Designer - Unit M

Help shape the visual future of Manchester’s new innovation engine.

Unit M is The University of Manchester’s new innovation unit — created to accelerate inclusive growth and unlock the full power of the University’s world-class research, innovation, and talent. We connect brilliant ideas with industry, partners, and communities across Manchester and beyond to solve real-world challenges in productivity, sustainability, and inclusion.

Now we’re looking for a Designer to join our growing creative team — someone curious, collaborative, and ready to make bold ideas come to life.

About the role

As our Designer, you’ll bring creativity and craft to everything Unit M does. Working closely with our Head of Design, you’ll help shape how our ideas and brands are expressed — through digital and print materials, presentations, events, and campaigns that capture attention and tell powerful stories.

You’ll collaborate with colleagues across design, brand, communications, and innovation to produce creative work that reflects Manchester’s unmistakable spirit — bold, inventive, and full of energy.

What you’ll do

• Create visually striking materials for internal and external projects — from PowerPoint decks and social graphics to printed reports and event assets.
• Support the evolution of Unit M’s visual identity and brand assets.
• Produce graphics, infographics, illustrations, and short videos to bring our work to life.
• Learn and experiment with emerging design tools (Figma, ProtoPie, Spline, and more).
• Be part of a fast-moving team where ideas become action — and where creativity drives impact.

About you

You will have some experience already — but most importantly, you’ll be passionate about design and eager to learn.

You’ll bring:

• A solid grasp of visual design principles and typography.
• Skills in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and familiarity with PowerPoint and Figma.
• A sharp eye for detail and a love of clean, creative design.
• A proactive, positive attitude — and a genuine enthusiasm for collaboration.
• An openness to feedback and a desire to grow your skills in UI and digital design.

Bonus points if you have creative interests beyond the usual — illustration, animation, photography, or 3D. We love seeing what makes your work stand out.

Why join Unit M?

This is a rare chance to help shape something new at one of the UK’s most ambitious universities. You’ll join a team that’s:

• Be future positive. Learn from history, champion social and economic innovation - future positive is the only way to be.
• Be fierce. We are fiercely committed to our collaborators, our colleagues, our place and to creating good growth.
• Be fast. The need for change is urgent - we operate with a start-up mindset - we take smart risks, learn and evolve.
• Make things happen. It won’t be perfect every time - but standing still is the enemy of progress. We get things done!

You’ll work in an environment that values creativity, collaboration, and impact — and that’s deeply connected to Manchester’s thriving innovation ecosystem.