Director of Creative Technologies

The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia; Charlottesville (VA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Virginia’s External Relations seeks a Director of Creative Technologies to lead the blend of design, front-end development, and AI-enabled production. This role shapes immersive digital experiences that advance UVA's fundraising and engagement goals and partners with multiple university units to apply creative technology.

Reporting to the Senior Creative Director, you will guide tooling, templates, and AI governance, mentor staff, and drive responsible AI adoption while

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering interactive digital experiences, with strong craft.
• Advanced knowledge of front-end development and web technologies.
• Experience applying AI-driven workflows to production environments.

Responsibilities

• Designs and builds custom interactive experiences end-to-end from concept to delivery.
• Oversees digital ecosystem including web pages, email production, and templates.
• Leads applied-AI practice and develops adoption frameworks.

Skills

Design

Digital platforms

Front-end development

AI-driven workflows

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

External Relations at the University of Virginia (UVA) seeks a forward-thinking leader at the intersection of creativity and technology to join its team as the Director of Creative Technologies. This role will guide the exploration and adoption of emerging tools and platforms, from immersive and interactive media to AI-assisted production, that elevate how UVA tells its story, engages its communities and reaches new audiences. The University of Virginia has a strong and reputable advancement community, boasting effective, results-oriented and resourceful professionals. We offer a wide variety of career opportunities, as well as an outstanding environment for professional growth and development.

Reporting to the Senior Creative Director, the Director of Creative Technologies will play a vital role in leading a distinct area within the External Relations Communications team: the design, development, and AI-enabled production of high-craft interactive digital experiences, tools, and systems that advance the University's fundraising and engagement goals. This dynamic position involves working where design, front-end development, and applied artificial intelligence come together to produce bespoke interactive work that standard templates and outside vendors cannot deliver. The Director of Creative Technologies also provides senior technical creative leadership for the team, serves as its primary resource for responsible AI adoption, and partners with units across the University to solve problems through creative technology. Success in this role requires technical fluency, design craft, and the ability to turn strategic and fundraising goals into polished, working experiences.

Responsibilities

• Designs and builds custom interactive experiences for major-gift solicitation, stewardship, and legislative and stakeholder engagement, owning the work end to end from concept through design, code, and delivery.
• Manages giving.virginia.edu and its surrounding digital ecosystem, including front-end development, creative coding, event-page templating, and cross-platform maintenance, and provides senior technical support on complex email production when needed.
• Develops and maintains branded and reusable templates and toolkits that enable efficient, high-quality production across the team.
• Leads the team's applied-AI practice, developing adoption and authorship-disclosure frameworks and contributing to institutional AI guidance.
• Trains and coaches colleagues across the team and partner units on creative-technology tools, AI, and interactive production, building shared fluency and helping other teams apply these capabilities in their own work.
• Serves as a creative-technology resource to units across the University, including Corporate & Foundation Relations, Event Experiences, and State Government Relations, among others, advancing External Relations Communications as a partner for AI-enabled creative problem-solving.
• Keeps creative and communications output aligned as External Relations enterprise-level technology systems evolve, including the CRM, web platform, and event and email tools.
• Other duties as assigned.

The successful candidate will excel in the following areas:

• Delivering high-quality work at speed, using AI and efficient production workflows to engineer polished, custom experiences on the timelines that fundraising and engagement work demands.
• Staying abreast of fast-changing tools and platforms, evaluating emerging tools and techniques and assessing which are appropriate to incorporate into the team's work.
• Design and interactive craft, translating brand and content into engaging, well-structured digital experiences with strong attention to usability and visual quality.
• Turning strategic and fundraising goals into built, working experiences, owning the path from concept through delivery rather than handing off specifications.
• Creative problem-solving, finding inventive technical and design solutions to challenges that other teams and units bring, and identifying opportunities where creative technology can change what is possible.
• Working effectively in team environments that collaborate on deadlines, managing both responsive, fast-turnaround requests and longer-term priorities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience: 8+ years of relevant professional experience required.
• Licensure: None.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in design, digital platforms, front-end development, and AI-driven workflows.
• Experience in higher education or advancement communications.

Salary Range

The anticipated hiring range is $140,000 - $150,000, commensurate with education and experience.

Position Type & Work Location

This is an exempt-level, benefited position. Learn more about UVA benefits .This position will remain open until filled.

This is a restricted position, which is dependent on funding and is contingent upon funding availability.

UVA External Relations offers a flexible and hybrid workplace. All team members must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and be able to work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. Depending on the type of position and work performed, or as deemed by the manager, some positions may be required to work intermittently in our shared office space located in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This hybrid position can be worked remotely on occasion, although frequent in-person work in our office building, on UVA Grounds, or at event venues is required.

About UVA and the Community

To learn more about UVA and in the Charlottesville area, visit UVA Life and Embark CVA.

Additional Requirements

• Background checks will be conducted on all new hires prior to employment.
• This position will not consider candidates who require immigration sponsorship now or in the future.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Learn more about UVA's commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment.