Sammons Financial: Senior Graphic Designer

Locations: Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Categories: Marketing/Communications

Remote Job: No

What You Can Expect In This Role
Responsible for contributing to, advocating for, educating on, and advancing overall creative design strategy. Key responsibilities include outstanding design, advanced design layout expertise, and support to Marketing Communications in the area of conceptual thinking, design thinking, initial creative concept, graphic design, graphic illustrations, photo selection, brand stewardship, and page layout to an in-house marketing communications department for all print and electronic marketing and sales materials. Ensure all files are accurate, proofed and timelines are met or exceeded in support of department priorities. Accomplish duties by utilizing Mac computer systems running Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe XD, Dreamweaver, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

What You'll Do In This Role
Serve as subject matter expert (SME) and resource for team for brand standards and creative design strategy through thorough understanding of company brand standards, team and organization goals, comprehensive understanding of current design trends, and regularly educating others on the creative team.

• Set up and lead creative design brainstorming, design thinking, and collaboration sessions.

• Regularly provide feedback and critique team’s creative work to ensure it is on brand and on point with creative strategy.

• Effectively manage time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.

• Work with marketing strategy team to design creative concepts and coordinate various aspects of production including direct mail, brochures, marketing materials, seminar invitations, print ads, flyers, forms, email, and more.

• Collaborate with marketing communications team members to develop creative approaches and creative strategies as most appropriate for intended target audiences.

• Serve as lead on creative initiatives to accomplish team and organizational goals.

• Support ad hoc creative needs, such as the development of print projects, banners, social ads, and other digital media.

• Develop innovative, impactful, and promotional pieces for print or electronic communication, conforming to appropriate production requirements and company branding initiatives.

• Determine arrangement of copy and illustrations or graphics; selects style, typeface, suitable medium; technique, and graphic design based upon available space and aesthetic direction provided.

• Interact with internal team, others in the organization, and outside vendors (i.e., printers, publishers, email communication vendors, etc.) as necessary to efficiently and effectively implement marketing communication initiatives.

• Uphold established design standards for branding of print and electronic media.

• May serve as project lead for marketing campaigns from a design technology standpoint; work closely with management, Marketing Support and/or project requestors to fully understand the product and market place of a particular project; collaborate on the overall marketing strategy, creative strategy and message; work daily with writers and coordinators as well as with other designers to complete campaigns tasks as needed.

• Understand and manage priorities in a fast paced environment while maintaining quality controls; interact with team members on priority changes and status updates.

• Assemble complete and final files for vendor (printer, publication, email distribution house, etc.) and works with Marketing Production and/or vendor as necessary to achieve a satisfactory finished product.

• Assist others in the company with miscellaneous artistic or design needs which may include taking photographs, sending/saving digital photos, creating design elements or logos for cards, etc., POP displays and trade show booths.

• Maintain files of all advertising pieces, materials of assigned projects and assures electronic documents and assets are filed in the proper location on the server(s) in a timely manner.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design or comparable work background Preferred

• Minimum 5 years' experience in providing moderate to complex graphic design for print and electronic media Preferred

• Web experience required; programming experience Preferred

• Experience in email management and distribution platforms Preferred

• Excellent effective, courteous, and professional communication skills

• Strong interpersonal skills include respect, patience, approachability, flexibility and ability to handle interruptions and multiple tasks on a daily basis

• A high degree of decision making ability using tact and good judgment

• Demonstrated professionalism and an aptitude for problem resolution

• Proven ability to lead and educate

• Advanced knowledge of print media and current graphic design techniques

• Proficient in web and HTML design

• Basic understanding of digital user experience and user interface design

• Proficient in Adobe and Microsoft Office Suites including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Demonstrated broad knowledge of available graphic art tools including software packages, computer hardware, Internet sites, graphic libraries and related resources

• Ability to produce graphic communications for print or email on PC, versus Mac

• Demonstrated ability in creative design, including a sharp sense of composition, typography and color to achieve desired promotional impact in all communications

• Demonstrated thorough understanding of print and electronic media requirements and the ability to develop appropriate materials for the intended media

• Demonstrated strong initiative, organizational ability, communication skills and the ability to meet deadlines and reprioritize constantly changing needs

• Self-starter and strategic mindset

• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram

• Outstanding willingness and ability to receive and provide constructive feedback and to educate others on best practice

Other Requirements

• Criminal background check required.

What you can expect when you join Sammons Financial Group

• Sammons Financial Group offers a competitive benefit package that includes: Health, Dental, Vision, Company Paid Retirement, PTO and Holiday Pay.

• Our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a 100% company-funded retirement plan, so you can save for retirement without contributing a penny of your own paycheck.
  • Healthy balance between work and personal lives. Friday afternoons off all year long, competitive PTO, and generous number of paid holidays.
  • Our incentive program for defined goals subject to eligibility and performance. Monetary rewards are based on individual and/or overall company performance.
  • Colleagues who support one another, model our core values, and drive our healthy, high-performing culture.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship
At this time, we’re not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)