This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: www.hrs.ualberta.ca.

The goal of University Digital Strategy is for the University of Alberta to become one of the best examples of a post-secondary digital learning environment enabled by our web, mobile, social networks, and IT systems capabilities. Our vision has four key attributes: champion interdisciplinary knowledge sharing, empower student and staff innovation, commit to audience-centric design, and build for the mobile, connected community.

Reporting to the University Web Development Manager, the Senior Creative Design Team Lead provides strategic design solutions to a wide range of digital media products (web, mobile, social media) and projects. The Senior Creative Designer is a Team Lead supervising the creative design projects of the University Digital Strategy unit overall and specifically the work of five user experience designers/developers who create assets for all faculties and administrative units of the University of Alberta.  The Senior Creative Design Team Lead is the champion of the digital design for the University of Alberta domain (ualberta.ca) and ensures all digital assets produced are consistent with the institution’s brand promise. This Senior Creative Design Team Lead provides leadership and direction to web designers across campus as part of the University Digital Strategy’s community of practice.

Duties

• Champions the overall design for the University of Alberta Digital Media suite of products:
• Web - Leads the creation and the execution of web concepts that support the University's business strategies by translating those requirements and turning them into online creative solutions
• Mobile – Leads the design process regarding the implementation of the University’s vision for native mobile development versus the web-mobile development; leverages technologies and techniques for iOS, Android, Windows 7 and Web-Mobile Responsive Design
• Social Media – Leads the architectural implementation and end user experience for the integration of web/mobile based technologies (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Four Squares, etc.)
• Drives integrated design direction, ensuring brand alignment and user experience is maintained positioning the university as a leader in its digital deliveries; this is accomplished by the integration of the following disciplines:
• Art Direction - Leads the online creative design layouts and the solid working knowledge of design application: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Maya, and 3D Studio
• Development - Integrates the uses of a variety of development languages:  HTML/HTML5, CSS, CSS3, JavaScript, JQuery, .NET and Flash
• UI (User Interaction)/UX (User Experience) - Leads the interactive design of the online presence and layout contributing to the end users perception of the usefulness of the website
• Facilitates the program design and implementation of three Communities of Practice supporting the portfolio of digital media products; this is accomplished through hands-on leadership of teaching the community across the University through lectures, lunch and learns and one-to-one teachings
• Collaboratively works across departmental boundaries to ensure analysts, writers and photographers work to ensure the overall brand (context, voice, visual) meet requirements
• Collaboratively works across University departments to ensure design alignment with IT for enterprise application developments
• Works with the University Digital Strategy Project Management Office and Technical Project Managers to ensure work schedules are clearly articulated and supported
• Supervises the development workload of the University Digital Strategy unit overall:
• Leads the creative schedule task assignment, leveraging the unit’s portfolio management software
• Is the decision maker for priority work assignments across the creative team
• Mentors creative team development for new and innovative Internet technologies
• Keeps apprised of current and new internet trends by:
  • Reading relevant publications and magazines
  • Attending seminars/courses
  • Evaluating new software as required
• Leads a team of five user experience designers/developers:
• Participates in appropriate committee meetings and task forces
• Monitors time and materials spent on projects on a daily basis in PPM application
• Ensures project files are properly archived available for future use
• Maintains integrity project files meet standards across team members

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in a related field; equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered
• Minimum 8-10 years experience providing strategic, creative leadership across a portfolio of products with a focus on user experience and design (digital agency experience required)
• Proven record for high impact deliveries demonstrating creativity and innovation for digital media products
• Demonstrated experience working with multi-disciplinary teams across developmental boundaries
• Leader in user design; extensive experiences in design, technologies and strategies
• Intimate understanding of the user-centered design process
• Knowledge base including: interaction design, brand development, digital marketing and social media

Candidates are required to provide URLs to online samples of their work to be considered for this position. Please provide your salary expectations in your cover letter or resume.