Manager, Graphic Designer - 18-Month Contract

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Manager, Graphic Design - 18-Month Contract

Company: Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Type: Full-Time, Contract

Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design / Marketing

Date Posted: May 20, 2026

Experience Level: 7-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end design and delivery of high-impact creative assets across print, digital, social, motion, and environmental applications, ensuring strict adherence to brand standards and visual identity guidelines.

• Translate complex business priorities, data, and content into compelling, clear, and engaging visual narratives for critical corporate materials such as annual reports, publications, and presentations.

• Drive creative concept development and execution in close partnership with marketing, communications, and business teams, ensuring creative solutions align with strategic objectives.

• Manage a portfolio of multiple design projects concurrently, balancing hands-on design execution with the coordination and creative direction of internal and external resources to ensure quality and timely delivery.

• Contribute significantly to the ongoing evolution and refinement of the organization’s visual identity across all campaigns, communications, and platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is critical for the visual representation of a large, established pension plan, implying a need for sophisticated design that balances creativity with corporate governance and communication clarity. The 18-month contract nature suggests a project-driven focus, possibly related to a specific brand initiative, reporting cycle, or campaign rollout.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee the conceptualization, design, and production of a wide array of creative assets, including digital ads, social media graphics, presentation decks, print collateral, and motion graphics, ensuring consistent brand messaging and visual appeal.

• Develop and execute design strategies for complex, content-heavy documents like annual reports, investor relations materials, and corporate brochures, transforming dense information into easily digestible and visually appealing formats.

• Collaborate with subject matter experts and cross-functional teams to understand intricate business concepts and data, then translate these into clear, impactful visual communications that resonate with target audiences.

• Partner with the Senior Manager, Creative Production and broader Marketing & Communications team to brainstorm, conceptualize, and bring creative ideas to life, from initial brief to final asset delivery.

• Proactively manage project timelines, resource allocation, and stakeholder expectations across multiple concurrent design projects, ensuring all deliverables meet quality benchmarks and deadlines.

• Champion and implement updates to the organization's visual identity system, ensuring its effective application across all marketing and communication channels and initiatives.

• Provide clear creative direction and feedback to external vendors, agencies, and freelance designers, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and project objectives.

• Stay abreast of emerging design trends, technologies, and best practices to innovate and enhance the organization's visual storytelling capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "complex, content-rich materials" and "translating detailed business content into clear and engaging visual solutions" highlights a need for strong information design skills, beyond typical graphic design. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to structure and present complex data and narratives effectively.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Fine Arts, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 7–10 years of progressive experience in graphic design, with a significant portion ideally gained within a corporate environment, financial services institution, or a similarly complex organizational setting.

Required Skills:

• Exceptional design expertise with a highly refined aesthetic sense for typography, layout, composition, color theory, and overall production quality.

• Proven track record in designing and producing complex, information-dense materials such as annual reports, corporate publications, white papers, and multi-slide presentations.

• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex business information, data, and abstract concepts into clear, compelling, and visually engaging design solutions.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

• Strong command of presentation software, particularly PowerPoint, for creating professional and impactful business presentations.

• Experience with collaborative design and prototyping tools such as Canva and Figma.

• Proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks, and deliver high-quality work under pressure and within tight deadlines.

• Excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to incorporate feedback constructively and work effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Working knowledge of motion graphics software (e.g., After Effects) and video editing tools (e.g., Premiere).

• Familiarity with digital asset management (DAM) systems and brand compliance workflows.

• Experience in environmental design or spatial branding applications.

• Understanding of UX/UI principles as they apply to digital design assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for proficiency in both Canva and Figma, alongside Adobe Creative Suite, suggests a need for versatility in design tools, accommodating both high-fidelity corporate design and more agile, collaborative design workflows.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated selection of design projects demonstrating a strong portfolio that showcases a breadth of work across print, digital, social media, and presentation formats.

• Specific examples of complex, content-rich materials (e.g., annual reports, corporate brochures, detailed presentations) that highlight your ability to organize and visualize intricate information.

• Case studies that illustrate your process for translating business objectives and data into effective visual solutions, detailing the problem, your approach, and the outcome.

• Examples of work that adhere to strict brand guidelines and demonstrate an understanding of corporate visual identity systems.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to articulate your design process clearly, including stages such as brief analysis, conceptualization, sketching/wireframing, design development, feedback incorporation, and final production.

• Documentation or examples of how you have managed project workflows, timelines, and communication with stakeholders and vendors.

• Examples of how you have contributed to or maintained brand standards and guidelines.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role involving complex information design, the portfolio should not only showcase aesthetic quality but also the strategic thinking behind the design. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their process for information hierarchy, data visualization, and narrative structuring.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: CAD $105,000 - $155,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation package.

• Numerous opportunities for professional growth and development, including training and workshops.

• A flexible work environment that combines in-office collaboration with remote working arrangements.

• Unique Flexible Travel Program offering the option to work abroad for up to one month annually.

• Access to exclusive employee discount programs, including Edvantage and Perkopolis.

• Comprehensive health and wellness programs.

