Associate Director of Visual Communication

Description

Special Instructions to Applicants:

All interested applicants should attach a resume and portfolio of work in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

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, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures 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. Those 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 Associate Director of Visual Communication at the Center for Academic and Professional Communication (CAPC) is a leadership role that combines creative visual design with academic engagement. This position is well-suited for someone who brings strong visual and multimodal communication skills and is also interested in researching and teaching in higher education—particularly in empirical fields. Key responsibilities include designing and leading workshops for students and faculty; consulting on visual and multimodal projects such as research posters, presentation slides, data visualizations, and academic websites; collaborating on CAPC’s internal visual communication efforts; co-leading the biennial Visual Communication Symposium hosted by the Program in Writing and Communication; and contributing to the assessment and strategic development of CAPC’s visual programming. The position may also include the opportunity to teach a credit-bearing course on visual and multimodal communication annually.

Ideal Candidate Statement:

The ideal candidate will have strong visual and multimodal communication skills, experience working with researchers across disciplines, and a demonstrated interest in researching and teaching in higher education. They should be comfortable leading workshops, consulting with students and faculty, and contributing to both creative projects and broader program initiatives. A background in working with empirical fields and familiarity with tools for visual storytelling, data visualization, and design are especially valued. This position is part of the Center for Academic and Professional Communication (CAPC), which supports communication across the university through instruction, collaboration, and programming for students and faculty alike.

Hiring Range: The expected salary range starts at $75,000 and up, depending on experience and qualifications. This is a full-time exempt position, not eligible for overtime under FLSA.

Minimum Requirements:

Master’s degree in a relevant field

3+ years of experience in higher education, including teaching and working with students and/or faculty on visual communication-related projects

In lieu of some experience, additional relevant education beyond the Master’s may be considered on a year-for-year basis

Demonstrated background in visual and/or multimodal communication, such as visual design, data visualization, or multimedia production

Preferences:

PhD or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant field

Minimum of five years of relevant experience in academia, with a strong background in communication pedagogy and/or visual communication areas

Experience working with researchers in empirical disciplines, particularly in STEM

Proven ability to consult on or create visual and multimodal communication projects (e.g., data visualizations, slide design, research posters, digital storytelling)

Experience designing and leading workshops or credit-bearing courses related to visual communication

Strong leadership and project management skills, including a record of mentoring others and guiding collaborative initiatives

Familiarity with visual tools and platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) or similar

Interest in supporting interdisciplinary initiatives and contributing to a collaborative, mission-driven center

Degree in visual communication, graphic design, multimedia studies, communication studies, or a related field

Skills:

Demonstrated expertise in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels

Working knowledge of Windows XP/7/8, OSX, and all MS Office Applications

Familiarity with visual tools and platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) or similar

Must have the ability to work on multiple projects

Should be comfortable giving and receiving feedback

Proven track record of developing and maintaining partnerships between academic departments and programs

Exceptional leadership and project management skills, with the ability to effectively guide and mentor staff and faculty

Strong problem-solving abilities with a proactive approach to addressing challenges

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders

Substantial knowledge and skills in current educational technologies, software and learning platforms

Additional Skills:

Leadership and Team Management: Ability to lead and manage teams effectively, including staff members, faculty, and student workers, to ensure successful project execution and collaboration. Prior experience in supervising and managing student workers

Project Management: Proficiency in project planning, execution, and evaluation, with a focus on meeting objectives, timelines, and quality standards

Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify and address challenges that may arise during project implementation, fostering innovative solutions

Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate ideas, collaborate with stakeholders, and convey complex concepts effectively to diverse audiences

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Capacity to foster partnerships and collaborations across different academic disciplines and departments within the university to promote interdisciplinary approaches to communication education and research.

Curriculum Development: Experience in developing and refining curricula for credit-bearing courses in communication pedagogy, language acquisition, and/or composition studies, tailored to the needs of undergraduate and graduate students

Evaluation and Improvement: Proficiency in assessing the effectiveness of educational programs and projects, collecting and analyzing data for evaluation purposes, and implementing improvements based on findings

Mentorship and Guidance: Ability to mentor and provide guidance to staff, faculty, and student workers, fostering their professional development and promoting a supportive and collaborative work environment

Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities, project requirements, and institutional needs while maintaining a high level of performance and professionalism

Collaborative Engagement: Demonstrated ability to work effectively with various groups of students, faculty, and staff across disciplines and roles within the university

Essential Functions:

Develops, implements, administers, and evaluates programs by conducting research activities within the program, analyzing data, creating reports, reviewing trends, and making program improvement recommendations

Develops and implements strategies related to outreach, events, communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising/funding

Creates short-term and long-term plans to achieve the mission and objectives of the program

Devises and manages financial and budgetary plans for the program(s), approves and monitors expenditures

May teach a course, seminar, or workshop

May supervise small staff (up to three full-time staff)

Performs all other duties as assigned

Additional Functions:

Lead CAPC’s visual and multimodal communication initiatives, including workshops, consultations, and resource development

Co-lead the planning and implementation of the biennial Visual Communication Symposium hosted by the Program in Writing and Communication (PWC)

Consult with students and faculty across disciplines—particularly in STEM and Social Sciences—on visual and digital communication projects such as research posters, presentation slides, or data visualizations

Collaborate on CAPC’s in-house visual communication and storytelling projects that support the center’s mission and programs

Collaborate with departments and programs across the university on discipline-specific communication efforts, contributing to broader CAPC initiatives that integrate visual communication into research, teaching, and faculty-facing support

Support the evaluation and strategic development of CAPC’s visual communication programming

May have the opportunity to teach one credit-bearing course annually in areas such as visual and multimodal communication, communication pedagogy, or composition studies

Rice University HR 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 contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at or for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.