Senior Designer

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK. Our aim is to recognise, promote and support excellence in science, and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. The Society's Fellows have played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant and life-changing discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists continue to make outstanding contributions to science in many research ideas.

As a centralised support function, the Design team works with all teams across the Society to produce printed and digital communications and advise on branding to support teams in their implementation of the Society's strategy. Working as part of a small design team, the Senior Designer is responsible for producing a variety of design work within an established and strict brand infrastructure. Projects include policy reports, briefings, event marketing materials, programme booklets, data visualisation/infographics, and assets for our social media channels and websites.

The Design team pride themselves on high-quality work, and typically complete over 800 projects a year, using Teamwork Projects to assist with design schedules and workflow. To achieve this volume of projects at the high standard expected, templates and established design styles are used to increase efficiency and ensure consistency across regular materials. For new and non-templated items, the Senior Designer will create materials that fit within the wider suite of Royal Society materials, using the brand guidelines and established styles to guide their design decisions.

The role demands a consistent and accurate approach to layout and design, and the ability to fulfil design requests within agreed timescales. The Senior Designer will also take responsibility for client liaison on allocated projects and is expected to work well with stakeholders at all levels, answering enquiries knowledgeably with patience and a willingness to help.

Key Responsibilities And Tasks

• The Senior Designer is responsible for completing a variety of design and art-working projects assigned to them, using templates and established design styles within a strict brand infrastructure.
• Projects include: policy reports, briefings, event marketing materials, programme booklets, data visualisation/infographics, and assets for our social media channels and websites.
• You will lead on large/complex projects such as policy reports, including attending project planning meetings with stakeholders.
• Demonstrate excellent layout skills, using grids and structure to build documents that are aligned with precision.
• Artwork is set-up correctly for its intended end-use, supplied text is formatted correctly and images are of a good quality, retouching and colour correction if needed or suggesting alternative image options.
• Amends are accurately completed. Projects should be completed to a high standard with minimum supervision.
• Use your design skills to produce graphics and flow diagrams to communicate complex data and processes in a simple, beautiful way.
• Assists with the creation, development, testing and maintenance of design templates to be used by the design team, and of corporate templates used across the Society.
• Working with stakeholders who may have limited or no prior experience with requesting design services, you will guide them through the design process, advising on lead times and discussing design solutions for their brief.
• You will also ensure you fully understand the brief before starting work on a project, gaining further clarity if needed.
• Collaborate with stakeholders from across the Society, developing effective working relationships and making yourself a valued member of the Design team and organisation.
• Having responsibility for the entire project process, you will adapt and update project schedules using the design project management system, Teamwork Projects.
• You will add project tasks and adjust timings to accommodate specific project requirements, such as additional amends, third-party approval or complex print processes, and will prioritise projects with competing demands on your time.
• Changes to schedules are discussed and agreed with stakeholders and recorded within Teamwork Projects.
• With competing demands on your time, you will have excellent time-management skills and good instincts on how to best use your time to add value to projects.
• Takes ownership of client enquiries, proactively solving client issues by resolving or escalating as appropriate.
• In the absence of the Design Manager, the Senior Designer will work with the Studio Assistant to assign new design requests and manage workflow across the team.
• Assists with quality control checks of work received by freelance designers and artworkers.
• Sources imagery and iconography based on set styles and brand guidelines and offers guidance on image selection where needed.
• Works with the Print Manager to ensure printed materials are completed in-line with the project brief, deadline, budget and quality expectations.
• Helps to keep brand assets and design projects organised by following naming conventions, and archiving completed projects.
• Accurate and consistent completion of time logs against each project.
• You will share your experience and ideas with others.

Essential

• Relevant HE qualification and/or solid experience as a Graphic Designer or Creative Artworker, working across a broad range of projects as part of an in-house team or within a design or brand agency.
• A high-quality portfolio displaying an excellent track record of precise design and art-working skills across print and digital mediums.
• Relevant experience in solving creative problems within an established and strict brand infrastructure.
• Experience of producing large reports and creating detailed figures/infographics.
• Impeccable attention to detail, working accurately and providing consistent high-quality artwork.
• Experience in project management and managing own workload in a high-volume, fast-paced workplace, using Teamwork Projects or similar project management tool (Basecamp, Trello, Monday etc.).
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple design projects, throughout the project's lifecycle (from project planning to design and production), adapting to changing prioritises and rescheduling projects as necessary.
• Methodical and able to make informed decisions.
• Confident with stakeholders, having a consistent record of taking, interpreting and delivering design projects, within tight timeframes and managing delivery expectations.
• Excellent customer service, teamwork and time management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Positive attitude. Enjoys working as part of a team as well as working independently.
• Good listening skills.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Excellent knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Excellent knowledge of outputting files for print and digital.
• Sound understanding of the importance of branding and the expression of the brand across different channels and publications.
• Excellent influencing and communication skills to be able to motivate internal clients to deliver best practice and ensure materials adhere to the brand.
• Work proactively under own initiative and as part of the design team to develop templates and streamline processes.

