Temporary Junior Designer, Brand & Communication

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position

NPR’s Branding team is responsible for building brands, as well as protecting, evolving, and stewardship of the NPR brand. The team seeks to further the reach and impact of everything NPR puts out into the world — from up-to-the-minute digital and broadcast content to on-demand podcasts, events, videos, and curated app experiences. We are looking for a creative, bold, big-ideas designer to join our fast-paced team of copywriters, designers, strategists, and project managers. This individual will apply creative savvy, top-notch design expertise, and brand-building chops to strengthen NPR’s brand and attract new users to its ever-growing portfolio of shows. 

This individual will create brands and marketing campaigns that are seen by millions every day. They will center their work on NPR’s mission: To inform and engage audiences with our compelling editorial programming and first-rate journalism. 

All applicants must submit a portfolio, which will be the primary source of evaluation for this role. Please link to your online portfolio in your application and your résumé. 

This is a union represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with NABET-CWA DMU

Responsibilities

Build Brands

• Build out brand assets and systems following concepts and creative direction from senior designers, including: logos, podcast tiles, key art, typography applications, color palette implementations, brand patterns, social media templates, and brand kit packages.
• Apply existing brand guidelines to create compelling visual assets that express the unique ethos and editorial mission of NPR podcasts, programs, and editorial properties.
• Support the reimagining of existing NPR editorial property brands to resonate with diverse audiences.
• May conceptualize and execute complete brand systems for smaller, lower-visibility NPR projects and properties.
• Collaborate with senior team members to ensure brand work aligns with the NPR parent brand and overall brand family/hierarchy.

Build Campaigns

• Create marketing campaigns that follow existing brand guidelines and systems.
• Help develop the overall campaign approach, contributing to art direction and creative concepts alongside copywriters and senior designers.
• Build campaign assets required for each campaign: digital and social ads, Apple/Spotify art, illustrations, animations, video beginning/end slates, and graphic systems.
• Pay attention to audience research and user testing, adapting to new insights and applying learnings to your work.

Brainstorm and Collaborate

• Actively contribute ideas to team brainstorms, whether in the room or via collaboration tools.
• Partner with copywriters and senior designers to support brand directions and campaign visions.
• Create visual designs based on target audience data, project requirements, and limitations articulated in creative briefs.
• May create presentation decks and supporting materials for campaigns and brand projects.
• Ensure final graphics and layouts are high-quality, align with brand standards, and maintain consistency across brands and campaigns.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, Design degree, or equivalent in work experience

Work Location & Requirements

• NPR Remote-Permitted: This is a remote-permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, D.C. office, but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves. You will have the option of working (a) remotely from a location of your choosing within the United States that is supported by NPR; (b) on-site at an NPR facility, based on the availability of desks and approval from NPR; or (c) a combination of both. Regardless of where you choose to work from, you may be expected to travel to other locations from time to time to perform the duties of your position.

Required Skills/Competencies

• 1-3 years of experience in graphic design and digital advertising (or equivalent portfolio demonstrating strong design skills). Experience with branding, typography, key art, digital design, and social media design.
• Interest in motion graphics and animation, with a willingness to learn and develop these skills.
• Passionate about brands, marketing, and creative campaigns, with a growing understanding of advertising best practices.
• Able to work in a fast-paced, constantly evolving, news-driven environment.
• Open and receptive to feedback from senior team members and stakeholders. Ability to interpret feedback and make thoughtful design revisions.
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic, with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail and visual quality.
• Strong proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator) required.
• Basic knowledge of Premiere and/or After Effects is a plus.
• Experience working with copywriters is a plus.

Job Type

• This is a temporary (6-month) full-time position.

Compensation

Hourly Rate: The U.S. based anticipated hourly rate for this opportunity is $32.45–$33.42 per hour. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum hourly rate NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.

You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.

Want more NPR? Explore the stories behind the stories on our NPR Extra blog. Get social with NPR Extra on Facebook and Instagram. Find more career opportunities at NPR.org/careers.