Job Description
Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume and cover letter in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.
- Resume or CV
- Cover letter addressing the applicant’s interest in the position and relevant experience
- Portfolio submission of up to 15 pages, or a link to an online portfolio/website, showcasing examples of relevant work that demonstrate the applicant’s design skills, visual judgment, and range across print, digital, web, presentation, email, photography, video, and/or related communications materials
About Rice
Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, 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 that supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture 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.
Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. These values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.
Position Summary
The Web and Graphics Specialist is an integral member of the communications team serving the Rice School of Architecture. This role is responsible for multimedia content creation and management across multiple platforms—from the school’s website and social media channels to email campaigns—and for graphic design for external and internal audiences within an established visual language. This role coordinates the workflow and production schedule for a wide range of marketing and communications materials across digital and print platforms.
This position is responsible for the design and management of select printed marketing assets and ephemera, including event postcards, flyers, posters, and merchandise. It also plays a key role in shaping presentations, executive reports, external email communications, and newsletters, ensuring that materials are visually compelling, accurate, timely, and aligned with the School’s identity and standards of design excellence. The ideal candidate will be proactive, creative, organized, visually sophisticated, and able to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment. A strong interest in architecture, design, and institutional storytelling is essential.
The Rice School of Architecture is a highly ranked program with a strong culture of design excellence, exceptional student work, world-class faculty research, and deep community engagement. The person in this role should be able to take ownership of their work, respond effectively to direction and feedback, and contribute their own creativity and ideas to advance the School’s mission and communication goals.
Workplace Location:
On-campus position: This position is exclusively on-site, requiring all duties to be performed in person at MD Anderson Hall in a shared office space between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Per Rice policy 440 , work arrangements may be subject to change.
Hiring Range: $65,000 – $69,000 exempt
- Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in graphic design, visual communication, arts, architecture, or a related field
- 2+ years of professional experience in graphic design for print and digital media
- Years of experience can be substituted with an advanced graphic design degree
- Candidates with less experience may be considered if they submit an exceptional portfolio that demonstrates strong design skills, professional-level execution, and readiness to perform the responsibilities of the role
- Experience working with website content management systems, web publishing, social media, email campaigns, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems
- Experience designing communications materials and presentations across multiple platforms, including print, web, email, and presentations
- Experience with photography and video
Preferences
- 3 years of professional experience in graphic design for print and digital media
- Experience working in the cultural sector, including architecture, design, arts, higher education, or a similarly design-focused environment
- Experience supporting or coordinating website redesign projects
- Experience creating email newsletters, HTML email templates, and managing email communications platforms
- Experience with basic motion graphics or presentation animation
Skills
- Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere
- Ability to use content creation platforms and constituent relationship management (CRM) systems to create and update web pages and HTML email announcements (such as Beefree and Mailchimp newsletter templates, etc.)
- Strong visual design skills with careful attention to detail, brand consistency, and user experience
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities while working independently and collaboratively
- Strong organizational and workflow management skills
- Ability to develop content as well as design it, especially for web-, email-, and presentation-based communications
Essential Functions
- Manages and designs a wide variety of communications assets that support the visibility, sophistication, and excellence of the Rice School of Architecture
- Maintains a creative and editorial calendar for web, social media, and related communications projects
- Provides art direction, photography, and video for quick-turnaround communications needs
- Serves as a catalyst for creative thinking, project timeliness, and successful completion of communications deliverables
- Manages workflow and production schedules for communications projects, ensuring deadlines are met and approvals are secured
- Coordinates workflow among internal stakeholders, external vendors, web partners, and print shops to maintain design quality and production efficiency
- Performs all other duties as assigned
In-House Design
- Designs and produces communications materials for digital and print audiences
- Maintains the visual quality, consistency, and tone of all web, email, presentation, and print materials, ensuring that content remains current and follows best practices
- Designs and updates presentation materials and templates for events and institutional use, including graduate open house, Owl Days, all-school meetings, executive presentations, and reports. This may include new slide design, photography, animation, and content development support
- Supports the development of executive materials, reports, and presentations for internal and external audiences
- Works closely with external vendors and consultants to meet deadlines and uphold standards of design excellence
Web and Social Media
- Manages and updates website and social media content regularly, including ongoing review for accuracy, consistency, image quality, and cross-referencing across subsections of the site
- Helps coordinate and manage website redesign initiatives in collaboration with leadership, communications staff, and web development partners
- Refreshes imagery and visual assets across platforms to keep communications current and engaging
- Maintains website standards in collaboration with web development and design partners
External Email Campaigns
- Develops visual and written content for external email blasts, newsletters, social media, and related communications, including text, images, layout, and template-based design
- Oversees email communications workflows, including template use, formatting, scheduling, and subscription list management
- Designs and manages HTML email templates and other newsletter formats using the school’s and university’s constituent relationship management (CRM) platforms and tools
Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
