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.

Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Reports to: Design and Brand Manager

Line manages: None

Grade: Band D

Salary: £44,587.50

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London

Hours: 35 per week

Application closing date is 10 August at midnight. 

Interviews will take place on 26, 27 and 28 August.

This vacancy will close early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, please submit an application as soon as possible if you are interested in applying for the role. 

• 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.

At Band D you will hold a role as a Specialist or Professional in your field or be working towards that. Pay Band D roles are described in the following dimensions:

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.                   

The competency levels for a pay Band D role are described below.