Creative Lead / Design Director & Adviser

The Creative Lead / Design Director / Adviser is a professional staff leadership role responsible for guiding the creative vision, strategy, and execution of Rocky Mountain Student Media’s client and internal work. This role combines agency-level creative leadership with hands-on mentorship, supporting and developing a team of college student designers at CSU while ensuring high-quality, client-ready creative output. This role focuses on direction, mentorship, and oversight, with most production work executed by student designers.

The Creative Lead serves as both a creative leader and educator, helping CSU students translate real-world client needs into effective visual solutions, while maintaining the integrity and consistency of RMSM’s brand and creative standards.

Key Responsibilities

CREATIVE DIRECTION & STRATEGY (30%)

• Lead the creative vision and direction for client campaigns across digital, print, social, and experiential platforms
• Translate client goals and marketing objectives into compelling creative concepts and visual solutions
• Review and approve creative work to ensure it meets professional, client-ready standards
• Provide art direction and concept feedback throughout the design process
• Ensure all work aligns with brand strategy, messaging, and audience goals
• Collaborate with sales, marketing, and leadership teams to develop creative solutions that drive results for clients

ADVISING & TEAM DEVELOPMENT (30%)

• Mentor and develop a team of 4–5 student designers, fostering growth in both creative skills and professional readiness
• Provide ongoing coaching, constructive feedback, and creative guidance in both group and one-on-one settings
• Lead training sessions on design principles, creative thinking, workflows, and industry best practices
• Support students in building portfolios and preparing for careers in design and creative fields
• Create an inclusive, collaborative, and growth-oriented team environment

PROJECT MANAGEMENT & PRODUCTION (25%)

• Oversee creative workflow and project timelines, ensuring projects are delivered on time and at a high level of quality
• Collaborate with the Creative Services Student Leader to assign projects and manage workload across the team
• Communicate with internal stakeholders and clients to align expectations, timelines, and deliverables
• Step in on high-priority or complex projects when needed to ensure successful execution
• Maintain efficient creative processes and workflows that mirror real-world agency environments.
• Contribute to design work when needed, particularly on high-visibility or complex projects

BRAND & QUALITY CONTROL (15%)

• Maintain and uphold RMSM’s corporate brand standards across all platforms and materials
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and quality across all creative deliverables
• Support the evolution of RMSM’s visual identity and creative offerings
• Establish and reinforce best practices for design quality, file preparation, and production standards

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field (preferred) or equivalent work experience.

Experience

• 3–5+ years of professional design or creative experience (agency or in-house preferred)
• Experience leading or mentoring creative teams
• Experience working with clients and translating business goals into creative solutions

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Creative & Strategic

• Strong portfolio demonstrating creative thinking, brand development, and campaign execution
• Ability to lead concept development and provide clear creative direction
• Understanding of marketing, advertising, and audience-driven design

Software & Technical

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
• Working knowledge of motion/animation tools (After Effects preferred)
• Familiarity with project management tools (Monday.com or similar)
• Comfortable working within collaborative tools (Slack, Google Workspace, etc.)

Leadership

• Strong mentor and coach with the ability to develop emerging talent
• Excellent communicator with the ability to give clear, actionable feedback
• Highly organized, adaptable, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Collaborative mindset with a solutions-oriented approach

What Makes This Role Unique

• Lead real client work across a multi-channel media and marketing organization
• Build and shape a student creative team in an agency-style environment
• Blend creative leadership with mentorship and teaching
• Flexible, part-time role with meaningful impact and autonomy

This role is ideal for a designer who enjoys both creating and mentoring, and is looking for meaningful, flexible work with real-world impact.

For full consideration, please send your resume, cover letter and 5 samples of your work and/or your portfolio website to Christa Reed, Director of Sales & Marketing at Rocky Mountain Student Media: christa.reed@colostate.edu no later than April 30, 2026.

About Rocky Mountain Student Media Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp’s Mission:

· Providing CSU students with hands-on, real-world training to develop the skills needed for successful post-college careers.

· Delivering news, entertainment, and engaging content to the CSU and Fort Collins communities.

For a full EOE and DEI statement (and for other corporate info) visit: https://rmsmc.com/documents/

Pay: $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Work Location: In person