Senior Visual Comm. Designer, Systems Comm.

Utah; Salt Lake City, Northern (UT, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Utah Health seeks a Senior Visual Communications Designer focused on executive and internal communications. You distill leadership messaging into visual-first assets for a large, four-mission organization.

The role blends design production with strategic communications, using Adobe and Microsoft ecosystems and AI tools to empower leadership with on-brand templates. The ideal candidate combines strong visual judgment and systems thinking, with experience in presentation design,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or related field (or equivalency).
• 10 years design experience, preferably in internal or corporate communications, or change contexts.
• Experience with BI-ready templates, brand toolkits, and executive communications.

Responsibilities

• Translate leadership messaging into visual systems, charts, infographics, and templates.
• Manage multiple projects, ensuring brand consistency and quick turnarounds.
• Select tools/platforms appropriate for asset use and maintenance.
• Integrate AI tools to create standardized templates and guardrails.
• Design and maintain templates aligned with brand guidelines.

Skills

Adobe Creative Cloud

Illustrator

InDesign

After Effects

PowerPoint

SharePoint

AI tools

Education

Graphic Design degree

Visual Communication

Equivalency accepted

Tools

Asana

Drupal

Acquia

Campaign Studio

Job description

Details

Open Date 09/15/2026

Requisition Number PRN46214B

Job Title Graphic Designers

Working Title Senior Visual Comm. Designer, Systems Comm.

Career Progression Track P00

Track Level P5 - Expert

FLSA Code Professional

Patient Sensitive Job Code? No

Standard Hours per Week 40

Full Time or Part Time? Full Time

Shift Day

Work Schedule Summary

This position follows a standard 8 a.m.-5 p.m. schedule, with the option to work remotely up to two days per week based on departmental needs. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support special events or other organizational needs.

VP Area U of U Health - Academics

Department 01759 - PUBLISHING

Location Campus

City Salt Lake City, UT

Type of Recruitment External Posting

Pay Rate Range $70,000 - $80,000

Close Date 10/13/2026

Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time) 09/26/2026

Job Summary

University of Utah Health is seeking a Senior Visual Communications Designer specializing in executive and internal communications. This role supports organizational change and other institutional priorities by distilling complex leadership messaging into compact, visual-first assets designed for immediate comprehension across a large organization with four missions: health care, academics, research, and community collaboration.

This is a senior design role requiring strong visual judgment, communication skills, and systems thinking. The ideal candidate knows not just how to design, but where—moving fluidly between Adobe and Microsoft ecosystems depending on what an asset needs to do. Importantly, this position understands how to leverage modern AI tools to build smart, on-brand templates and guardrails that enable leadership to self-serve without compromising organizational brand integrity.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

Responsibilities

Core Responsibilities

• Translate leadership communications into visual systems. Develop conceptual art, charts, infographics, and other visual assets that distill dense organizational messaging into compact visuals paired with limited text, built for immediate comprehension.

• Manage competing priorities and stakeholder needs. Work responsively across multiple concurrent projects, adapting to shifting timelines and requirements while maintaining accuracy, brand consistency, and a high standard of design execution.

• Choose the right platform for the job. Determine the appropriate tools and platforms based on how an asset will be used, shared, edited, and maintained. This judgment — not just tool proficiency — is central to the role.

• AI Tool Integration and Brand Stewardship: Leverage familiarity with LLMs and productivity AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini) to design standardized presentation templates, handouts, and brand toolkits for executive and leadership use.

• Design and maintain templates aligned to the University’s brand and style guide, ensuring consistency across departments and campaigns.

• Provide design consultation to internal teams and stakeholders on design decisions, template use, and brand application.

• Produce motion, animation, and transition graphics to support communications and presentations where movement improves comprehension or engagement.

• Maintain cloud folder structures and file-sharing conventions in accordance with University network and information-governance standards.

• Present and pitch design solutions to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders, articulating design rationale clearly and persuasively.

• Required Qualifications

Software & Technical Skills

• Fluency in Adobe Creative Cloud, with advanced proficiency in Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign; working proficiency in After Effects/Premiere preferred. Hands-on experience using embedded AI features (e.g., Photoshop Generative Fill, Illustrator Text to Vector) to solve real-world production challenges.

• Fluency in Microsoft 365 apps — PowerPoint and SharePoint (priority); Word, Excel (secondary)

• Familiarity with LLMs and productivity AI Tools including: ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini

Core Competencies

• Strong critical thinking and systems-oriented problem-solving

• Excellent visual storytelling and information design skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Confident presentation and pitch skills, including the ability to explain design rationale to non-design stakeholders

• Collaborative and adaptable, with the ability to incorporate diverse and sometimes competing feedback while maintaining design quality, communication objectives, and brand standards.

• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities, stakeholders, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment, with a track record of responsiveness, accuracy, and sound judgment as needs shift.

• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to producing highly accurate, polished work, particularly for executive and organization-wide communications

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT : 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor’s degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).

Graphic Designer, V: Requires a bachelor’s in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field (or equivalency) + 10 years Design experience, preferably including internal communications, corporate communications, presentation design, or change management contexts or a master’s (or equivalency) + 8 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

• Drupal — the University’s CMS ; this role will only occasionally touch web content, with support available from the Digital Experience team

• Campaign Studio (email/marketing platform)

• Acquia (digital asset management)

• Asana (project management)

• Prior experience in higher education, corporate change management, or large decentralized organizations

Type Benefited Staff

Special Instructions Summary

What Makes This Role Distinctive

Unlike a general brand or marketing designer, this position sits at the intersection of design production and organizational and change communication. Comparable roles in the market (e.g., Presentation Designer and higher-ed “Visual Designer” roles supporting executive and institutional messaging) typically emphasize one half of this skillset — either visual production or strategic communications — rather than both with equal weight. This role requires genuine fluency in both.

• Please attach a portfolio demonstrating strong visual communication, information design, and professional design work.

Additional Information

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at [phone] for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at [phone] or [phone] or University Human Resource Management at [phone] if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX ( OEO ). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the:University of Utah Non-Discrimination page.
Online reports may be submitted athttps://oeo.utah.edu

https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.

As perUniversity of Utah policy 5-108: Transfer of Benefits Eligible Staff Members, a new hire to the University of Utah who is still serving a 12 month probationary period will not be hired into another University of Utah job (a transfer) until the successful completion of the probationary period.