Senior Graphic Designer / Creative Manager

Job Title:

Senior Graphic Designer /

Creative Manager Location:

Elkhart, IN Company:

Nomadic Innovations Employment Type:

Full-Time Required :

Portfolio submission is required before Interview About Nomadic Innovations Nomadic Innovations is a leader in cutting-edge recreational vehicle technologies, specializing in high-performance, energy-efficient climate and comfort systems engineered for life on the road. Our products are designed to elevate comfort, durability, and sustainability for RV enthusiasts and off-grid adventurers. We are a fast-paced, engineering-driven company focused on building innovative solutions for mobile living. Position Overview This is a senior, hands-on leadership role .

You will be:

The senior-most design voice in the company The day-to-day leader of our graphics department (internal + freelancers) The person responsible for ensuring everything we ship—digital or physical—looks premium, is on-brand, and is technically correct and production-ready You'll work closely with marketing, product, sales, operations, and support to turn business and technical needs into clear, believable visuals that actually ship: packaging, labels, manuals, product-page graphics, trade show assets, sales materials, social content, and email & ad creative. This is not "take orders and make things pretty." This is own the process from brief → concept → execution → vendor handoff → delivered asset. Key Responsibilities1. Brand & Creative Direction Own and evolve the visual language for Nomadic Innovations and all sub-brands (Cooling, Awnings, Controls/Helix). Translate product strategy, technical features, and marketing objectives into practical, effective visual assets : hero imagery, feature callouts, diagrams, wiring/system overviews, comparison charts, UI-like overlays, icons, and infographics. Maintain a consistent, premium look across web, print, packaging, trade show, and social , even when multiple designers/freelancers are involved. 2. Team Leadership & Department Management Lead the graphics department day-to-day: Assign work and manage workloads Set priorities based on business impact Review and approve output Ensure deadlines are met Mentor and upskill existing team members : Provide clear, actionable feedback Teach best practices for print and digital Help junior designers grow toward senior-level standards Art-direct and coordinate freelancers/contractors : Write proper briefs Integrate their work into our overall system Hold them to Nomadic's standards Partner with leadership to prioritize design work against business goals. You're not just taking tickets; you're helping decide what gets done first and why. 3. Production Design (Print, Packaging, Manuals) Design and prepare print-ready files for: Product packaging (boxes, sleeves, labels, inserts, multi-panel layouts, dielines) Product manuals, quick-start guides, and technical documentation Trade show booths, banners, signage, and large-format graphics Flyers, sell sheets, dealer/distributor materials, and in-box collateral Work confidently with: Dielines, bleeds, trim, safe areas, fold lines CMYK vs RGB, spot colors, color management and consistency Resolution, trapping, overprint, large format requirements Communicate directly with printers and packaging vendors , review proofs, and catch technical or layout issues before they turn into expensive mistakes. Design with budgets and constraints in mind: Choose appropriate finishes and formats Reuse/adapt existing components where possible Balance aesthetics with cost-effective production 4. Digital Design (Web, Email, Ads, Social) Create web and digital assets for: Shopify product pages and landing sections (hero images, feature blocks, comparison layouts, diagrams, lifestyle overlays) Email campaigns and flows (hero graphics, modular components, diagrams) Paid ads (Meta, Google, YouTube—static and simple motion/loop-based creatives) Social media (static posts, carousels, stories, evergreen assets, templates) Design with performance and usability in mind: Readable type and layout on mobile and desktop Optimized export pipeline (sizes, file formats, retina considerations, load times) Clarity of message and hierarchy—especially for highly technical products 5. Process & Systems Design and implement repeatable workflows for recurring asset types: Product launch packs Packaging lines and label sets Manual / documentation templates Show & event graphics Social & email content systems Define what a good creative brief looks like and teach internal teams how to submit requests that include objectives, audience, specs, deadlines, and constraints. Create and maintain a lightweight but effective design system : Shared components (icons, UI-style elements, diagrams, patterns) Layout templates (for flyers, spec sheets, manual pages, web modules, email sections) Updated brand guidelines & usage rules (color, type, spacing, imagery) Establish file organization and naming conventions so assets are findable, reusable, and safe from "wrong version" mistakes. 6. Quality Control & Brand Consistency Act as the final quality gate for graphics: Check technical correctness (bleeds, color, resolution, formats) Check brand alignment (type, color, hierarchy, tone) Check legibility and clarity for technical content Ensure visual consistency across deliverables from multiple contributors—everything should look like it came from the same brand family. 7. Adaptability, Budgets & Problem Solving Operate in a fast-moving, changing environment Products evolve Specs change Shows and campaigns pop up on shorter timelines Work within tight budgets and real deadlines : Know when to build in-house vs outsource Know when "clean and done" beats "perfect and late" Make smart tradeoffs without compromising critical quality Take ambiguous or incomplete input and ask the right questions to get to a clear brief and a realistic plan. Required Experience & Skills We are deliberately setting a high bar. Please do not apply if you do not meet most of these criteria. Experience 5-8+ years of professional experience as a graphic designer, with at least 2-3 years in a senior / lead / manager capacity. Demonstrated history of shipping production-grade work : Packaging and labels Manuals / multi-page documents Print collateral and trade show graphics Web and digital campaign assets Experience managing multiple concurrent projects end-to-end (brief → concept → revisions → production). Experience leading or managing other designers and/or freelancers (formal or de facto). Technical Skills Expert-level Adobe Creative Cloud , especially: Illustrator

