Senior Specialist, Graphic Design (Full-Time)

Position overview

The Senior Specialist, Graphic Design (SSGD) is a hands-on creative manager responsible for producing high-quality visual design across client and agency initiatives. This position emphasizes strong layout, typography and visual systems thinking. The SSGD is accountable for graphic execution, consistency and delivery of materials, and includes the development of visual systems, campaign assets, presentations and digital collateral, largely within an established creative direction and strategy for each assignment. Working in partnership with content, engagement and account management professionals, the Senior Specialist, Graphic Design brings strong judgment and craft to execution while helping ensure clarity, accessibility and cohesion across all visual work.

This is a full-time role with expectations for 40 scheduled working hours each week, Mondays through Fridays during traditional business hours. This role requires in-office, client-site and/or off-site presence three days a week. The role reports to a Director. Its progressive roles are Assistant Director, Director and Senior Director.​ The role includes medical insurance and earns paid vacation and sick time off, transit benefits and access to a 401(k) program with a 3% employer-match upon eligibility

Position details

The Senior Specialist, Graphic Design leads the development and execution of high-quality visual assets across digital and print platforms, ensuring alignment with established creative direction and content strategy. This role supports the client services team by developing visual systems, campaign assets, presentations, and digital collateral. Working alongside writers, a videographer, and other content professionals, the Senior Specialist advances clear, accessible, and cohesive visual storytelling across the agency’s core areas and 5-8 concurrent projects. The Senior Specialist is expected to deliver projects on schedule and within budget, closes projects with production-ready documentation. Key responsibilities include developing cohesive visual systems for major campaigns; leading layout for complex, text-heavy materials; producing long-form publications (e.g., annual reports and toolkits) free of post-production errors; supporting brand and website initiatives; and designing event and presentation materials as needed. The Senior Specialist also will review work created by junior designers, collaborate with videography partners to ensure visual alignment, present their work to decision-makers, maintain organized digital files. This role requires daily time-entry compliance.

Role-specific qualifications

• Six or more years of professional graphic design experience
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellence in layout, typography and visual hierarchy
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, including InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop
• Strong working knowledge or presentation tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint Miro and Google Slides
• Demonstrated experience designing both digital and print materials
• Proven ability to work efficiently within established creative direction
• Strong communication skills and comfort collaborating across teams
• Experience working in an agency or multi-client environment
• Familiarity with accessibility standards for visual design
• Working knowledge of website and digital design best practices
• Basic familiarity with motion or video adjacent design workflows
• Experience reviewing work for and mentoring early-career designers

General employee expectations

• Devote your business time and attention, your best efforts, and your skill and ability to promote the interests of the agency and its overall service to its clients
• Carry out your duties in a diligent, competent, faithful and professional manner, subject to all established agency policies and procedures
• Work with other employees of the agency in a competent and professional manner, adhering to all company policies, workplace rules, agency values, customs and courtesies to create and sustain a healthy work environment for everyone
• Contribute to the maintenance of client databases and project summaries
• Support agency marketing by writing and preparing case studies, blog content and award submissions, networking at and supporting industry activities, and sharing social media content
• Consistently demonstrate self-motivation, ability to be self-directed and organizational skills
• Seek and/or receive professional development opportunities that fit your role & level
• Manage all tasks assigned with ethics and accuracy
• Consistently demonstrate excellent reading and writing skills, following Chicago A.P. Style and standard American English grammar guidelines (unless client-specific style guidelines prevail)
• Schedule and participate in internal, external, in-office and off-site meetings
• Have and maintain a high level of proficiency with Office 365 products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint, especially) and other relevant software programs to execute and safeguard the creative products of the agency and its clients
• Utilize agency-provided project management software and tools to track work, track productivity and meet deadlines
• Comfort with the use of the telephone to call and speak with people unknown to you to provide and gather information, ask questions and clarify information​
• Read and acknowledge agency memos, notices and materials relevant to your employment within two weeks of publication
• Ensure good fiscal management of the agency’s lines of credit, credit cards and vendor accounts
• Be able to take on work-related physical, mental and environmental demands that include
• Tolerance for prolonged and continuous stationary periods at a desk/computer
• Ability to move throughout and in/out of the office and other buildings
• Ability to push, pull, lift and/or move up to 20 pounds
• Ability to operate controls for computers and other equipment
• Ability to participate in virtual meetings on camera
• Ability to travel within the Chicagoland region by public transit or private car
• Ability to work occasional evening and/or weekend hours, generally with at least 24 hours of notice, for community-based, community-focused and/or industry-focused events

There is no relocation support for this role. Preferred applicants are based in metropolitan Chicago and have familiarity about the area's geography and public and cultural affairs.