Production Designer

Working at the direction of the Assistant Editor for Content, the Production Designer assists in the execution of tasks related to the presentation, production and distribution of products in Content & News; and tasks that support the work of the Creative team. Both are units of the University of Virginia Office of University Communications.

The position requires a full understanding of modern communications tools, a proven ability to design compelling news and feature pages in a digital environment, familiarity with Drupal or other open-source CMS tools, basic understanding of HTML and CSS, and proficiency with programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Experience working in a deadline-driven environment is required. Experience with newsletter production is important, and familiarity with Marketing Cloud is a plus. Preferred candidates have experience in a newsroom setting, and a demonstrated ability to support daily products.

This position requires some night and weekend work that can be done remotely, as dictated by University events and office coverage requirements.

Responsibilities:

Collaborates with the Content Strategy Specialist and editorial leadership in Content & News to determine optimal presentation of content produced for products and platforms.
Identifies and acquires appropriate images from photo databases, stock image sources or other sources to accompany stories, for newsletters, websites and social media platforms.
Edits and sizes art assets for use on appropriate platforms.
Builds news and feature story pages, photo essays, and other story types using UVA Today content management system. Publishes content to appropriate websites and on appropriate digital platforms, including social media, as needed.
Proofs all published content for accuracy in headlines, captions, graphics, text, image sizing and page function on desktop and mobile platforms.
Assembles newsletter products, including the UVA Today Daily Report. Proofs and edits as needed; sets for timed publication in CMS.
Writes and edits photo captions and headlines as needed.
Helps ensure accessibility requirements are met, including appropriate tagging of images.
Collaborates as needed with Creative unit to assist with production-related tasks, or other assignments as needed.

Skills and Competencies:

Demonstrated ability in Drupal or other similar CMS environments.
Understanding of basic HTML and CSS.
Proficiency in photo editing and basic news and feature design and presentation concepts.
Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite programs.
An eye for detail and accuracy, both in digital design and text.
Solid and accurate writing and editing skills.
Demonstrated ability in mass email platforms or environments such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
Ability to conceptualize and produce graphics or illustrations for desktop and mobile deployment.
Front-end web development skills, including understanding of PHP, Javascript, etc.
Ability to produce information graphics for web and social media.

Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree.
At least one year of relevant work experience.