Visual Designer, Temporary

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. 

ProPublica is seeking a creative and organized designer to bring our evolving visual brand to life. This role is responsible for creating and maintaining compelling visual materials that connect with audiences across all our platforms and channels.

You will be responsible for designing and supporting a wide range of compelling assets that advance our mission — from marketing campaigns and event materials to donor-facing reports. This role will work closely with teams across the organization — including audience, communications and development/fundraising — to ensure we have a cohesive, inspiring and effective experience across the brand.

The ideal candidate is a proactive problem-solver who excels at managing multiple projects from concept to completion and who will champion design excellence in a mission-driven environment.

This is a two-year, time-limited role and will report to the design director.

Core Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and design a variety of assets, primarily for digital platforms, including marketing materials, reports, social media posts and more.
• Ensure ProPublica’s brand is represented cohesively across third-party surfaces, such as Instagram, Apple News, email newsletters and other social platforms.
• Create and maintain a central library of reusable brand design templates, components and documentation for various teams, including social media graphics, newsletter assets, podcast art, event materials and presentations.

• Collaborate across teams to understand project goals, provide design solutions and deliver effective, on-brand creative. Communicate effectively and navigate feedback from various stakeholders in a professional and constructive manner.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks, seeking feedback, meeting deadlines and working independently. 
• Work with external vendors, such as printers and suppliers, to ensure high-quality production and delivery of physical materials.

Skills Required

• Minimum of five years of professional graphic design experience, preferably at a news organization, mission-driven nonprofit or at a design/branding agency.
• A portfolio demonstrating design excellence, including a strong grasp of typography, composition and color.
• Expert proficiency in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and  Google Workspace (Docs and Slides).
• Proven experience designing a wide range of digital and print materials while strictly adhering to and championing brand guidelines.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and the ability to articulate design concepts and incorporate feedback constructively.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with other designers and across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience managing relationships with print vendors and preparing production-ready files.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills; ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to travel, as necessary, for team meetings and training.

Nice to Have

• Experience creating illustration, custom type/lettering or motion graphics (e.g., After Effects, Premiere).
• Knowledge of basic HTML and CSS and publishing systems such as WordPress or Squarespace

This job is full time on a temporary, two-year basis, and it includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but we’re open to remote candidates. We have offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; Austin, Texas; Phoenix; and Berkeley, California. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $85,000 to $95,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishment and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site.

Questions? Send an email to talent@propublica.org. 

No phone calls, please.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law.