Digital Content Design Specialist

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Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary
The Digital Content Design Specialist provides strategic public communications services for a mid-sized administrative unit. The role leads the planning, coordination, and delivery of digital marketing initiatives, provides consultative expertise to internal partners, and oversees digital service providers to ensure alignment with UBC's brand, marketing and communications objectives, and institutional priorities. The role is responsible for creating visually engaging content and assets for digital products and channels that meet user needs and business goals. The position will work with UX and product designers, researchers, digital strategists, writers, designers, and product owners to enhance user experiences across UBC's digital properties every day. It is expected the specialist will remain current in knowledge of digital marketing techniques including interactive content design, social media, web design standards and service delivery, video marketing and SEO, and AI best practices.
Organizational Status
The role reports to the Associate Director, Marketing and works closely with the Strategic Communications team. The Specialist will support the Strategic Communications team regarding strategic communications strategy, marketing campaigns, brand standards and content design and digital product delivery best practices. The Digital Content Design Specialist also collaborates with colleagues across the university on select digital service delivery plans and products, campaigns, and projects. This role bridges design, storytelling, and technology at UBC.

Work Performed
Communications and Marketing Planning & Advisory Services

· Leads the planning and execution of digital design communications projects in support of institutional, faculty, and administrative priorities.

· Drives  the development of integrated communications and marketing strategies, translating strategic objectives into digital execution plans and assets.

· Provides consultative digital marketing and content design expertise to departments, project teams, and stakeholders across the university.

· Advises internal partners on digital storytelling approaches, channel selection, accessibility, and audience engagement strategies.

· Leads  project scoping, timelines, resourcing, and prioritization for digital communications initiatives.

· Contributes to the development and refinement of digital communications standards, guidelines, and best practices.

Project Oversight, Budgeting & Vendor Management

· Oversees external vendors, contractors, and service providers supporting digital marketing and content production initiatives.

· Collaborates on  budgeting and forecasting for digital marketing projects, including vendor costs and production resources.

· Makes recommendations related to service contracts, scopes of work, and resource allocation.

· Directs and evaluates services provided by internal and external partners to ensure quality, timeliness, and alignment with project objectives.

· Ensures compliance with institutional policies, brand standards, accessibility requirements, and communications guidelines.

Digital service delivery

· Applies digital-first design expertise to plan and produce visually engaging, accessible content and assets for UBC's digital channels, including websites, social media, email, campaigns, and digital signage.

· Produces and oversees the creation of digital assets (video, photography, graphics, illustrations, motion and animation), ensuring optimization for platform performance, accessibility, and brand standards.

· Leads video and photo production, including shooting, editing, and coordinating shoots to ensure suitability for campaign and channel requirements.

· Ensures consistent application of graphic design principles, web standards, responsive design, and accessibility best practices across all digital outputs.

· Optimizes visual and video content for multiple platforms and formats, maintaining quality and consistency.

· Collaborates with communications, UX, and product teams from ideation through launch to deliver cohesive campaign visuals and digital experiences.

· Incorporates audience research, data, and user insights into the development and improvement of digital products and campaigns.

· Creates medium- to high-fidelity mock-ups and visual concepts for enterprise marketing channels and digital products.

· Ensures accuracy, quality, and timely delivery of digital design projects, managing workflows and maintaining documented processes.

· Uses AI and emerging creative tools to streamline production, improve efficiency, and enhance creative outcomes.

Digital standards

· Works with other team members to identify, research, document, and articulate new feature requests to fulfil emerging digital product and content objectives.

· Contributes ideas and feedback to help advance broader digital design systems.

· Works closely with our UX designer to make decisions based on user research and testing to improve user interface with UBC's digital marketing products

Digital service support

· Maintains and supports the use of design software and assets including photo galleries/repositories, archival systems, and design documentation tools.

· Reviews digital assets from other internal and external content providers to assess conformance to digital marketing channel standards.

· Contribute to and maintain the design system, ensuring visual consistency across channels

Decision Making / Level of Accountability

· Makes independent decisions regarding digital communications projects, priorities, and service delivery within established guidelines.

· Exercises judgment in directing vendors, approving digital approaches, and advising stakeholders on communications solutions.

· Decisions directly impact the effectiveness, reputation, and credibility of UBC's public-facing communications and brand.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This role exercises initiative and judgement in establishing priorities within supplied frameworks and carrying tasks through to completion, and must demonstrate tact and discretion. Works independently and as a team member within established guidelines and standards. Work is reviewed in terms of achievement of defined goals. The work and decisions made will have an impact on the goals and efficacy of the UBC brand. Poor judgement, inappropriate procedures, incorrect information, and lack of diplomacy could adversely affect relationships with university stakeholders and damage the reputation of the university.
Supervision Received
Works independently within the responsibilities of the position and established institutional guidelines, communications strategies and brand standards. Performance is reviewed based on achievement of defined communications and project outcomes.
Supervision Given
Directs the work of external contractors, vendors, and service providers. May provide functional guidance and digital marketing support to internal staff and project teams.
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one's own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

· Prior work experience in an agency or in a large, complex organization preferred.

· Experience with photo, video and social media content development is a must. Advanced creative talent, solid design sense, ability to interpret general concepts, visualize and apply abstract thinking to practical uses.

Strong experience with creative programs like Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe XD, Figma, Canva, and adaptability to new tools, especially AI technologies

· Experience creating digital marketing campaigns to promote a brand or product.

· Demonstrated experience working with social media tools in an organizational and/or corporate environment to engage audiences. Demonstrated experience using content management systems such as WordPress.

· Demonstrated experience shooting and editing video and photography for marketing campaigns

· Demonstrated experience creating graphics aligned with a brand style

· Experience in creating and delivering marketing in various platforms using tools such as video, podcasts, and webcasts

· Demonstrated approach to digital service design that considers societal impact and the challenges of modern technology

· Excellent communication and proofreading skills

· Must be a self-starter with the ability to work autonomously and in cross-functional marketing and communications projects

· Positive, flexible attitude and willingness to learn

· Demonstrated initiatives that have achieved results.

· Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines

· Strong collaboration and communication skills

· Detail-oriented with a systems-thinking mindset

· Lives our team values by being a good listener and collaborator, consistently striving for excellence, being a creative problem solver, innovative thought leader, entrepreneurial and resourceful, authentic, and transparent. Exemplifies the attributes of UBC s brand, including being bold, open to new ideas, adventurous, and fun, with a global perspective.

· Ability to recognize, respect and work effectively with individuals and groups with diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Takes initiative in learning about issues relating to equity and diversity.