• logos, icons, vector assets, packaging, dielines Photoshop
• composites, retouching, product & lifestyle imagery InDesign
• manuals, brochures, spec sheets, catalogs Strong, practical understanding of print production : CMYK vs RGB, spot colors, color profiles Bleeds, trim, safe zones, resolution requirements Packaging, label, and large-format printing Proof review and press/production communication Solid digital design skills: Designing for Shopify product pages and simple landing layouts Preparing web-ready assets (sizes, compression, responsive considerations) Creating ad, email, and social creative for performance marketing Familiarity with Figma or similar layout/UX tools (or willingness to adopt) for planning systems, components, and page structures.

Conceptual, Communication & Leadership Skills Strong visual storytelling ability: can take complex technical or system-based information and present it in a clear, visual way.

Excellent typography and layout skills:

hierarchy, spacing, rhythm, especially with dense technical content.

Clear written and verbal communicator:

can explain design decisions to non-designers and document standards for others to follow. Proven ability to lead, coach, and elevate other designers while maintaining high standards and realistic expectations. Aesthetic & Brand Fit We want someone who understands this space and aesthetic: You know the difference between premium, real-world product storytelling and loud, shouty automotive "SALE!!!" creative. This is not a dealership flyer brand. You're comfortable creating work that feels authentic to a community (vanlife, overland, RV, builders, tech-forward off-grid users)—real rigs, real environments, believable use. You know how to use textures, materials, and overlays (metal, rubber, fabrics, topo lines, UI grids, etc.) in a modern, restrained way—never cheesy, overdone, or gimmicky. You can make technically advanced products look trustworthy, aspirational, and grounded , not cartoonish or overhyped. Mindset & Non-Negotiables We're looking for someone who: Treats design as problem-solving in service of the product and customer , not just decoration. Is detail-obsessed about production quality but realistic about deadlines and constraints. Enjoys building systems, standards, and templates , not just one-off hero shots. Is comfortable with direct feedback and can give it in a constructive way. Can handle ambiguity and moving targets without melting down. Has low ego, high ownership —you take responsibility for the work, the process, and the outcome. Is excited to take an existing team and raise the bar , not replace everyone; you lift people up and bring them along. What Success Looks Like Within 90 days, you will: Audit our current visual assets (web, packaging, manuals, print, social) and present a concise "state of the visuals" with prioritized improvements. Deliver several end-to-end projects (e.g., packaging or label update, one print piece, one digital campaign asset) that go all the way to printer or publish without technical issues. Establish basic but effective file organization and naming conventions for the graphics team. Implement a clear request → design → review → delivery process that reduces chaos and uncertainty. Within 6-12 months, you will: Have a lightweight design system and asset library in place that speeds up work and keeps everything on-brand. Have the graphics team (internal + freelance) consistently shipping work to your standard with less hand-holding. Have led the visual side of at least one major product or brand initiative (new product launch, packaging line, trade show presence, or significant web refresh). Be seen internally as the person who can reliably turn complex, shifting requirements into clean, premium, production-ready visuals on time and within budget.

• Nice-to-Have (Bonus) Experience Experience in automotive, overland, RV, industrial, or hardware brands.

Experience directing product photography (shot lists, angles, environments, coordination with photographers). Basic motion graphics skills (After Effects or similar) for simple explainers, loops, or UI-style animations. Experience working with engineering and technical teams to visualize system behavior, wiring, diagnostics, or app flows. Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

$60,000.00

• $75,000.

00 per year

Work Location:

In person