Working Hours: Typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility offered through the hybrid work model.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range of $105,000 - $155,000 CAD for a Manager-level Graphic Designer with 7-10 years of experience in Toronto is competitive and aligns with industry benchmarks for senior creative roles in financial services. The contract duration of 18 months is a key factor to consider.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Pension Fund Management. Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) is one of the world's largest and most respected institutional investors, managing assets for over 330,000 working and retired teachers. This context implies a culture that values stability, long-term vision, data integrity, and strong governance.

Company Size: Large. OTPP is a significant global organization with a substantial employee base, indicating a structured environment with established processes and a wide range of internal departments and stakeholders.

Founded: 1990. With over three decades of operation, OTPP has a mature organizational structure and a well-defined corporate identity.

Team Structure:

• The Manager, Graphic Design will be part of the Marketing & Communications team, which operates within the Strategy and Stakeholder Relations division.

• This role reports directly to the Senior Manager, Creative Production.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: While design-focused, the role will involve translating complex data into visual narratives, requiring an understanding of data interpretation and presentation.

• Strategic Planning: Creative output is driven by business priorities and strategic objectives.

• Brand Stewardship: Maintaining and evolving a strong, consistent brand identity is paramount.

• Process Optimization: Efficient project management and workflow coordination are essential for delivering high-quality assets within timelines.

Company Website: https://www.otpp.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's role as a major pension fund investor suggests a professional, stable, and highly regulated work environment. Design work will likely serve both internal stakeholders (employees, management) and external audiences (members, investors, public), requiring a mature and professional approach to visual communication.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Managerial, Senior Individual Contributor. This role is positioned at a senior individual contributor level with management responsibilities over projects and external resources. It requires a blend of hands-on design expertise and strategic oversight.

Reporting Structure: Reports to the Senior Manager, Creative Production, indicating a clear hierarchy within the creative production function. This role will likely interface with various stakeholders across different divisions, requiring strong communication and influencing skills.

Operations Impact: The graphic design function is crucial for translating OTPP's complex financial and strategic information into accessible and engaging visual content. This role directly impacts brand perception, stakeholder communication effectiveness, internal engagement, and the clarity of critical corporate materials like annual reports. Strong visual storytelling enhances understanding and trust among diverse audiences.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific design areas like motion graphics, data visualization, or corporate reporting design.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience managing projects, external vendors, and potentially leading junior designers or interns.

• Strategic Influence: Contribute to the evolution of OTPP's brand identity and visual communication strategies.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Develop a broader understanding of marketing, communications, and financial services through collaboration with diverse teams.

• Contract-to-Permanent Potential: While an 18-month contract, strong performance could lead to opportunities for permanent roles within OTPP's creative or marketing departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the contract nature, growth opportunities may focus on project-based skill enhancement and building a strong portfolio of work for OTPP. The potential for permanent conversion is a significant growth pathway to consider for candidates seeking long-term roles.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid. The role combines remote work flexibility with in-office collaboration, suggesting a modern workplace approach.

Office Location(s): Toronto, Ontario. Specifically, the role is based at the Toronto office, likely a central hub for collaboration and team interaction.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model emphasizes the importance of in-office days for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and fostering strong working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite, PowerPoint, Canva, Figma) and potentially other collaborative platforms.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities to work closely with the Senior Manager, Creative Production, marketing, communications, and business unit teams, fostering a dynamic and interactive work experience.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, with the flexibility afforded by the hybrid model to balance personal and professional commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model implies that candidates should be comfortable working both independently from a remote location and collaboratively in a physical office setting, likely requiring specific days in the office for team synergy.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Application review, potentially including an AI screening for keywords and qualifications.

• Portfolio Review: Candidates will be expected to present a strong portfolio showcasing relevant design work. This is a critical stage where the quality, breadth, and relevance of past projects will be assessed.

• Skills Assessment: Potential for a design challenge or a deep dive into technical proficiency with specific software (e.g., Adobe Creative Suite, PowerPoint, Figma).

• Behavioral Interviews: Questions focused on collaboration, problem-solving, project management, stakeholder management, and adapting to feedback.

• Manager/Team Interviews: Discussions with the Senior Manager, Creative Production, and potentially other team members to assess cultural fit and alignment with team dynamics.

• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership or cross-functional partners to evaluate strategic thinking and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best demonstrate your ability to handle complex information, corporate branding, and diverse media (print, digital, presentations, motion).

• Tell the Story: For each project, articulate the brief, your design process, challenges faced, solutions implemented, and the impact or outcome. Quantify results where possible (e.g., improved engagement, clarity of complex data).

• Highlight Technical Proficiency: Showcase your mastery of Adobe Creative Suite, PowerPoint, and any other relevant tools like Figma or Canva. Be prepared to discuss your workflow.

• Demonstrate Brand Adherence: Include examples where you've worked within or evolved established brand guidelines.

• Showcase Information Design: Emphasize projects that effectively translate data and complex content into clear visual narratives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design Challenge: Be prepared for a timed design exercise that may involve creating a visual concept for a given brief, or refining existing materials. Focus on clear communication, creative problem-solving, and adherence to brand principles.

