Communications Designer

The Organization and Role

About Access Now

Access Now defends and extends the digital rights of people and communities at risk. As a grassroots-to-global organization, we partner with local actors to bring a human rights agenda to the use, development, and governance of digital technologies, and to intervene where technologies adversely impact our human rights. By combining direct technical support, strategic advocacy, grassroots grantmaking, and convenings such as RightsCon, we fight for human rights in the digital age.

About this role

The Communications Designer plays a key role within Access Now’s Advocacy Arm as a focal point for supporting branding, visual design, and digital media across the organization. This dynamic new position contributes to bolstering and elevating strategic and creative processes for Access Now’s campaigns, initiatives, events, and publications, and helps drive change by conceiving and developing innovative, interactive designs to advance our advocacy work on local, regional, and global challenges to human rights in the digital age.

The Communications Designer sits within the Communications and Engagement team, coordinating and collaborating with colleagues from across the Advocacy Arm — Policy and International Programs, Campaigns and Rapid Response, and Legal Programmatic — as well as global team members at all levels, to ensure our human rights objectives are surpassed. The Communications Designer reports through the Multimedia Design Lead.

What you will do

• Visual asset development:
• Support the development, expansion, and maintenance of Access Now’s visual design assets.
• Develop visually impactful assets to effectively communicate Access Now’s brand, and create an open-licensed digital rights graphics library for internal and external use.

o Design and lay out reports, posters, flyers, and other outputs.

o Develop graphics, icons, visual elements and compositions, and interface designs for websites and various media channels, including materials for events such as RightsCon.

o Collaborate with teams to produce designed social media content (such as TL;DRs), mailers, infographics, reports, posters, flyers, and other materials.

• Produce guidance, templates, and training materials, and run training sessions, across the Advocacy Arm to support the skill development of colleagues (such as Campaigners and Communications Officers), and the decentralization of some visual design processes.
• Strategic planning:

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 Collaborate on Access Now’s multimedia and design strategic planning.

 Contribute to the Communications and Engagement strategic planning.

• Create visual strategies for emerging digital rights issues.

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 Actively engage with the Communications and Engagement team and the Advocacy Arm to produce finely designed content and products.

 Support and develop long-term design and branding projects, including materials for upcoming events.

• Web development support:

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 Provide support for web development, including rapid design and deployment of web page layouts and campaign sites.

• Media design and innovation:

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 Develop graphics, icons, visual elements, typographic compositions, and interface designs for websites and various media channels, including materials for events such as RightsCon.

 Respond to daily time-sensitive requests for graphic design and visual elements from the global team, including taking action on feedback from strategy development team in order to deliver refinements in a timely manner.

• Creative solutions:

o Propose innovative and creative solutions to enhance online engagement for campaigns and communications.

Explore and pitch new ideas, projects, and approaches in the fight for human rights in the digital age.

Skills, education, and mindset you will bring

o At least three years experience in communication graphic design.

o Exceptional graphic design and digital content creation skills, with some

motion graphic knowledge.

o Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite applications, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign. Knowledge of After Effects (motion graphics) a plus!

o Extensive experience in crafting presentation materials with Google and Microsoft suites.

o Competent in working with WordPress.

o Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and front-end best practices.

o Knowledge of CRMs.

o Versed in agile design process and the creative industry.

o Ability to tackle challenges swiftly and effectively in the fast-changing phases of the projects.

o Ability to work remotely in a fast-paced environment, respond quickly to changing situations, and manage competing priorities.

o A creative and open approach to working, and a curiosity and drive to continual learning.

o Impeccable internal and external communication and project management skills, paired with cultural sensitivity and openness.

o Strength in communicating with a wide range of people from around the world.

o Flexible in responding to the needs and requests of a global team.

o Energetic and mission-driven.

o Appropriate education and work preparation for the role, with bachelor or master degree

equivalent in UX, graphic design, interaction design, HCI, design or a related field.

o Fluency in English. Fluency in a second language, especially French, Arabic, or Spanish a plus!

The Details

Location

This is a full-time position, with preference for Africa, Latin America, and Europe (Belgium, Germany). The successful candidate must possess the right to work in the location in which they will be based. At this time most Access Now Team Members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of offices and/or co-working spaces.

Remuneration

Access Now offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that align competitively with locations and regions around the world. Location-specific examples of initial placement within the salary range for this role include:

• €4,554.75-€5,579.50 EUR gross monthly (Belgium)
• $3,570.00-$4,520.50 USD gross monthly (Costa Rica)
• €5,274.00-€6,460.00 EUR gross monthly (Germany)
• $2,500.00-$3,000.00 USD gross monthly (Kenya)
• $5,240.00-$6,813.00 USD gross monthly (United States)

Benefits for this specific role are tied to the location, and will vary. Regardless of location, all Team Members benefit from a strong global culture aligned around:

• Work-life balance...including a generous paid time-off program between 36 and 40 days annually
• Access to supplemental health care insurance policies
• Professional development and growth opportunities
• Extensive workplace flexibility
• Organizational resilience and support for all team members, including paid family leave and employee assistance programs
• Connection to a diverse, global team of passionate, principled professionals
• Opportunities to recharge (including one month of paid refresher leave after 4 years)

How to Apply

Please submit the following documents:

• Résumé/CV (removing all personally identifying information such as age, gender, marital status, address, and photo)
• Thoughtful cover letter outlining your suitability for our role, with particular attention to your experience aligning to the core functions
• A portfolio showcasing your work. This portfolio should highlight your skills in visual design, branding, digital communication, and any relevant experience in the human rights sector. Please include a variety of projects that demonstrate your creative problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.

Our hiring teams review applications submitted through our Career Openings page; email submissions are not accepted. Please note that if you are applying via a link in a 3rd party system (examples: Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Snaphunt, Zip Recruiter), be sure that you are going through the application link in BambooHR so that you are properly uploading a distinct Cover Letter and a separate CV/Resume.

In order for us to communicate with you on the status of your application, please add apps.bamboohr.com to your contacts list, and check spam or junk folders so that you do not miss updates from us.

We are a global human rights organization committed to inclusivity and equity, and seek the most talented team members who bring their true selves, with diverse backgrounds, cultures, perspectives, and experiences. We are interested in receiving applications from people who consider themselves as under-represented in their talent communities. As an equal opportunity employer, we value and encourage diversity and consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status. Our commitment applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.

Published 2024-09-10

Remuneration

Access Now offers competitive compensation and benefits packages that align competitively with locations and regions around the world. Location-specific examples of initial placement within the salary range for this role include:

• €4,554.75-€5,579.50 EUR gross monthly (Belgium)
• $3,570.00-$4,520.50 USD gross monthly (Costa Rica)
• €5,274.00-€6,460.00 EUR gross monthly (Germany)
• $2,500.00-$3,000.00 USD gross monthly (Kenya)
• $5,240.00-$6,813.00 USD gross monthly (United States)

Benefits for this specific role are tied to the location, and will vary. Regardless of location, all Team Members benefit from a strong global culture aligned around:

• Work-life balance...including a generous paid time-off program between 36 and 40 days annually
• Access to supplemental health care insurance policies
• Professional development and growth opportunities
• Extensive workplace flexibility
• Organizational resilience and support for all team members, including paid family leave and employee assistance programs
• Connection to a diverse, global team of passionate, principled professionals
• Opportunities to recharge (including one month of paid refresher leave after 4 years)