We’re Hiring! Branding & Design Apprenticeship

Constructive, a leading social impact design firm based primarily in New York and operating with a remote workforce, is accepting applications for our 2022 Apprenticeship Program. We are looking for one exceptional person to join our diverse team of strategic mission-focused, and creative thinkers.

Constructive’s 6-month, paid Apprenticeship Program is ideal for young designers who want hands-on experience learning the professional skills needed to produce great work for ambitious clients, who have a passion for branding and design, who think creatively and strategically, and who want to make a meaningful difference on issues like climate change, education, and social justice. 

This apprenticeship is for individuals focused on visual design. You’ll learn some UX fundamentals, but it is not for UX or product designers. All are encouraged to apply, but this is a “DEI-forward” program created with the intention of  prioritizing career advancement for women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people with disabilities.

What you’ll learn:

• You’ll learn about our design, branding, and strategy processes from senior experts while you sharpen your design thinking, creative skills, and knowledge of UX on internal and client projects.
• You’ll strengthen your understanding of and skills in building large-scale design systems.
• You’ll learn how nonprofit organizations strategically communicate with different audiences and how design connects those audiences to affecting change.
• You will learn about the business side and the production of design, particularly how projects are set-up, tracked, and evaluated for financial and client success.
• You’ll learn how strategic design agencies build client relationships and successfully manage projects on their behalf.
• You’ll deepen your understanding and appreciation of what you love doing while exploring your passions and talents, and expanding your skill sets.

How we’ll help you grow:

• You’ll work closely with senior mentors from the design team to learn how we design websites and communications for nonprofits and foundations.
  
• You’ll have a bi-weekly 1-1 with Constructive’s Design Director to get and give feedback, and to proactively shape the future of your work and career.
• You’ll get real-world experience producing work for clients and internal projects, working closely with a team of strategists, designers, and developers to extend ideas and eventually develop concepts independently.
• You’ll hone your design production skills, working closely with design and development leads to ensure that design ideas are effectively translated into responsive, interactive experiences.
• You’ll participate in our daily standups, internal meetings, client presentations, and workshops to learn how design teams plan and deliver strategic design for social impact.
• You’ll participate in project retrospectives where our team evaluates project success and creates solutions to strengthen our processes.
• We’ll review your work on an ongoing basis and help you develop your technical, creative, and leadership skills.
• At the conclusion of the apprenticeship, should a full-time position not be available at Constructive or should you choose to look for full-time employment elsewhere, all apprentices in good standing will receive recommendations from your manager and support in finding a full time job within our network.

How it works:

• This is a paid apprenticeship. The selected candidate(s) will be asked to make a 6-month commitment of 30-40 hours per week (based on your preference/availability) at a rate of $15/hour. 
• Based on performance and our company’s needs, there is potential for a 6-month extension of the apprenticeship at an increased rate of $22.50/hour, and/or advancement to a full-time position once the apprenticeship concludes.
• You’ll work the standard work week, Monday-Friday as a full member of our remote team. 
• National holidays are observed and you will be paid for them.
• You’ll be eligible for a performance-based bonus at the end of the 6-month period.

A bit about diversity and inclusion

We believe strongly that diversity is one of our greatest strengths—that the more perspectives we bring to the mix, the better we are as people, and the better partner we are for our clients and their missions. To foster more diversity amongst our teams and community, we are are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, veteran, family and economic status and background, geographical background and status, and perspective. 

Constructive is an equal opportunity employer that is deeply committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, anti-racist organization that is equitable, inclusive, and supportive for all. Women and BIPOC candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Who we’re looking for:

• Ideal candidates will have strong knowledge of design fundamentals (typography, color, grid systems, etc.) and a deep interest in strengthening them even more.
• A portfolio of work that shows off your talent and creativity — personal, professional, volunteer, or student work are all acceptable.
• Someone who is ambitious, versatile, organized, detail-oriented, team-focused, and always learning, and who pushes their own thinking.
• Has experience using Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign), and Invision at a minimum.

A sample of how we phase your learning during your apprenticeship:

• Onboarding & Design Research: You’ll get familiar with studio workflows and tools for design teams. You’ll learn how nonprofits engage audiences and how design supports that. You’ll conduct design research and contribute to design workshops for client projects. You’ll participate in client meetings and presentations to learn how we engage clients from kickoff to completion.
  
• Design Systems: You’ll help build design systems by extending approved design concepts for internal and client projects, both in print and digital. You’ll also perform design production, learning proper file structure and setup. You’ll source and produce imagery for projects. You’ll learn the details of how web design work built by web developers.
• Practice: You’ll help with quality assurance testing for beta websites to sharpen your eye and understanding of how static designs are translated into responsive, live websites. You’ll deepen your understanding of how design work goes from start to launch. And you’ll participate in project retrospectives to learn how projects play out for teams in the real world.
  
• Design Concepts: After a period of learning about and helping to build design systems, you’ll design your own concepts for projects that are aligned with your strengths.

Interested? Great! Then please send an email titled “Constructive Design Apprentice” to [email protected] with the following:

• Your résumé or CV
• A cover letter telling us a bit about yourself and why you’re interested in working with Constructive (applications without proper cover letters will not be considered)
• Answers to the following questions:
  • Why are you interested in a design apprenticeship, and what do you hope to gain from working with and learning from our team?
  • What values drive you and your work?
  • What do you like to do when you are not working?
• A link to your online portfolio (applications without portfolios will not be considered). Please note that personal, professional, volunteer, or student work are all acceptable.

Any additional questions may be directed to [email protected]