• Information Synthesis: Practice quickly understanding complex information and outlining how you would approach its visual representation.

• Presentation Skills: Rehearse presenting your portfolio and any challenge work concisely and confidently, focusing on your strategic approach and design rationale.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the contract nature and the focus on complex corporate materials, expect interview questions to heavily probe your project management skills, ability to work under deadlines, and how you handle stakeholder feedback on critical communications.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Expert proficiency required in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop for creating high-quality print and digital assets.

• Presentation Software: Advanced skills in Microsoft PowerPoint are essential for creating complex, content-rich business presentations.

• Collaborative Design Tools: Proficiency in Canva and Figma for agile design work, collaboration, and potentially prototyping.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Other Potential Tools:

• Motion Graphics Software: Working knowledge of After Effects is a plus.

• Video Editing Software: Familiarity with Premiere is an asset.

• Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: Experience with storing, organizing, and retrieving brand assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Canva and Figma alongside traditional Adobe tools indicates a modern design workflow that values both sophisticated output and collaborative, potentially faster-paced design iterations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence & Quality: A commitment to delivering high-quality creative work that meets rigorous professional standards.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Fostering a supportive environment where ideas are shared, and cross-functional partners work together effectively.

• Integrity & Professionalism: Upholding the ethical standards and professional conduct expected of a leading financial institution.

• Innovation & Adaptability: Embracing new design trends and technologies to continuously improve creative output and adapt to evolving communication needs.

• Data-Driven Approach: Applying an understanding of data and business objectives to inform design decisions and ensure impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Working closely with Marketing, Communications, Digital, and Business teams to ensure design aligns with broader organizational goals.

• Feedback-Oriented: Open to constructive criticism and iterative design processes to achieve optimal results.

• Proactive Communication: Maintaining clear and consistent communication with stakeholders, vendors, and team members regarding project status, timelines, and creative direction.

• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share design expertise and best practices within the team and across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a company like OTPP, the values will likely emphasize trust, responsibility, long-term perspective, and a commitment to serving its members. Design work must reflect these foundational principles.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Complexity: The primary challenge will be consistently translating intricate financial and business information into clear, engaging, and accurate visual narratives.

• Brand Evolution: Contributing to the evolution of a well-established brand identity while maintaining consistency and compliance.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: Managing multiple projects with varying deadlines requires efficient workflow management to ensure both timely delivery and high-quality output.

• Stakeholder Management: Effectively collaborating with and managing expectations of diverse stakeholders across different departments, each with their own priorities.

• Contract Duration: Adapting to an 18-month contract, focusing on delivering significant value within that timeframe.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunity to hone skills in data visualization, motion graphics, and complex layout design.

• Financial Services Industry Knowledge: Gaining a deeper understanding of the pension fund industry and its communication needs.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Enhancing soft skills in stakeholder management, communication, and project coordination within a large corporate structure.

• Brand Strategy Involvement: Contributing to strategic discussions around visual identity and brand storytelling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The contract nature presents a unique challenge, requiring candidates to demonstrate immediate impact and a results-oriented approach from day one. Growth will be measured by successful project completion and contribution to the team's objectives within the contract period.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for taking a complex piece of financial data or a dense business report and transforming it into a visually compelling narrative. Walk us through a specific example." (Focus on information design, storytelling, and process.)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency across a wide range of creative assets and stakeholders, especially when working under tight deadlines?" (Assess brand stewardship and project management.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why are you interested in working for a pension fund like Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, and what do you understand about our mission?" (Gauge research and alignment with the organization's purpose.)

• "How do you see your design skills contributing to the strategic goals of a large, established financial institution?" (Connect design impact to business objectives.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly state the objective, your role, the challenges, your creative process, the tools used, and the results achieved.

• Highlight Key Skills: Explicitly point out examples that showcase your expertise in typography, layout, information design, brand adherence, and proficiency with Adobe Suite, PowerPoint, Canva, and Figma.

• Focus on Impact: Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "This report design improved readability scores by X%" or "The social media campaign generated Y% more engagement").

• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, technical execution, and how you handled project constraints.

• Showcase Versatility: Ensure your portfolio demonstrates a range of work across different media and complexity levels.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be ready to discuss your experience with financial services or corporate communications specifically, and how you approach design within regulated environments where clarity and accuracy are paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link on the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan careers page.

• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights your 7-10 years of experience, specific proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, PowerPoint, Canva, and Figma, and any experience with complex corporate materials or financial services. Use keywords from the job description such as "visual storytelling," "brand standards," "information design," and "project management."

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your best work, focusing on projects that demonstrate your ability to handle complex information, corporate branding, and diverse media. Be ready to discuss your process and the impact of your designs. Ensure it includes examples of annual reports, presentations, and digital assets.

• Research OTPP: Understand the company's mission, values, and its role as a major pension fund. Familiarize yourself with their current visual identity and recent communications to demonstrate genuine interest and alignment.

• Practice Interview Responses: Prepare to answer behavioral questions related to project management, stakeholder collaboration, handling feedback, and your design process, particularly in a corporate context.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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