Senior Capture & Proposal Graphic Designer/Illustrator

Overview:

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Capture & Proposal Graphic Designer is a new position reporting to the Vice President of Business Winning.

In support of Draper’s growth strategy, we are seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented graphic design professional to support Draper’s capture and proposal operations.

In this critical role, you will be responsible for translating concepts and data into compelling ideas and experiences. The ideal candidate for this role will ideate, lead projects from beginning to end, and work independently and with cross-functional teams comprised of designers, capture/proposal leaders, writers, engineers, scientists and business program managers across the organization. This position is essential for supporting the development and submission of winning proposals for Federal government and commercial customers.

The successful candidate:
• Must be able to understand conceptual design, space layout, color theory and typography with a discerning eye for details.
• Must have the ability to work well under pressure and have a proven track record of thinking strategically and analytically in a problem-solving environment.
• Must have experience in conceptual rendering, illustration and art production.
• Must be able to interpret and convert sketches from engineers and technical experts and into compelling illustrations.
• Must be deadline-driven and go above and beyond to elevate the company brand.
• Must be highly skilled in both software and storytelling and incorporate industry trends in your designs while sharing this knowledge with others.

Additionally, the ideal candidate will have strong project management skills and the ability to operate and thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Effective leadership and communication skills are essential, as is a passion for supporting technology development in the interest of national security. With capabilities spanning strategic guidance to microelectronics, and space systems to biotechnology, you will have the opportunity to work with exceptional teams every day.

Job Description:

Duties/Responsibilities

• Brainstorm concepts and ideate design solutions. Use advanced illustration techniques to translate facts and features of subject material into graphics concepts that best convey intended meaning. Design compelling graphics, charts, diagrams, and illustrations to enhance the effectiveness of corporate content, and communicate complex technical concepts for capture and proposal documents.
• Responsible for design and layout of marketing and proposal documents, ensuring consistency, professionalism, and compliance with requirements and company branding guidelines.
• Work closely with cross-functional, multi-disciplined teams and subject matter experts to understand requirements, clarify concepts, and develop graphics that align with corporate projects and proposal win themes/messaging.
• Conduct thorough reviews of graphic materials to ensure accuracy, clarity, compliance, and version control with established standards and specifications.  Actively participate in project reviews, as required.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and adhere to tight deadlines, while maintaining high-quality design standards and attention to detail.
• Lead graphic design on assigned proposal teams, responsible for on-time production of proposal graphics (including creation and quality control). Actively participate in all applicable capture/proposal team meetings and provide support during reviews, making necessary revisions to graphics based on feedback and input from stakeholders.
• Create, organize and maintain a SharePoint library of reusable graphics and other visual assets to streamline future proposal development efforts.

Skills/Abilities

• Strong proficiency in graphic design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) with working knowledge of web, video, and 2D animation. Proficiency in Microsoft 365 Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams) is also required. 
• Marketing s