Design and Data Visualization Specialist

About Education & Work: Public education is a pillar of American prosperity and civic life. From birth to school, college, and work, everyone deserves the opportunity to learn. But for too many students, education is inadequate, underfunded, and disconnected from good jobs. New America’s Education & Work issue area is dedicated to providing the best of education to everyone, especially the historically marginalized, starting in the earliest years and continuing throughout their lives.

About the Role: New America’s Education & Work programs are seeking a  Design & Data Visualization Specialist that will provide comprehensive data visualization, design, and multimedia support. The ideal candidate is a versatile multimedia designer that will enjoy working on a variety of creative and technical digital projects; the candidate should have a keen eye for detail, brand guidelines, and accessibility best practices. The Design & Data Visualization Specialist will report to the Director of Communications, Education & Work, but collaborate closely with a very wide range of people, including colleagues across the Education & Work portfolio and in Central Communications.

Responsibilities:

Design and Data Visualization:

• Work closely with policy analysts to understand their data visualization needs and translate complex data into easy-to-understand visual formats, such as maps, charts, and tables.
• Train analysts on the basics of data visualization and review these products for stylistic accuracy and brand cohesion.
• Design simple illustrations, infographics, and social media collateral to promote Education & Work’s research and advocacy projects—working carefully within New America’s existing brand guidelines and standards.
• Design fresh collateral within existing brand parameters, such as post cards, PowerPoints, QR codes, and graphics for social media campaigns.
• Identify and download photos through platforms such as Shutterstock and Getty for analysts to use in their publications.

Layout:

• Provide web layout and formatting support in New America’s CMS Wordpress, especially for in-depth briefs and reports, but for shorter pieces as needed.
• Embed data visualizations and designs onto the website according to best practices and New America brand guidelines.
• On an occasional as-needed basis, lay out content in a PDF using New America branded templates.

Video Production:

• Edit and produce simple videos optimized for social media to promote recent publications and Education & Work messages, respond to breaking news, and repurpose recordings of New America events.
• Design simple but impactful graphic elements to include in videos as needed.

Qualifications:

• At least five years of professional experience in design, data visualization, and brand management;
• Knowledgeable in design tools such as Figma and those in Adobe Creative Cloud, as well as web content management platforms; willing to learn and use other technical programs and applications as necessary;
• Knowledgeable in data visualization best practices and tools such as DataWrapper;
• Solutions- and deadline-oriented, can easily collaborate with non-designers and cross-functional colleagues, and understand the needs of the end users; and
• Keen eye for detail and brand guidelines, equally comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback, and ability to juggle multiple projects at once on a timeline.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with video editing and production programs, such as Canva Pro or Premier Pro; interest in growing your skills in this area as Education & Work programs increasingly move into multimedia storytelling and communication;
• Familiarity with accessibility standards and best practices; and
• Interest and/or experience in working in subject areas related to education, disability, and workforce development.

Location: Hybrid mode in New America’s Washington, DC offices, with in-office attendance on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There is strong preference for candidates in the DC area, though exceptionally qualified remote candidates will be considered.

Compensation and Benefits: This position is a full-time role with benefits. The annual salary will be between $85,338 – $95,338, depending on experience.

New America offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes health care, dental, and vision coverage; a generous retirement plan; paid time off; observes all federal holidays; and an office-wide closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Application Process:
Please submit your current resume and cover letter. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

No phone calls or emails will be answered.

Physical Requirements:

• This position is hybrid, working from home and in an office environment and sits at a desk for extended periods of time and requires dexterity to operate general office equipment.
• The person in this position will frequently communicate with peers, management, company partners/vendors, and the general public and must be able to exchange accurate and timely information verbally and in writing.
• This position may require walking, bending, kneeling, and standing and will require sitting for extended periods of time.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.

Work Environment:

• The work environment is generally an indoor office or a remote work environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, including computers, phones, video conferencing tools, and shared digital platforms.

Originality and Transparency: At New America, we value authentic voices and intellectual property rights. All application materials, including cover letters, writing samples, and any other submissions, must be solely your own original work. The use of AI text generation tools like ChatGPT, language models, or other artificial intelligence writing assistants is strictly prohibited for any part of your job application. Submissions found to contain AI-generated content will be immediately disqualified from consideration. Applicants have a responsibility to be fully transparent about authorship and any tools or resources utilized. We celebrate human ingenuity and want to hear your genuine thoughts and experiences.

 Equal Opportunity Employer: New America is an equal-opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization thereby creating a culture that allows us to better serve our clientele, our employees, and our communities. We value and encourage the contributions of our employees and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and drive  outstanding results. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.  This is a bargaining unit position.