Creative Design Specialist
The University of Georgia
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent and 2 years of professional experience.
- Skill in landscape architecture and urban planning.
- Experience with community engagement and stakeholder input.
Responsibilities
- Provide high-quality, research-based designs.
- Produce written planning and design components.
- Manage design efforts and supervise students.
- Solicit stakeholder input on projects.
- Schedule site visits and public input sessions.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
S14921P
Creative Design Specialist
PSO-Carl Vinson Inst of Govt
Chartered by the state of Georgia in 1785, the University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in America and is the state’s flagship university (https://www.uga.edu/). The proof is in our more than 240 years of academic and professional achievements and our continual commitment to higher education. UGA is currently ranked among the top 20 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA employs approximately 3,100 faculty and more than 7,700 full‑time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 41,000 students including over 31,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 19 schools and colleges, including our newly established School of Medicine.
As a Public Service and Outreach unit at the University of Georgia, the UGA Institute of Government contributes directly to the university’s overarching public service mission of improving people’s lives by helping to create jobs and prosperity, developing leaders, and addressing critical issues. This public service mission, and the Institute of Government’s role in its success, is at the heart of UGA’s land‑grant and sea‑grant mission to serve the State of Georgia and its residents.
We have a team of experts who inform, inspire, and innovate every day so that governments, large and small, can be more efficient and responsive to their citizens, address current and emerging challenges, and serve the public with excellence. We are uniquely positioned to provide impartial support to local governments and state agencies and convene multidisciplinary and intragovernmental groups to plan for and address many of the challenges faced by communities across Georgia.
Our areas of expertise and focus include workforce and economic development; infrastructure and community resilience; government operations and organizational effectiveness; measuring and reporting on impact and outcomes; building skills, knowledge and capacity of government leaders and teams; and maximizing technology and data for governments and their leaders.
Whether it is through our award‑winning PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) program for rural communities, our CyberArch student program that helps Georgia communities increase their cybersecurity, our efforts to build a visionary plan for military and community partnerships to spur economic prosperity and resilient infrastructure, our financial management certificate program to build the capacity of public officials, or hosting educational events about e‑mobility strategies for local governments … We Know Georgia. Fulfilling our land‑grant and sea‑grant mission to serve the State of Georgia is more than a project. It’s our purpose.
We are growing and excited to add individuals to our team who share our commitment to public service – building stronger communities, inspiring economic resilience, and improving quality of life for communities across Georgia and beyond.
Our Culture – How We Operate
We disseminate knowledge through research, scholarship, and instruction. We collaborate internally across our areas of expertise and with academic researchers to bring best practices and expert insights to the governments and communities we serve. We are committed to fielding a team of experts who have a variety of professional and academic experiences and who are grounded in our culture of excellence and approach our work with Georgia’s governments in a comprehensive and objective fashion.
www.CVIOG.uga.edu
External
TRS or ORP
Employee
Benefits Eligible
Full Time
Normal business hours are M‑F, 8‑5.
Commensurate with Experience
03/25/2026
Yes
05/01/2026
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of your appointment, and maintain eligibility without sponsorship throughout your appointment.
Athens Area
The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, veteran status or other protected status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).
The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning, as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.218_personnel_conduct. Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found online at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.
Graphic Designer II
Exempt
1.00
Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent and 2 years of professional experience
A terminal degree of Masters in Landscape Architecture is strongly preferred.
This position provides the Institute of Government, its local, state, and federal government partners, and other collaborators with landscape design, graphic design, and other assistance that focuses on enhancing the long‑term resilience of communities and infrastructure systems. Design is used for both problem‑solving and visual communication purposes and should be based on research, analysis, and best practices. The position involves producing detailed graphic designs, systems, renderings, plans, and written documentation for Institute of Government projects, proposals, and publications. An important emphasis of the position will be to collaborate with established scholars and practitioners in community outreach, community design, landscape architecture, environmental planning, and engineering fields to advance the development of more resilient communities and infrastructure systems utilizing constructed and natural elements to strengthen society’s long‑term resilience. The position will support and/or conduct design, research, and training to expand and accelerate the adoption of best practices in resilience planning and design in the public and private sectors. The position exercises independent judgment in providing design solutions that reflect skill in landscape architecture and urban planning, graphic design and layout, hand rendering graphic skills, and knowledge of computer‑generated graphics programs (AutoCAD, Adobe Suite: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, and SketchUp) so as to provide high‑quality, professional architectural and design/illustrations. The position coordinates meetings and site visits with clients and develops and maintains collaborative partnerships focused on design solutions with community leaders, local government staff, and state organizations. The position involves travel to conduct site visits, public input sessions, and deliver presentations to clients. The position provides program support by managing the design, research, and outreach efforts, including supervision of graduate and undergraduate students and interns.
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent and 2 years of professional experience.
- Skill in landscape architecture and urban planning, graphic design and layout, hand rendering graphic skills, and knowledge of computer‑generated graphics programs (AutoCAD, Adobe Suite: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, and SketchUp) so as to provide high‑quality, professional architectural designs/illustrations.
- Experience with community engagement and stakeholder input to inform designs and community planning activities is also necessary.
- Design (50%)
- Provide high‑quality, research‑based, context‑sensitive professional architectural designs/illustrations; resilience planning including nature‑based infrastructure, coastal resiliency, reutilization and programming, and creative placemaking.
- Illustrations visually communicate the overall goals and strategies of planning projects and environmental planning initiatives, including adherence to the existing codes and ordinances within communities.
- Written Planning & Design (20%)
- Produce and compile written planning and design components, including analysis, and narrative descriptions of plans accompanying illustrative designs.
- Create written comprehensive reviews of previous plans, detailed work programs for clients, and more.
- Supervision (10%)
- Manage the design efforts of the program, including the supervision of graduate and undergraduate students.
- Supervise and assist students and interns in the collaborative production of designs.
- Stakeholder Engagement (10%)
- Solicit stakeholder input from across campus, local government, community leaders, and citizens on vision and design projects.
- Use community visioning to communicate what the solution would look like and help to decide what is necessary to achieve it.
- Site Visits & Outreach (5%)
- Schedule site visits, public input meetings, and client presentations.
- Apply creative problem‑solving strategies to address key issues in counties, cities, rural, and coastal areas.
- Professional Development (5%)
- Stay abreast of trends and best practices in community design; inform and share best practice knowledge with faculty, staff, and students.
Position involves travel to conduct site visits, public input sessions, and deliver presentations to clients.
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.
Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a background investigation including a criminal background check, confirmation of credentials and employment history, and if applicable, a satisfactory credit check. You may also be subject to a pre‑employment drug test for positions with high‑risk responsibilities, if applicable. Please visit the UGA Background Check website.
For questions concerning this position or recruitment progression, please refer to the Recruitment Contact listed below.
Leigh Elkins
laelkins@uga.edu
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