Require a Senior Graphic Designer in Gweru,Zimbabwe

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer

Company: TestHiring (Midlands State University)

Location: Gweru District, Midlands, Zimbabwe

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design / Education / Marketing

Date Posted: July 30, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Artistic Vision & Project Oversight: Lead and manage all design projects from initial concept through final delivery, ensuring alignment with university brand guidelines and international design standards. This includes high-profile projects like Annual Reports, Strategic Plans, Proposals, Budgets, and Branding initiatives.

• Creative Excellence & Innovation: Design original visual assets, including illustrations and infographics, for a wide range of university communications, with a focus on high-profile academic and business projects.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Supervise and mentor junior designers and interns, effectively assigning tasks, guiding creative processes, and ensuring the timely and high-quality completion of all design deliverables.

• Brand Stewardship & Consistency: Maintain and enforce brand consistency across all university marketing materials and platforms, ensuring a cohesive and professional visual identity for the institution and its subdivisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is clearly senior, evidenced by the responsibility for overseeing all design projects, supervising staff, and ensuring brand consistency across a university setting. The mention of "high profile university design work" and "international design standards" suggests a need for sophisticated design thinking and execution. The role appears to be an in-house position for Midlands State University, operating under the TestHiring umbrella.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee and direct all design projects, including Annual Reports, Strategic Plans, Proposals, Budgets, and comprehensive Branding initiatives, from initial concept to final delivery.

• Create original design pieces, such as illustrations and infographics, for new and high-profile university design work.

• Supervise and coach design interns and junior designers, assigning tasks, providing creative guidance, and ensuring on-time project completion.

• Review and approve design work from junior staff to guarantee quality and maintain brand consistency across all university publications and digital platforms.

• Facilitate art direction and formatting for design deliverables, producing print and digital communications for diverse university business needs.

• Design primary visual assets for the university brand, including brand identity elements and billboards.

• Generate innovative ideas to conceptualize and advertise products and services, adhering to international design standards and aligning with the university's brand guidelines.

• Ensure consistent application of the university brand across all marketing projects and subdivisions.

• Manage the production lifecycle of all print materials from conception through completion.

• Stay current with industry developments and new tools to enhance graphic design output, brand image, and overall consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic oversight, hands-on creative execution, and team management. The emphasis on "university business," "academic," and "marketing projects" indicates a need for a designer who can translate complex institutional goals into compelling visual narratives. The requirement to "manage production of all print pieces" suggests responsibility for vendor management and production workflows.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Media, Multimedia, or Graphic Design.

• A Master’s Degree in Visual Arts or Media is considered an advantage. Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional graphic design experience, preferably within an in-house creative department.

• Proven experience in both digital and print design environments. Required Skills:

• Software Proficiency: Expert command of Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop (Ps), Illustrator (Ai), and InDesign (ID). Familiarity with Premiere Pro (Pr) and After Effects (Ae) is also expected.

• Design Fundamentals: Strong understanding of typography, color theory, and layout design principles.

• Brand Management: Demonstrated ability to maintain and enforce brand consistency across various media.

• Project Oversight: Experience in managing design projects from initiation to completion.

• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for liaising with stakeholders and directing creative efforts.

• Problem-Solving: Strong creative, organizational, problem-solving, and time-management skills.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with video editing software and motion graphics.

• Experience in designing graphic assets such as logos, icons, illustrations, or patterns specifically for university brand requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Adobe Creative Suite is critical, with specific mention of Ps, Ai, ID, Pr, and Ae. The "5+ years of professional graphic design experience in an in-house creative department" points towards a need for someone accustomed to internal client management and brand adherence within a structured organization. The preference for video editing and motion graphics suggests a forward-looking expectation for multimedia capabilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Comprehensive Project Showcase: Present a diverse range of design projects that demonstrate expertise across print, digital, branding, and potentially motion graphics or video editing.

• Brand Consistency Examples: Include case studies or specific examples that highlight your ability to maintain and enforce brand guidelines across multiple projects and platforms for a single entity.

• Process-Oriented Work: Showcase projects where you managed the design process from concept to completion, detailing your workflow, decision-making, and problem-solving approaches.

• Impact & Results: Where possible, demonstrate the impact of your designs, such as increased engagement, improved brand recognition, or successful campaign outcomes, especially in an academic or institutional context.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Be prepared to discuss your systematic approach to managing design projects, including briefing, concept development, iteration, stakeholder feedback, and final delivery.

• Implementation & Automation: While not explicitly stated, demonstrate an understanding of efficient design production workflows, including how you leverage software features or tools to streamline processes.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Articulate how you assess the effectiveness of your designs, even if qualitative, and how you use feedback to inform future creative strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a senior graphic design role, particularly in an institutional setting, the portfolio should not only showcase aesthetic quality but also strategic thinking. Candidates should be ready to articulate their process for managing complex projects, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and ensuring brand integrity. Demonstrating experience with university branding or similar institutional environments will be highly advantageous.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Estimated Range: ZWD 8,000 - ZWD 15,000 per month (approximately USD 1,000 - USD 1,800 at current exchange rates, subject to fluctuation).

• Explanation: This estimate is based on research for senior graphic designer roles in Zimbabwe, particularly in the Midlands region, considering the 5-10 years of experience required, the responsibility level, and the institutional context (Midlands State University). Salaries for specialized roles in education or government-affiliated institutions can vary. This range aims to reflect a competitive offering for a senior position.

Benefits:

• Full-time Employment: Secure, stable employment with a recognized institution.

• Professional Development: Opportunities to stay current with industry developments and tools, potentially including training or access to new software.

• Career Growth: Potential for advancement within the university's creative or marketing departments.

• Contribution to Education: Opportunity to contribute to the visual identity and communication of a prominent educational institution.

• Equal Opportunities Employer: Commitment to diversity and inclusion, with female candidates specifically encouraged to apply.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours, likely aligning with university operational schedules (e.g., 40 hours per week). There may be occasional requirements for extended hours or weekend work to meet project deadlines, particularly during major university events or campaign launches.

📝 Enhancement Note: Salary figures for Zimbabwe can be highly variable and dependent on official government scales for public institutions versus private. The provided range is an educated estimate based on general market data for skilled professionals with significant experience. Benefits are typically comprehensive in such roles but may differ from private sector offerings, with a strong emphasis on stability, professional growth within the institution, and contribution to its mission.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Education (Higher Education) / Public Sector. TestHiring acts as the recruitment platform for Midlands State University.

Company Size: Midlands State University is a large public university with multiple campuses and a significant student and staff population. This implies a complex organizational structure and diverse stakeholder groups.

Founded: Midlands State University was established in 2000, making it a relatively young but established institution within Zimbabwe's higher education landscape.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team: The Senior Graphic Designer will likely be part of a central Marketing, Communications, or Creative Services department within the university. This department would manage all external and internal communications.

• Reporting Structure: The role reports to a Head of Marketing, Communications Director, or a similar senior management position overseeing the university's brand and outreach efforts.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The designer will collaborate extensively with various university subdivisions, including academic departments, administrative offices, student services, and external relations, to understand their design needs and deliver appropriate visual solutions.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Insights: While design is creative, decisions regarding branding and marketing materials within a university setting are often informed by institutional goals, target audience analysis, and communication effectiveness.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: The role requires efficient project management and workflow design to handle a high volume of diverse design requests from across the university.

• Automation & Efficiency: Leveraging design software features and potentially workflow tools to improve the speed and consistency of design output.

Company Website: www.TestHiring.com (recruitment portal) / The actual university website would be the primary reference for brand guidelines.

**📝 Enhancement