Responsibilities
- The Communications Department is seeking a smart, energetic, proactive, flexible, patient, detail-obsessed individual to produce lengthy reports, branded collateral materials, templates, and PowerPoint presentation decks using Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
- Generally, the person in this position will be tasked with maintaining, updating, and leveraging pre-existing templates for their work.
However, a keen design eye is required to successfully and seamlessly adapt new content to existing templates or use an established look and feel to create newly designed products when necessary.
- Create documents in a variety of different applications, primarily using and adapting existing templates.
- Create documents or graphics that reflect an existing design, brand, or identity.
- Take a solution-oriented approach to address production, design, and accessibility issues, offering both case-by-case solutions and achievable suggestions for improving processes.
- Embrace the role as one of the in-house experts and agency point persons for all matters related to production and technical issues revolving around design and production in various software platforms.
- Ensure consistency and fidelity with agency templates and custom designs.
- Be responsible for inputting - and closely checking accuracy of input - all proofer edits and comments once they have been checked by an editor.
- In collaboration with WestEd's accessibility specialists, confer with relevant author or editor about any editorial question that might arise in production process.
- Create and prepare digital images for our website and various social media platforms.
- Be comfortable collaborating closely with Creative Lead, Graphic Designers, Accessibility Specialists, and Strategic Marketing team members, and Editorial staff to ensure seamless workflow between each phase of projects.
- Prepare final press-ready files based on supplied specifications and be comfortable working as the lead liaison with printers and other vendors.
- Make various formats of supplied artwork production-ready and resolve any artwork issues that arise during production.
- Provide image retouching, clipping paths, and additional image manipulation.
- Prepare and package files for release to printers.
- Create PDFs for print and client review.
- Conduct press checks, when needed.
- Catalog and reference art for future projects by creating and maintaining well-organized archives in BOX, our cloud-based document storage platform.
- Follow development timelines to ensure tasks are being completed on time.
- Troubleshoot problems as they arise with both the creative team and / or the printer.
- Provide ad hoc design and layout support to project staff across the agency.
- Balance multiple deliverables and take ownership of assigned tasks while communicating frequently with Traffic Manager and Project Managers.
Qualifications
- The perfect candidate will have formal training and education in design and / or production, an advanced grasp on typography and color theory, experience creating accessible documents, and functional ability to develop and work within complex layouts - across multiple software platforms.
- Advanced knowledge of and proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite applications, including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat.
- Advanced knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
- Working knowledge of and experience with creating accessible documents / graphics and ensuring the accessibility of existing documents.
- Strong foundational understanding and formal education in graphic and production design.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Superior attention to detail.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Ability to problem solve, think creatively, and seek out and apply new technology solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate, organize, and complete work around multiple tasks and multiple deadlines with a variety of different staff members.
- Ability to perform duties with moderate independence, to take appropriate initiative.
- Flexibility to adjust occasionally if needed for purposes of meeting a deadline.
- Familiarity with the field of education is an added bonus.
- 5 years or more of production experience, including experience with producing accessible documents.
- Minimum of bachelor's degree in graphic design or related field required.
- Applications must be submitted with an attached (or linked) cover letter, resume, and portfolio.
- Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
J-18808-Ljbffr
7 hours ago