
• Color discrimination: Continuous
• Depth perception: Continuous
• Peripheral vision: Continuous
• Hearing acuity (with correction): Continuous
• Tactile sensory function: Continuous
• Gross motor with fine motor coordination: Continuous
• Selected Positions: Olfactory (smell) function: Continuous
• Respirator use qualification: Continuous
• Work Environment & Conditions Effective stress management: Continuous
• Rotating shifts: Frequent
• Overtime as required: Frequent
• Latex-safe environment: Continuous

If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us! The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

Medical University of South Carolina participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees.

Thank you for wanting to be part of the Medical University of South Carolina team. Whether you want to teach the next generation of health care leaders, innovate new business models, discover the next breakthrough or provide patient care, there's a role for you that fuels your passion and takes advantage of your skills. There are career opportunities available in academics, research, hospital medicine, physician practices and support services, from patient billing to IT. MUSC attracts more than $250 million annually in research funding, making it the biggest magnet for biomedical, extramural research dollars of all institutions of higher learning in South Carolina. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program aims to advance clinical and translational science to increase the speed at which new treatments become available to patients. MUSC Health, the clinical enterprise, operates a 750 bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (one of fewer than 70 elite National Cancer Institute designated centers), a Level I Trauma Center and the Institute of Psychiatry. In addition, there are more than 100 outreach clinics, hospital/health system affiliations, and telehealth sites. U.S. News & World Report placed us among the top one percent of all American hospitals, with 11 specialties in the top 50. The MUSC Medical Center is also one of only three Magnet designated hospitals in South Carolina.