Desirable

• Good working knowledge of Adobe After effects and Premier Pro.
• Experience creating Powerpoint and Word templates.
• Experience working as an in-house designer.
• Experience of briefing or assisting designers (either within a team, freelancers or agency).
• Ability to advise on the use of photo libraries and copyright licenses.
• An interest in science.

Competencies

• Decision-making - You organise and undertake a range of specialist tasks. You take action, make decisions or recommendations within established policies or guidelines which are standard for your area of work. You seek guidance on complex or unfamiliar matters.
• Thinking challenges - You undertake the analysis needed to find the best solution to unusual situations or issues where the answer is not available through existing policies, standards or procedures. You use your initiative to investigate new ways of working or to improve policies or procedures.
• Communicating - You share and present information or ideas to others, tailoring your language, style and media used to meet the needs of varied situations and responds to specialist queries. If your role demands, you make new contacts and participate in external networks on behalf of Royal Society and can be an ambassador for the Society.
• Developing people - You are likely to have direct line responsibility for one or more staff members in a narrow field of work. If you are in a specialist role, you advise, guide or train others in a specific discipline or field of work.
• Managing Resources - You are likely to have delegated responsibility for allocating resources, for reconciling financial information or for monitoring and recording use of a delegated budget.
• Applying knowledge & expertise - You apply your specialist or technical skills in a specific area of expertise that requires theoretical understanding gained through vocational or professional qualification, practical knowledge and skill, or equivalent level of expertise obtained through relevant specialist experience.

Self-management

• Works unsupervised and can motivate self.
• Produces results under pressure.
• Can manage in stressful situations.
• Pursues and encourages feedback that may reveal an error in judgment or process and then makes appropriate adjustments.
• Recognises own personal biases or limitations, and uses this understanding to improve decisions and plans for action.
• Seeks out mentors and other development resources to gain additional self-awareness and personal development.
• Reflects on negative situations with maturity and seeks to understand own contribution to the situation.
• Holds things together and acts as a settling influence.
• Willing to continue learning within chosen field, training and developing towards the next level in both formal and informal ways.
• Works within the Royal Society Values at all times.

Working With Others

• Contributes ideas and identifies opportunities to work with others both within the team and across the organisation.
• Willing to provide and receive feedback to and from sectional colleagues when requested.
• Produces succinct presentations and papers for senior colleagues.
• Understands when to seek senior advice on potentially delicate negotiations.
• Reaches a variety of audiences using an appropriate mix of communication methods and tailored messages to appeal to their unique needs.
• Creates an environment of transparency while respecting confidentiality requirements.
• Builds consensus for delivering team goals. Frequently interacts with peers, on cross‑functional matters.

Resource management

• Makes the best of internal/external resources and coordinates well with external partners to best meet the needs of the Society.
• Builds contingency into projects taking into account possible outside factors.
• Sets and monitors performance against quality and results orientated targets.
• Focuses on both short and long‑term goals.
• Creates novel solutions to problems.
• Creates a detailed design or plan to implement a new solution or approach.
• Evaluates new technology as potential solutions to existing issues.
• Adjusts course as new information comes to light.
• Takes accountability to persist until opportunity is realised or problem solved.

Critical thinking

• Determines and clarifies the requirements of any situation.
• Checks information for accuracy and raises concerns if information is inaccurate.
• Extracts the key points succinctly, clearly and accurately.
• Puts forward suggestions for improvement concerning current processes or systems.
• Tries different ways of doing things to get the best results.
• Compares and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of options.
• Formulates an opinion by considering opposing views and suggestions.
• Runs trials and models or applies statistical analysis and stress testing to confirm or disconfirm proposal.

Adaptability

• Overcomes obstacles and is not deterred by setbacks; checks assumptions and first principles and works out alternative approaches.
• Reacts proactively to new challenges and works in a flexible manner to produce solutions.
• Provides feedback and participates in discussions surrounding new ideas approaches or projects.
• Maintains focus and continues to deliver when things are not straightforward.
• Adjusts to act differently depending on the situation.
• Takes steps to understand basic risk management and importance of identifying and maintaining controls.
• Leads team and helps them to understand and cope with ambiguous situations.

Managing people and relationships

• Delegates effectively, setting clear expectations and authority.
• Monitors results and feedback to team on a regular basis.
• Recognises others' contributions and acknowledges their limits.
• Helps others to identify ways to improve their performance.
• Prioritises supervisory responsibilities and carries them out in a timely fashion.
• Understands and can identify client/stakeholder/staff needs and looks for opportunities to improve their experiences.
• Demonstrates trust in others' ability to accomplish tasks at acceptable levels of performance.
• Provides current, direct, complete and actionable positive and constructive feedback.
• Has a mind-set of sharing own and others' expertise.
• Creates an environment of transparency while respecting confidentiality requirements.
• Focuses on surfacing underlying customer issues/concerns and identifying root causes.