Design Lead, bizzNEST

Full-Time: 40 hours a week, 100% FTE

Compensation: $72,000 - $75,600 annual, exempt

Benefits Overview: Medical, vision, dental and life insurance, vacation and sick time off, paid federal holidays, and retirement plan (See full job description for more details).

Organization Size: 50 employees

Reports to: VP of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation

Location(s): Modesto or Stockton, with some travel to all other digital NEST locations. 

NOTE: This position is in-person in the San Joaquin Valley Region in Stockton or Modesto. Candidates must reside in, or be willing to relocate to, Stockton or Modesto. No relocation assistance will be offered.

JOB OVERVIEW: 

Digital NEST is a workforce development center that has welcomed hundreds of youth from working-class, farmworker communities to develop the technical and professional skills they need to achieve their dreams. We operate five centers in Gilroy, Modesto, Salinas, Stockton and Watsonville.  

The bizzNEST Designer will lead UI/UX and web design projects for bizzNEST clients. This role will participate throughout the lifecycle of the project, assisting with project intake and scope of work, task assignments to interns, communicating with clients, and reviewing intern work. On occasion, the Designer will be responsible for completing assignments on graphic and/or web design projects as necessary, including website design, visual identity systems, and print graphics.

The Designer also oversees a tiered team of interns to produce client work and delivers job training and career development experience to interns. The Designer also provides support with tracking the technical and professional skill development of the interns. The role will support the development and delivery of client projects, overseeing web and graphic design and collaborating closely with the Web Development and Video Production Leads. They are responsible for ensuring that projects assigned to the team are completed in high quality throughout all the phases of the project’s timeline and delivered to the client in a timely manner.

This position is housed in the San Joaquin Valley Region:  Stockton or Modesto, no exceptions to relocate to other Centers, to ensure we are building the leadership in the region and provide full service experiences across all 5 Centers. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Client-Based Projects (45%)

• Help develop the services and pricing for UI/UX, web and other design projects.
• Attend client intake meetings to co-develop project scopes.
• Write and review proposals for client work.
• Collaborate with staff and interns in creating deliverables for client projects, including UI/UX, Web and other design work.
• Support the completion of delegated projects and ensure interns meet project milestones.
• Review the intern’s design work and offer feedback to support their development.
• Assess challenges and adjust the project timeline within the project’s original scope of work.
• Respond to client needs and requests via email and/or phone.
• Collaborate with the department leads and supervisor to manage daily operations.
• Create production plans, assign tasks to the team, and manage projects in Asana.

Intern Development (35%)

• Lead a team structure composed of senior and general level interns. 
• Create and implement training for interns.
• Support interns in updating their portfolios and resumes.
• Offer coaching and mentorship to interns to support their technical skills development.
• Collaborate with the Internship Coordinator, Employer Engagement Manager, and Career Services Manager in overseeing the professional development process for design interns.
• Assist in the interviewing, onboarding, and training of new interns.
• Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions with interns as necessary.
• Assist with intern recruitment and coordinate with programming staff to cultivate member engagement and preparedness for internships.

Design Work (15%)

• Produce deliverables for clients, e.g., user research, personas, journey maps, sitemaps, and wireframes.
• Provide art direction and supervise interns to create documents that define the visual style of the deliverable,  including prepping project briefs, creating style/branding guides.  
• Documents that define the visual style of a product, including branding guidelines, typography, and visual elements.
• Produce design work independently on assigned projects.
• Complete client work as necessary to maintain project timelines and quality standards.
• Keep up-to-date with new web and design software and trends.
• Use analytics and data insights to inform design choices.

Other (5%)

• Responsible for contributing to lead and revenue generation to increase bizzNEST clientele. 
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices in design, user experience, and technology.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by their supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• At least 5 years of relevant UI/UX design experience.
• At least 2 years of experience leading a team of interns, volunteers, and/or employees.
• Strong understanding of design principles, typography, color, and layout.
• Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Ability to translate technical product messaging into compelling visual stories and designs.
• Knowledge of user-centered design methodologies to create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces.
• Experience with a CMS (ie. wordpress, wix, squarespace, webflow etc.) .
  • Installing and customizing themes and templates
  • Adding and configuring plugins or integrations (e.g., forms, SEO, analytics)
  • Ensuring mobile responsiveness and accessibility compliance
• Basic front-end skills (HTML, CSS, and light JavaScript) to support collaboration with developers.
• Comfortable maintaining/managing content in a CMS platform.
• Experience with creating and formatting graphics for social media platforms.
• Familiarity with responsive design principles.
• Demonstrated competency in project development, such as creating and following project timelines, milestones, and tasks, and identifying technical challenges.
• Attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and mentor interns.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work well in a team environment and collaborate with others.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work cross-functionally.

PREFERRED-BUT-NOT-REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Experience with Illustration, Iconography, Infographics, Video, Motion Graphics and other dynamic tools. 
• Bachelor's degree in Design  or a related field.
• Conversational or fluent in spoken Spanish and/or fluent in written Spanish.
• Familiarity with SEO best practices.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Passion for the mission of Digital NEST and belief in upholding organization’s core values.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues of culture/ethnicity/race, gender, sexual identity, class/socioeconomic status and immigration status.
• Ability to be an ally to people of color, women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning and intersex individuals and their allies (LGBTQIA).
• Participate in NEST evening and weekend programs and events on an occasional basis; facilitate youth involvement in these programs and events. 
• Candidates must have a valid CA driver's license, pass a background check, and be able to travel and work evenings or weekends occasionally, or as needed.

NOTE: The job offer will be contingent upon the successful completion and passing of a background check.

ABOUT OUR BENEFITS: We take a holistic approach to wellness, physical, emotional, and financial. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 100% Agency Paid Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance for the employee
• SIMPLE IRA Retirement Benefit with up to 2% employer match
• 10 Paid Vacation Days for Full-time Employees (non-Director and non-Chief positions)
• 13 Paid Holidays Annually Plus Business closure/holiday the week between Christmas Day and New Years Day
• Paid Sick Time Off
• Annual Parking Permit

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of dedication, impact, and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We want you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for. We also know that diversity of background and thought makes for better problem-solving and more creative thinking, so we're dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Digital NEST, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Digital NEST is committed to an inclusive experience for all applicants and will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations in the interview process, to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.   

Please refer to our career page for more information on how to apply for reasonable accommodations.

Salary : $72,000 - $75,600