Digital and Print Graphic Designer

Position Title: Digital and Print Graphic Designer, Communications               

Reports To: Project Manager, Communications

Employee Status: Full Time, Exempt

Location/Office: NYC (CAI has a hybrid work schedule of working 2 days in the office and 3 days remote.)                     

GENERAL STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

CAI, a national nonprofit organization that provides training, technical assistance, and other support to health and social services agencies, is seeking a highly motivated professional for the full-time position of Digital and Print Graphic Designer, Communications. The Digital and Print Graphic Designer is responsible for designing a wide range of CAI materials in accordance with CAI standards, CAI project/division needs, and best practices in the field. The Digital and Print Graphic Designer is responsible for designing material to specifications set by senior staff in the Communications department and/or set by program teams, and is also responsible for generating and pitching ideas for new design solutions to achieve the goals of specific types of material.

MAJOR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (include, but are not limited to):

• Produce a large and consistent volume of high-quality digital and print materials, including infographics, fact sheets, web pages, flyers, advertisements, email announcements, reports, toolkits, logos, presentations, and charts.
• Produce design drafts within agreed-upon timetables and budgets, and produce design drafts that are consistent with CAI’s Style Guide and best practices in the field.
• Produce templates and easily tailored materials that a wide range of staff without design expertise can use. Communicate regularly with staff at all levels to assess the need for templates and assess the effectiveness of templates that are produced.
• Work with Communications staff, program teams, and others as necessary to understand fully the audiences and goals of designed materials, and develop designs that best advance those goals.
• Meet regularly with Communications staff and program teams to provide updates on work, share ideas, and gain an understanding of the broader context of work.
• Produce simple materials on short deadlines. These often include handouts, presentations, and charts or graphs for other departments to include in reports.
• Provide regular support and guidance to staff at all levels on how to use the Style Guide. Spot and recommend possible revisions or updates to the Style Guide.
• Review materials produced by other departments and make suggestions to help improve the design quality and effectiveness of material. When necessary, directly take over improving the design of material started by other staff.
• Help prioritize requests from projects and departments and to develop proactive ideas for design solutions that can advance program and division goals.
• Work collaboratively with staff at all levels across the organization to get feedback on design drafts.
• Bring both a customer-service and best-practices mindset to all interactions – meeting the needs of people requesting material, while at the same time sharing insights and ideas with them for design work that can best achieve their goals.
• Stay abreast of best practices and innovation in the field of graphic design (including digital-first design in public health) and regularly share insights and ideas with Communications Department and colleagues across departments and projects.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND OTHER SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• At least five years of full-time experience as a graphic designer for both digital and print.
• Very strong design sensibility, with a highly developed understanding of excellent graphic design and a sophisticated understanding of what makes excellent graphic design, rooted in key principles like readability, accessibility and ease of engagement.
• Deep and demonstrated knowledge of best practices in design, including digital-first design and information hierarchy.
• Experience working with others to incorporate rounds of feedback, sometimes on short timelines.
• Ability to work respectfully and productively with a wide range of staff and partners at all levels.
• Ability to take direction well from a wide range of staff.
• Ability to juggle multiple projects of varying complexity, prioritize work, and last-minute, tight-turnaround requests.
• Fluency in the full suite of Adobe design programs and email design, as well as in simple design work in the Microsoft suite.
• Knowledge of 508 compliance concepts/standards a plus
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing for professional audiences.
• Team player and self-starter.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the Digital and Print Graphic Designer’s job. Reasonable accommodation can be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the described essential functions of the Digital and Print Graphic Designer’s job.

While performing the Graphic Designer’s responsibilities, the employee is required to talk and hear. This position requires the employee to be on-site at a CAI office. The employee is often required to sit and work at a desk for prolonged periods of time and use their hands and fingers to handle or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times and set-up of training materials and resources. The position requires daily use of a personal computer and requires entering, viewing, and revising text and graphics on the computer terminal and on paper. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the Digital and Print Graphic Designer’s position and it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.