american institute of physics

Director, Creative Services Visual Experience

Who We Are:

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a federation of 10 Member Societies which in turn have more than 130,000 members across the globe. AIP was founded in 1931 in an effort to alleviate societal and economic turmoil and to better humanity through science. Today, almost 100 years later, we further our positive impact through our mission: to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity. We want you to become a part of this mission!

SUMMARY:

AIP is looking for a talented Director of Creative Services Visual Experience to join the Institute’s Marketing and Engagement Team. The Marketing and Engagement team is charged with delivering excellence in engaging audiences with impactful content to advance AIP’s mission.

The Director, Creative Service Visual Experience is a strategic leader responsible for overseeing and managing the development and execution of all text and visual creative work for AIP’s marketing needs. This role also entails leading and managing teams that create visuals for content units as well, ensuring that AIP's visual identity, as well as that of any AIP sub-brands, is developed and maintained effectively. The Director of Visual Experience works closely with the head of Marketing & Engagement to ensure alignment of visual identity with the broader brand strategy.

The Director of Visual Experience also plays a crucial role in governance of visual usage, overseeing adherence to visual style guides and ensuring compliance with copyright and usage laws. This includes developing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure that all visual content used by AIP meets legal and ethical standards.

As the primary owner of any data visualization or digital asset management tools adopted by AIP, the Director of Visual Experience partners with the Director of Digital Experience in selecting and managing the use of such tools across AIP. This includes evaluating, implementing, and maintaining data visualization tools, as well as providing training and support to employees on their effective use.

Come join a team of energized, charismatic, collaborative, and passionate individuals and help make a difference through the physical sciences!

What You’lll Do:

• Oversee and manage teams responsible for creating text and visuals for marketing purposes, ensuring high-quality and impactful visual presentations.
• Oversee and manage teams responsible for visual materials for content and editorial units.
• Partner with all AIP units to understand their marketing or visual needs to assure seamless execution that is sensitive to deadlines and time constraints of other units.
• Oversee marketing copywriting personnel.
• Manage and grow a team through the execution of planned and ad hoc creative projects.
• Responsible for also doing hands-on design work and execution, in particular for high impact design and creative projects.
• Develop and maintain AIP's visual identity, as well as that of any AIP sub-brands, in alignment with the broader brand strategy.
• Establish and enforce governance of visual usage, including adherence to visual style guides and compliance with copyright and usage laws.
• Evaluate, implement, and maintain data visualization tools, partnering with the Director of Digital Experience to ensure effective use across AIP.
• Evaluate, implement, and maintain digital asset management tools, partnering with the Director of Digital Experience to ensure effective use across AIP.
• Provide training and support to employees on the effective use of data visualization tools and other visual content creation tools.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in visual communication and provide recommendations for continuous improvement of visual presentations at AIP.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, content, digital experience to ensure visual presentations are aligned with organizational goals and objectives.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and partners related to visual content creation and usage, as needed.
• Directly execute brand and organizational level design initiatives including websites, presentations, brand level videos, interactives and more.
• Independently manage projects. Document requirements and track project plans/task lists and schedules. Communicate regularly with stakeholders regarding project status and manage expectations.
• Business Needs Analysis / Internal Technical Consulting. Partner with AIP divisions to analyze business needs, recommend technical solutions, and work with internal partners and/or outside consultants to ensure successful implementation.
• Keep abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends and understand the “big picture” of AIP and its multiple interrelationships in order to proactively recommend site improvements and take advantage of new opportunities.
• Plays a critical role in shaping AIP's visual presentations and ensuring adherence to visual identity and usage guidelines. Requires a strategic mindset, strong leadership skills, and expertise in visual content creation and management.
• Possesses a keen eye for design, a deep understanding of branding and copyright laws, and the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams to achieve organizational goals.
• Perform additional responsibilities as needed.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in communications, public relations, journalism, or marketing.
• 6-10 years’ experience in a variety of design tools and software, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, and PowerPoint is required.
• Prior experience with Flash; web design experience is an advantage, especially using HTML5 and WordPress.
• Prior experience mentoring and leading creative teams (internal and external), and flex/scale the team as needed through the use of freelancers, contractors, and agencies.
• Proven experience in visual content creation, including design, graphics, and data visualization, with a strong portfolio of successful projects.
• Strong understanding of visual identity development and maintenance, including experience with brand strategy and visual style guides.
• Knowledge of copyright and usage laws related to visual content, with the ability to ensure compliance in a professional setting.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools and software, such as Tableau, Power BI, and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Excellent leadership skills, with the ability to manage and motivate teams, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex visual concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to staying abreast of industry trends and best practices in visual communication and leveraging this knowledge to continuously enhance and optimize visual presentations at AIP.
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Proven experience in working independently and making informed decisions in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment, with a track record of successfully navigating complex visual content creation projects and adapting to evolving organizational needs

To Apply:

Include a resume and a cover letter. We encourage you to apply even if your experience does not fully match the position description; we will consider people from a variety of backgrounds and career experiences.

Why join us:

AIP embraces a flexible hybrid work environment to balance in-person collaborative work with remote work. The team works in a flexible, hybrid schedule and reports to our offices in College Park, Maryland and Washington, DC as needed. That one day per week is somewhat flexible, depending on the intern’s schedule for a given week. Employees are required to reside in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC.

We offer comprehensive benefits, including generous paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, an annual retirement contribution of 10% of base pay, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Your colleagues at AIP are welcoming, gracious, and eager to help each other succeed. With our commitment to community service, institute-wide social opportunities, and ongoing learning and development, AIP is a rewarding place to work.

About AIP:

The American Institute of Physics is a dynamic, forward-thinking 501(c)(3) membership corporation of scientific societies. Our mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity. AIP is a trusted and reliable source of information and analysis and is a center of excellence that advances the physical sciences enterprise through research and analysis aimed at improving the understanding of our heritage and promoting future progress.

Diversity welcome! Diversity is integral to our mission and is ingrained in everything that we do at AIP. We encourage and invite people of all backgrounds to apply and join our team. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, creed, marital status, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, personal appearance, national origin, ancestry, protected veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

AIP is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer

EOE, including disability/Vets