Junior Designer

Job Overview
Democracy Docket is hiring a Junior Designer to join our Design & Brand team. This role has two focus areas: creating editorial graphics for our website, working closely with the news team, and providing design support to our audience team to produce graphics assets for our social platforms.

On the editorial side, this role will create featured graphics for articles, as well as supporting visual elements such as infographics, charts and maps. Working with direction from the news team on the story and its key takeaways, this role is responsible for turning that reporting and analysis into a creative visual concept. Our reporters are subject matter experts on voting rights; this Junior Designer will translate that expertise into visuals that are easy to understand and visually appealing.

Working with the audience team, this role will build and maintain a library of social media templates that the social team can use for regular posts. From there, this Junior Designer reviews and polishes those graphics, occasionally creating custom graphics when needed. This keeps every social post visually consistent with our brand, even as the news moves quickly.

The ideal candidate has a sharp eye for design, a strong sense of visual storytelling, and a passion for news.

This role reports to the Design Lead.

Key Responsibilities

Design editorial article lead graphics and in-article graphics, sometimes on tight deadlines

Refine and maintain our library of social media templates within our existing style guide, supporting the audience team's goal of engaging audiences with visual news content

Adapt graphics created for the website (featured graphics, data visuals, etc.) into the formats needed for posting on other verticals, such as social media or newsletters

Organize the graphics drive so that other team members can find and utilize editable files

Collaborate with the news team to produce graphics that support our articles; work directly with reporters to ensure accuracy in all editorial illustrations, especially infographics, charts, and maps

Collaborate with the audience team to create social graphics, from copy and concepts provided by the audience team

Apply and help maintain Democracy Docket’s visual brand across editorial and social graphics

Experience and Skills

2+ years of graphic design experience, whether through professional roles, internships, freelance work, or substantial coursework/portfolio projects.

Well-versed in Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as Canva

Self-motivated, proactive and detail-oriented problem solver with strong organizational skills

Strong understanding of visual storytelling and design principles

Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects at once, as the news shifts quickly

Welcomes direction and feedback from teammates and supervisors, and applies it readily to their work

Comfortable turning data and information into digestible and visually appealing graphics

Openness to learning new tools, such as those for embeddable/interactive graphics (e.g., Flourish.studio), is a plus

Experience with animation and video editing is also a plus but not required (Adobe After Effects and Premiere preferred)

Passion for politics, news, and/or voting rights and democracy

Work Environment
This is a full-time role based out of either our Washington, D.C. or Jersey City office. Our core business hours are 9am‑6pm, and we currently operate on a hybrid schedule, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays and in‑office days on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

Merit-based annual bonus

eligibility

100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision premiums

for employees

401(k) with 6% company match , available after 3 months

Commuter benefits

to help with your daily travel

Generous paid time off , including:

18 days of PTO per year (increasing with tenure)

10 paid Health & Wellness days annually

2 paid personal days annually

11 paid holidays , observed per company policy

Salary Range: $62,000-$66,000

Democracy Docket is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.

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