Senior Designer (Brand Focused)

Pivot, an NRTC company, is a marketing and customer experience agency with a focus on collaborating with people who are doing meaningful work in the communities they serve. Pivot comes alongside these organizations to help them grow and thrive by assisting them in defining and living out their brands, telling their unique stories, and strengthening relationships with their customers. Pivot has four practice areas, including broadband marketing, broadband CX, broadband vendors, and nonprofits. 

NRTC is a dynamic and growing cooperative with more than 800 employees operating out of eight office locations. We are member-driven and technology-focused, providing solutions that help our 1,500 electric and telephone members bring all the advantages of today's evolving technology to rural America. Our solutions are developed specifically to meet the needs of rural utilities and their customers and include integrated broadband, managed services, smart grid, mobile, and video solutions.

Job Summary 

The Senior Designer plays a pivotal role in leading and executing creative projects, with a focus on brand development for clients. This position requires a strategic thinker who can establish and evolve brand identities while ensuring all design work aligns with client goals and objectives. As a Senior Designer, you will lead the creative process from concept through completion, driving innovation and delivering high-quality visual work. 

In addition to managing projects, the Senior Designer will mentor and guide junior designers, fostering a collaborative and growth-focused environment. This role combines hands-on design work with leadership responsibilities, ensuring creative excellence across all deliverables. 

A Senior Designer's approach is proactive and inquisitive. They love solving complex problems and have a keen eye for detail, always asking how to elevate each project to the next level. They clearly articulate the rationale behind their creative choices and are passionate about doing so both internally and externally. 

Senior Designers understand that true value is not just in the work produced but in the unique individual who creates it. They are comfortable sharing their experiences and ideas, seeking collaboration, and recognizing that the best work often comes from the collective efforts of many.

Responsibilities 

• Assists Design Director in process development

• Ability to lead, design, and pitch brand projects

• Provides guidance and mentorship to the team, sharing best practices and insights on tools and techniques to enhance design processes and skills 

• Pushes creative concepts, and visuals for existing cohesive brands 

• Proficient in identifying and cultivating strong concepts while providing constructive feedback to enhance weaker ideas 

• Oversee and manage complex projects while addressing client requirements effectively 

• Ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally (and encourage others to do the same) 

• Understand the full picture of a project's needs and effectively communicate evolving concepts to the team as they are developed 

• Ability to assist and articulate needed project workflows alongside Project Coordinators based on needs of client/project 

• Use visual design and creative problem-solving to resolve a variety of client challenges

• Recommend visual directions to the project lead, AE and the Client

• Incorporate changes required by the clients into the final collateral 

• Take ownership of assigned brands and review all associated collateral for brand consistency and use of design principles 

• Assess and identify areas for development within the design team, while actively seeking opportunities and resources to address these needs 

• Proactively identify challenges and opportunities for process enhancements within team workflows and project management 

• Ability to exercise client management and communication when needed

• Assists in developing project estimates and defining the scope of work 

• Effectively manages multiple projects concurrently while collaborating with various business units 

• Conduct thorough design reviews to identify and rectify errors prior to printing or publication 

• Work in a highly time-managed environment with quick turnaround and deadlines

• Proficient in self-assessment and skilled in providing and accepting constructive feedback 

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to effectively manage and prioritize tasks to optimize workflow
• Other duties as assigned 

Qualifications 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expertise in brand development, from concept to execution 

• Exceptional communication skills, with proven expertise in delivering compelling pitches and presentations, both internally and externally, in person or virtually 

• Expert understanding and experience in production design for print and digital collateral 

• Experience searching for and evaluating the creative merits of photography, typography, and other creative assets, including those created in-house and from stock sites 

• Ability to sketch and whiteboard to communicate effectively with colleagues and clients 

• Exhibits resilience in managing frequent interruptions effectively 

• Ability to express design rationale in verbal and written contexts that justify the use of color, type, photography, and other graphic elements

• Work nonstandard hours, when necessary, anticipate issues, and communicate proactively

• Expert skill set in graphic layout and illustration applications (e.g. Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop/InDesign, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word), with a wide awareness of other similar-but-niche tools of the trade 

Minimum Education and Experience

• 5+ years of industry experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or related field, or equivalent professional experience in a similar role

Physical Demands 

• Work is typically performed in a remote office setting

• Occasionally travel may be required (10-20%) 

Disclaimer: The above job description summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. The order in which responsibilities, duties and skills are listed is not significant.​ 
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