OUR CULTURE:

Guiding Principles describe our behaviors to support our organization’s work throughout its life in all circumstances, irrespective of changes in goals, strategies, and leadership. Our Guiding Principles are as follows: We CULTIVATE-We grow staff and volunteer leaders who will be stewards of the Y mission, resources, and opportunities. We OWN-We think long-term and act on behalf of the organization, beyond our own team. We WELCOME-We are inclusive of all people and all communities. We SERVE-We provide timely and excellent service to members, volunteers, community, and each other. We LEARN-We are never done learning and always seek to improve. We are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them. We UNITE-We work together to achieve big goals and speak as one voice. We RESPECT-We treat others with kindness and speak positively about other people in all situations. We PLAY-We celebrate, appreciate, and have fun!

The YMCA of Great Grand Rapids utilizes a Membership By Design framework, which is a member involvement and community building model for YMCAs across the country. All staff members—frontline, management, full- and part-time—and volunteers have a role to play in member engagement. These responsibilities can be broken into six steps:

• Enrollment: Staff and volunteers encourage potential members to enroll in programs and activities that meet their needs.
• Satisfaction: Staff and volunteers ask members continually about their satisfaction with a program or activity, track responses, listen to suggestions, and respond promptly in a manner consistent with the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
• Relationship Building: Staff and volunteers are open, friendly, and approachable to all YMCA members and participants. Staff and volunteers initiate interaction with and between members.
• Education and Conversion: Staff and volunteers know about and share their knowledge of the YMCA, its programs, its policies, its mission, its values, and how it benefits members and the community.
• Volunteerism and Leadership: Staff and volunteers create opportunities for members to volunteer in their areas of interest, and they ask members to do so whenever appropriate.
• Ownership: Staff and volunteers encourage members to “own” the YMCA, using words such as “we,” “us,” and “our association” (and actions that match those words) to include members as well as staff and volunteers.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Graphic Design Manager is responsible for providing vision and leadership for all association-wide marketing initiatives in collaboration with the Communications Director. The leader in this role ensures best practices in print and mail marketing and will be a key contributor to the Association maintaining high brand standards. This includes all activities related to conceptualizing and implementing innovative, high-impact visual strategies and achieving marketing targets for increased brand awareness, membership and fundraising revenue, employee recruitment and volunteer engagement.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

MARKETING

• Develops and coordinates the production of promotional and collateral materials through internal development and/or external creative teams and vendors for specific/assigned key business units.
• Leads involvement in the following areas: planning, developing, producing and delivering of all business unit collateral (brochures, promotional flyers, ad campaigns and more) that effectively promote the project objectives.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal and external key stakeholders, such as Directors, business unit staff, IT and the Business Service Center to ensure proper messaging, project priorities and schedules.
• Responsible for the scheduling and workflow of assigned marketing projects. Secures quotes from vendors to complete projects. Manages timelines and estimates relative to project costs.
• Responsible for keeping assigned marketing projects and campaigns within budget restrictions.
• Tracks and analyzes assigned marketing campaigns to measure their success and/or failures and present findings and recommendations to the Communications Director.
• Key contributor in the theme and content development for a variety of projects.
• Primary point of contact with regards to the production of artwork and image sourcing.
• Proofs and edits various Marketing materials.

BRAND COMPLIANCE

• Lead, implement and oversee advertising and marketing vehicles utilizing brand compliant graphics, content, messaging and products.
• Direct the creation and production of inspiring design, content and campaigns that build the brand and drive consumer behavior.
• Continue to develop and strengthen the association’s image to build brand and nonprofit awareness, relevance, reputation and esteem among target audiences.
• Ensures that all creative marketing materials undergo brand review and adhere to strict brand standards and are in support of the organization’s goals and objectives.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with key media representatives.

Performs any other functions necessary for the smooth and efficient operation of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids.

COMPENSATION

$55,000-$65,000 annually; Full Time; Exempt

Full time benefits include free YMCA Family Membership, Dental/Medical/Vision Insurance, Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays, Retirement upon eligibility, and more!

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree (BA, BS) in graphic design, marketing, communications or equivalent coursework; 5 plus years graphic design experience in positions of increasing responsibility with a focus on market expansion, identifying and leveraging emerging market trends and experience developing high-level marketing and brand strategy in line with the strategic vision of the organization. A visionary with a deep understanding of traditional and innovative marketing strategies and a proven track record of creating campaigns and initiatives that will drive and increase revenue. Expert command of Adobe Creative Cloud with special emphasis on InDesign and Illustrator. Ability to lead production of high-quality editorial content in print and digital environments. Exceptional interpersonal skills, adept at successfully building internal and external relationships. Innovative thinker and creative problem solver with a willingness and proven ability to challenge the status quo. Ability to be flexible, self-motivated, and positive, and to respond to the dynamics of a changing environment. Ability to build, inspire, motivate, and lead a team toward success. Exceptional written, oral, and presentation, and editing skills. Ability to interact with people of all ethnic backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATION

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) within the first 60 days
• First Aid Certification required within the first 60 days
• Blood Borne Pathogen training
• State of Michigan criminal background clearance (ICHAT)

YMCA LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:

Inclusion

• Embraces all dimensions of diversity (i.e., ability, age, culture, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, income, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.) by treating all people with dignity, compassion, and respect.
• Creates a safe environment in which others feel welcome and respected.

Communication & Influence

• Interprets messages and body language effectively.
• Listens with the intent to understand the perspective of others by using appropriate communication methods, including open-ended questions.
• Responds to the individual needs of the other person.

Program/Project Management

• Organizes program or project resources, space, or deliverables to best meet intended goals and outcomes.
• Delivers a high-quality experience to members, participants, or project teams.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work environment and physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of board members, volunteers, and staff.
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to define problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and sit. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

TRAVEL

10-25% of local travel within the state of Michigan; occasional out-of-state travel may be required for educational conferences or training.