Creative Design Program Manager Job at Teacher Retirement System of Texas in Aus

Overview

Talent Acquisition Manager at Teacher's Retirement System of Texas.

The Creative Design Program Manager – Member Communications position is responsible for leading TRS’s visual and digital design strategy to enhance member engagement across all communication channels.

The incumbent will design and manage creative assets ranging from print materials and presentations to digital tools and member portals, ensuring brand consistency and accessibility.

This position will proactively work with the Creative Director, Digital Communications Program Manager, IT staff, and executive leadership to deliver intuitive, human-centered experiences.

This position will be required to report to work onsite at least four days per week or more based on business need.

Base pay range

$98,000.00/yr - $122,000.00/yr

What you will do

Visual Communications & Brand Experience

• Serves as TRS’ lead visual designer and brand expert, producing high-quality creative assets across all mediums.
• Designs and produces comprehensive member communications including enrollment materials, pension statements, retirement planning guides, and benefits explanations.
• Creates digital assets and designs user interfaces for websites, email campaigns, social media, member portals, and mobile applications.
• Develops infographics and data visualizations that make complex healthcare costs, retirement projections, and pension calculations understandable.
• Produces photography and video content for member education, from healthcare tutorials to retirement planning webinars.
• Designs executive-level presentations and materials for Board of Trustees meetings, ensuring data is visually compelling and accessible.
• Creates and maintains templates for PowerPoint presentations, reports, forms, newsletters, and recurring communications.
• Manages brand consistency across all touchpoints—from member cards to retirement certificates to social media posts.
• Ensures all materials meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) and regulatory requirements (HIPAA, state guidelines) determine project requirements, and achieve final product goals.
• Makes recommendations to improve messaging, visuals and digital delivery.
• Reviews creative work with staff and/or management to receive and provide feedback on direction, and to ensure work is aligned with communications objectives.
• Develops and maintains production schedules for all visual and digital design deliverables.

Digital Experience Design & Strategy

• Leads User Interface (UI) strategy and design initiatives for member-facing digital platforms including website interactives, retirement calculators, and benefit selection tools.
• Conducts user research across member segments—new teachers choosing their first healthcare plans, mid-career educators planning retirement, retirees managing their pension benefits.
• Creates comprehensive user journeys mapping critical moments: healthcare enrollment, life events, retirement transitions.
• Develops wireframes, prototypes, and interactive designs that simplify complex decisions like comparing healthcare plans or understanding pension options.
• Partners with Digital Communications Program Manager to ensure seamless integration between design vision and technical implementation.
• Champions human-centered design principles in an environment with complex constraints.
• Builds and maintains brand guidelines, design systems, and component libraries ensuring consistency across digital products.
• Performs usability testing on critical member tools and iterates based on real-world feedback.
• Collaborates with IT to optimize user interfaces and improve member self-service capabilities.

Creative Program Management & Workflow Optimization

• Manages creative project pipeline balancing urgent communications and long-term initiatives.
• Coordinates with Pension Services, Health, Executive Office, and all TRS divisions to prioritize member communication needs.
• Develops production schedules aligned with critical deadlines: healthcare open enrollment, retirement application periods, Board meetings.
• Establishes and maintains creative workflows ensuring accuracy for sensitive healthcare and pension information.
• Manages relationships with creative vendors, print vendors, photographers, and videographers.
• Oversees quality assurance reviews for all visual and digital deliverables.
• Tracks project metrics and reports on creative impact on member engagement and understanding.
• Maintains digital asset management system and creative resource library.
• Develops and manages budgets for creative projects, vendor contracts, and design resources.

Strategic Creative Leadership

• Partners with Creative Director and Chief Communications Officer to evolve TRS visual identity and member experience strategy.
• Serves as creative consultant and brand advisor to all TRS departments and leadership.
• Presents creative strategies and member experience improvements to executive leadership and Board of Trustees.
• Researches emerging trends in healthcare communications, retirement planning tools, and government UI/UX.
• Develops creative briefs and provides art direction for agency-wide campaigns.
• Mentors team members and builds creative capacity across the organization.
• Facilitates design thinking workshops to solve complex member challenges.
• Advocates for member-centered design in all agency initiatives.
• Stays current with design tools, technologies, and best practices, especially in healthcare and financial services.
• Performs related work as assigned.

What you will bring

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in design, communications, public relations, user experience design, digital media, journalism or a closely related field.
• High school diploma or equivalent and additional full-time experience in creative design, journalism, public relations, communications, UI/UX design, video production or related experience may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Required Experience

• Six (6) years of full-time directly related, progressively responsible experience in graphic design, visual communications, creative services, digital design (including web, email, and social media), or related experience.
• Two (2) years of full-time experience in UI/UX design, including user research, wireframing, and prototyping.
• Experience may be concurrent.
• A master's degree or doctoral degree in a closely related field may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Design and Product Management

Industries

• Pension Funds, Investment Management, and Health and Human Services

Austin, TX $158,500.00-$242,900.00 6 days ago

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