Graphic Designer

Job Title:   Graphic Designer

Report to:  Marketing & Communications Director

FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Location:   Remote 

Department:  Mission Advancement          

Mission and Organizational Background

The mission of First Children’s Finance (FCF) is to grow the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care. Founded in 1991, FCF provides business and financial assistance to business owners and leaders in the field of Early Care and Education (ECE). To achieve our goals, FCF works on three levels: Individual Business Level, Community Level and Systems Level. FCF is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Minneapolis that provides business development programs and financing to ECE providers in multiple states, with state offices in five: Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Vermont, and Oregon. For more information, see the First Children’s website at: http://www.firstchildrensfinance.org.

Job Summary

FCF is seeking a Graphic Designer to join its growing Mission Advancement team. Under the supervision and guidance of the Marketing & Communications Director, the Graphic Designer will be responsible for developing creative concepts and designs for a wide range of projects, including flyers, digital ads, social media graphics, email campaigns, website visuals, in-depth reports, and more to support First Children's Finance's programs and services. This position is crucial in helping establish and maintain organizational brand identity. The Graphic Designer will work with all First Children’s Finance divisions to understand project goals, recommend the best solutions and then deliver vibrant, compelling designs.

This position requires a thorough understanding of the organization's programs, key audiences, outcomes, and objectives. 

Strong organizational skills are essential for managing multiple deadlines and projects. While design is the focus of this role, strong writing and editing skills will also be beneficial to completing projects successfully and on deadline.

Essential Functions

• Develop creative visual concepts and designs for a wide range of projects including flyers, digital ads, social media graphics, email campaigns, website visuals, in-depth reports, and more.
• Collaborate with all divisional leadership and teams, as needed, to understand project goals and deliver compelling designs.
• Maintain accurate records of job and project statuses in alignment with the Mission Advancement department's project management tracking systems, workflows, policies, and procedures.
• Manage software to track divisional/team projects.
• Create and maintain brand guidelines to ensure consistency in all visual communications.
• Utilize Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) to produce high-quality graphics.
• Create branded templates for FCF as well as individual divisions in Canva and Constant Contact.
• Serve as intake point for graphics requests from FCF divisions.
• Stay updated on industry trends, design techniques, and tools to bring fresh ideas to the team.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines while maintaining attention to detail.
• Present design concepts and gather feedback from team members and stakeholders to refine and finalize projects.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual arts, or a related field.
• Five or more years of experience as a graphic designer in an organizational/business setting.
• Strong portfolio showcasing completed work.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and Constant Contact.
• Familiarity with project management platforms/software.
• Experience using Salesforce marketing tools is a plus.
• Proficient to strong video editing experience is preferred but not required.
• Strong writing/editing skills.
• Strong understanding of color theory, typography, and layout principles.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of AP style or ability to consistently follow accepted organizational style.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment and take constructive criticism.

Knowledge, Skills, and Ability

• Experience with web design and familiarity with HTML/CSS.
• Knowledge of motion graphics is a plus.
• Ability to think creatively and outside the box.
• Ability to work under pressure and with minimal supervision. 

Working Conditions

• Must be able to work on the computer for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to travel for meetings and creative projects when needed.
• Some evenings and weekends as required.

Additional Notes

This job description represents the major functions of the position but is not intended to be all-inclusive. 

 Benefits

Our benefits package include five (5) medical plans, two (2)dental plans, a vision plan, basic life coverage of $50,000, short-term and long-term disability insurance, nine (9) holidays, personal holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), 160 hours of paid time off in the first year, and partial paid family medical leave. Allowable travel costs are reimbursed. Flexible work environment.

 First Children’s Finance honors candidates’ time and effort in job-seeking by providing transparency regarding compensation. Creating transparency regarding salary information reduces the gender pay gap, and eliminates salary negotiation, which rarely benefits people of color or women. It is a value of our organization to support equitable hiring practices. 

 First Children’s Finance is an Equal Employment Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer.