Location: West Chester, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Oak Park, IL preferred. Remote considered for exceptional candidates.

Type of Position: Full-time       

Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND:

American Philanthropic is a growing, national philanthropic consulting and services firm with offices in the Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, Kansas City, and Raleigh metro areas. American Philanthropic works with charitable foundations and nonprofits to strengthen civil society—those nongovernmental, non-market-based associations and organizations which are vital to the health of our democracy. To do this, we offer strategic planning and assessment services, as well as a variety of services related to grantmaking and fundraising including development training, messaging and branding assistance, creation of donor-oriented materials and solicitations, donor prospect research, and direct mail program management, among others. More information is available at www.americanphilanthropic.com.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The direct mail designer at American Philanthropic is the lead designer on direct mail projects for multiple client engagements. The direct mail designer must produce high-quality direct mail packages, working closely with consultants and advising clients on design and layout by presenting multiple iterations of both. The direct mail designer may also provide expertise on materials/paper weight, production/printing time frames, and costs. They are responsible for compiling and delivering final materials to printers in accordance with specified standards. This position requires a level of specialization in grasping the ever-changing landscape of direct mail layout and design, letters and inserts, and, importantly, the variety of envelopes and mailing options.

A considerable responsibility of the position is managing multiple on-going projects and ensuring successful completion within articulated deadlines, including multiple same-day revisions as needed. The direct mail designer works with other members of the American Philanthropic staff to ensure that the firm continues to meet a high standard of excellence in serving its clients and fulfilling its obligations.

Primary requirements and responsibilities include the following:

• Understanding the fundamentals of nonprofit development and how that impacts design decisions;
• Demonstrating an expertise in direct mail design, including letter layout, reply forms, envelopes, and other mailing elements;
• Managing multiple projects simultaneously, communicating regularly about their progress to various parties, including American Philanthropic staff and clients;
• Adhering to internal systems and protocols for design project management and file storage;
• Managing relationships with printers and mail houses;
• Providing quality control for printing and design projects and preparing and packacing final print files for production, ensuring it meets client expectations and printer specifications;
• Communicating directly with clients regarding design projects, as needed;
• Keeping a thorough schedule and record of all jobs in process and completed, including entering information as needed for accurate client invoicing;
• Working directly with American Philanthropic consulting staff to provide accurate project cost and timeline estimates, as well as information related to upcoming and past projects;
• Completing projects efficiently, accurately, and on time by taking ownership of each project assignment;
• Assisting with the company’s business development efforts, including designing proposals and communicating about design-related services with prospective clients; and
• Staying up to date on fresh and attractive designs and layouts and mailing specifications.

This position reports directly to the Creative Services Manager and may occasionally require some work outside normal business hours to meet pressing deadlines.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 2 years of professional experience in graphic design, including direct mail design. This position requires excellent project management skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe products, primarily Word, Excel, InDesign, Illustrator, and Adobe Acrobat Pro. An exceptional candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong personal interest and commitment to American Philanthropic’s mission of strengthening society’s “little platoons”—the independent mediating institutions and voluntary associations that constitute civil society and are vital to human flourishing;
• Personal interest in and alignment with the client base served by American Philanthropic, as well as familiarity with contemporary American political, cultural, sociological, and economic discourse, especially as those realms of thinking impinge upon civil society;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and a capacity to build personal relationships of trust and respect both with clients and colleagues;
• An exceptional ability to organize and manage multiple ongoing projects and deadlines with a high degree of conscientiousness and attention to detail;
• Capacity to take personal ownership of projects, accomplish tasks, manage up to others, and make consistent progress on projects with minimal supervision;
• A strong work ethic, humble manner, and willingness to go above and beyond when necessary in order to help our clients and the company succeed and grow; and
• Enthusiasm about the opportunity to help build a fast-growing consulting and services firm into a major force in American philanthropy; and
• The desire and ability to make a positive contribution to a company culture that values practical wisdom, excellence, integrity, hard work, and conviviality.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

• Cover letter that outlines 1) your interest in the position 2) how your values align with our mission 3) a highlight of your professional and/or personal achievements that have particular relevance to your ability to perform the role’s duties with excellence
• Resume/CV
• Portfolio of at least five design projects, two of which must be direct mail-related