Temporary Senior Brand Lead, Design

Application Instructions or Deadline: 

All applicants must submit a portfolio, which will be the primary source of evaluation for this role. Please link to your online portfolio in your application and your résumé.

Please submit your application by 5:00 pm EST October 11th, 2026.

Intro to Position

We are looking for a creative, bold, big-ideas designer to join our fast-paced team of copywriters, designers, strategists, and campaign managers. This individual will apply creative savvy, top-notch design expertise, and brand-building chops to strengthen NPR’s brand and attract new users to its ever-growing portfolio of shows. 

This individual will create brands and marketing campaigns that are seen by millions every day. They will center their work on NPR’s top ambition: To engage younger, more diverse audiences with our compelling editorial programming and first-rate investigative journalism. 

Responsibilities

This individual will: 

Build Brands

• Conceptualize and create brand systems for new NPR podcasts, programs, products and properties. Elements will include (but are not limited to): Logos, podcast tiles, key art, typography, color palettes, brand patterns, brand guidelines, social media templates, and brand kit packages.
• Reimagine the brands of existing NPR editorial properties (particularly podcasts) to resonate with younger, more diverse audiences.
• Create brands that are: 
• Compelling, by visually expressing the unique ethos and editorial mission of the podcast, program, or editorial property. 
• Distinctive, by exploring the visual styles of competitors, identifying what sets this product/property apart, and expressing that unique value through design.
• Carefully consider the NPR parent brand, collaborating with others to create a brand family/hierarchy that makes inherent sense to users.

Build Campaigns

• Along with the copywriter, conceptualize a unique vision for each campaign, creating and bringing together different elements, including original graphics, copy, content websites, social media, and other marketing materials.

Help develop the overall campaign approach: its art direction and creative concepts

• Build all campaign assets required for each campaign: digital and social ads, Apple/Spotify art, illustrations, animations, video beginning/end slates, outdoor art, photography, and graphic systems.
• Pay attention to audience research and user testing, adapting to new insights and applying learnings to your work. 

Brainstorm Big Ideas

• Actively contribute to team brainstorms, whether in the room or via collaboration tools.
• Invest in the larger mission of a brand and/or campaign. Share big ideas that shape the product beyond the visual design — brand/campaign concepts, copywriting ideas, campaign tactics/executions, social media extensions, new platform activations, and other out-of-the-box ideas.

Work collaboratively and present your own work

• Partner closely with copywriters to imagine brand directions and/or campaign visions.
• Create distinct visual styles based on target audience data, project ambitions, requirements, and limitations — articulated by strategists in creative briefs.
• Prioritize workload and produce top-notch work within tight budgets and deadlines.
• Confidently present ideas, creative concepts, and designs to project stakeholders across NPR and the public radio network.
• Ensure final graphics and layouts are high-quality, align with brand standards, and maintain consistency across brands and campaigns.

Education

• Bachelor's degree, Design degree, or equivalent in work experience

Required Skills

• 8-10 years of experience in graphic design and digital advertising. Expertise in branding, typography, key art, illustration, digital, campaign creation, and social media design.
• Experience creating motion graphics and animation (or a willingness to learn). 
• Passionate about brands, marketing, and creative campaigns, with a strong grasp of advertising best practices.
• Adept at working in a fast-paced, constantly evolving, news-driven environment.
• Opinionated and confident, yet also open and amenable to feedback from stakeholders and team members. Ability to interpret the deeper intent behind feedback and find the common ground between differing opinions. 
• Highly motivated, independent-minded, self-driven, and enthusiastic. Willing to work without the direct supervision of a design/creative director.
• Experience working closely with copywriters preferred.
• Able to juggle multiple projects at once. Meets deadlines while paying close attention to details and visual aesthetics.
• Strong presentation skills, with an ability to read a room and tailor presentations accordingly.
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite required (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator etc.).
• Keynote and PowerPoint experience required. 
• Working knowledge of Premiere and/or After Effects is a plus.

Work Location & Requirements

• Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. or New York City location at least 3 days a week. The employee must also be in commuting distance to Washington, D.C. or New York City.

Job Type

• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $120,441.58 -$127,776 plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

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