Digital Creative Developer & Designer

£32,260 to £36,251 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £41,689 per annum)

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground‑breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

The External Relations department brings together student recruitment, marketing, communications, content and development into one dynamic, expert function. The team is responsible for telling the University’s story in the UK and internationally – shaping how we are seen, understood and experienced by our audiences.

From creating compelling messaging and content across campaigns, digital channels and events, to building influential partnerships and driving sustainable income, External Relations delivers complex, high‑impact work that is central to the University’s success. Our work supports growth, strengthens trust and reputation, and makes a significant contribution to the University’s long‑term ambitions.

Design

The Design team are responsible for creating print and digital assets and ensuring brand consistency across the University.

We are looking for an experienced Digital Creative Developer & Designer to join our External Relations team.

You will support wider design activity across social, web, print and other campaign channels, working closely with colleagues in Design, Content and Student Recruitment to deliver integrated, user‑focused creative.

You will also be a specialist in designing and building high‑quality, responsive HTML email templates that perform consistently across all major email clients. You will take the lead on email creative development, producing reusable, modular templates and ensuring all output meets brand, accessibility and best‑practice standards.

You will manage an email marketing platform, carry out quality assurance and testing, and use insight and performance data to continually improve engagement.

This is a hands‑on role with no direct line management responsibilities, but you will act as a subject expert, providing advice and support to colleagues. Flexibility is required, including occasional evening and weekend working to support key University events such as Open Days, Clearing and Graduation.

The role offers the opportunity to develop specialist expertise in design, email development and digital campaign deliver within a large, collaborative organisation, while helping to shape digital creative standards across the University.

This is a fixed term contract for 12 months.

Anticipated interview date:Thursday 3rd September 2026

You will be an experienced graphic designer and bring with you additional expertise in building responsive HTML email templates from scratch using tables and inline CSS. You will have a deep understanding of email client limitations, including Outlook rendering and mobile optimisation, and experience working with email marketing platforms such as Dotdigital or similar.

You will bring strong visual and digital design skills, with confidence using Adobe Creative Suite (including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) to deliver high‑quality creative across email and wider digital channels. You will have experience creating reusable, modular email components, carrying out quality assurance testing, and managing multiple projects and deadlines effectively.

You will hold a degree in Graphic Design, Web Design or a related discipline (or equivalent experience) and will have proven experience in a similar level role. You will have excellent organisation and communication skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced environment.

• Create graphics to support campaign activity across all print and digital touch points (social, web, PPC) using InDesign.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of brand guidelines.
• Plan and deliver design activities that are on brand, on time and of a high standard.
• Work up creative concepts as part of integrated marketing campaigns.
• Produce design with user experience in mind, backed up with research and evidence.
• Proactively gather research to inform design, testing and learning as part of the process.
• Take learnings from research and use them to create digital solutions that solve complex business challenges.
• Develop creative concepts that deliver on project goals, brand and user needs.
• As part of the Design team, actively collaborate and contribute to project solutions.
• Present and advocate your design concepts and solutions to internal clients.

HTML Development - Email

• Populate, develop and build responsive HTML email templates using Dreamweaver, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects) and other necessary software.
• Day-to-day management of the email marketing management system.
• Build reusable, modular email components to support scalable campaign delivery across multiple teams and accounts.
• Perform email campaign-specific quality assurance testing.
• Continuously review email campaign performance and use insights to refine design, layout and content to improve engagement and conversion.
• Provide best practice direction and solutions to email campaign related challenges.
• Provide staff training and support with editing and updating HTML email templates.
• Keep abreast of email design developments and technology and be able to interpret how these would impact services from a design perspective.
• Degree, preferably in Graphic Design, Programming, Web Design or a related discipline, or equivalent experience

Experience

• Graphic design experience, either in-house or within an agency
• Experience coding HTML emails using tables and inline CSS styles (building templates from scratch)
• Experience and demonstrable success in a similar level role

Skills, knowledge & abilities

• Aware of the latest trends and best practice within the field
• Ability to use Adobe Creative Suite (especially InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop)
• Strong skills in visual design and knowledge of UI patterns
• Knowledge of responsive email development principles
• Able to work self‑directed in a fast‑changing, collaborative workplace
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Ability to balance work on several projects at a time
• Excellent communication skills, including negotiation and persuasion
• High degree of creativity through concept development to finished artwork
• Strong understanding of email client limitations and how to work around them (Outlook rendering issues, fallback styles, mobile optimisation)
• Understanding of the appropriate and proportionate use of AI
• Effective verbal and written communication and negotiation skills
• Creative and innovative with a strong eye for detail
• Confidence, to present and explain ideas to clients and colleagues
• Efficient approach with attention to detail and quality of work
• Good team player

Business requirements

• Flexible approach to working hours, varying deadlines, peaks, etc.
• Ability to work outside of normal working hours (including some evenings and weekends), to support the business during key University events, such as Graduation, Clearing and Open Days
• Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family‑friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
• Discounted onsite gym
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A flexible working environment
• A commitment to personal and professional development

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Alice Oliver, Associate Director - Communications via a.oliver@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk .

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non‑binary‑inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender‑neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns.This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non‑binary candidates.Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.