Graphic Designer

Do you wish to put your graphic design skills to use for a good cause, or do you simply enjoy working with topics related to science and medicine? Join our dynamic, friendly communications team in our work to support a global patient safety mission.
Uppsala Monitoring Centre, the WHO Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring, is an independent, non-profit foundation and an international centre for medicine safety and scientific research.
UMC’s Global Communications department works to raise awareness of medicine safety, establish UMC’s role as a global scientific leader and a trusted partner, and improve communications practices for better patient safety. The department has a dual role within the organisation, where we on one hand drive UMC’s communications strategy and products, and on the other hand act as an in-house content bureau to provide support to other departments upon request.
The department is seeking a graphic designer to strengthen the team, which currently consists of six colleagues reporting to the Head of Communications. While each team member has their own responsibilities, we work together a lot and lend a helping hand when needed, so you will have the opportunity to try your hand at different communications projects and develop new skills. The team dynamic is driven by a spirit of collaboration, generosity, professionalism, and creative curiosity. The team members are of mixed nationalities and our working language is English.
Within the department, you will work alongside our current designer in the delivery of graphic content to the organisation and in developing visual content for various communications products and channels. Graphic design support is periodically in very high demand at UMC, particularly in the autumn when many research conferences take place and a lot of print materials need to be produced, ranging from brochures to scientific posters. During the pandemic, much of our graphic content production has been geared towards virtual events and digital information formats.
In this role, you’ll need to acquire a basic understanding of our scientific field in a relatively short amount of time, as you’ll be expected to generate ideas and advise other departments on how to best express core scientific messages through imagery. You will work particularly close to the editor of UMC’s magazine Uppsala Reports, providing graphic content for the online version of the magazine as well as doing the full layout of the printed magazine, which is published a few times a year. Depending on your skills, you may also work closely with our video producer to create illustrations for animated videos.
To succeed in this role, you need:
An academic degree in a relevant field, or equivalent professional education and work experience.
English working proficiency.
Broad knowledge of the design tools in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, especially Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
A portfolio which demonstrates design flair in print and/or digital across a range of platforms.
The capacity to quickly acquire a basic understanding of a niche scientific field, in order to create graphic designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and informative.
The ability to deliver products at a high standard and to set deadlines.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build effective collaborations within the organisation.
To thrive in a collaborative environment where the team works towards common goals.
The ability to self-organise and keep yourself on track even in a remote-working setting, as most of the staff are working from home during the pandemic.


It’s an advantage if you also have:
Demonstrated illustration skills.
Fluency in Swedish.
Broader skills that enable you to work on communications projects other than graphic design.
Academic or professional experience from a scientific field, or from humanitarian, non-profit, or international organisations.
International or inter-cultural experience that gives you a broader understanding of global audiences.


About us
Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) advances the science of pharmacovigilance and inspires patient safety initiatives all over the world. As an independent, non-profit foundation, we engage stakeholders who share our vision of a world where patients and health providers make wise therapeutic decisions in their use of medicines. As a leader in the research and development of new scientific methods, we explore the benefits and harms of medicines for patients, and offer products and services used by health authorities and the pharmaceutical industry worldwide. For more than 40 years, we have provided scientific leadership and operational support to the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring.
Located in the heart of Uppsala, three minutes away from the central station, we are currently around 140 employees and consultants and have generous employee-benefit policies. In addition, UMC provides support for remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about our activities and products, visit www.who-umc.org.
Applications
Please send your application marked with the reference number 2021-1 to job@who-umc.org by February 28, 2021. The position is full-time and requires you to have the legal right to work in Sweden, or be a citizen in the EU/EEA/Switzerland region. The position begins with a trial period of six months. If you have questions about the position, email Alexandra Hoegberg, Head of Global Communications, at alexandra.hoegberg@who-umc.org.
UMC follows the collective agreements between the Swedish Agency for Government Employers and Saco-S and ST. Union representatives are Deliana Aboka (Saco-S) and Jessica Avasol (ST), +46 (0)18-65 60 60.