Creative Services Manager at Designing Justice + Designing Spaces | Oakland, CA | $90K/yr – $110K/yr

Creative Services Manager

Oakland, CA (Hybrid)

$90K/yr – $110K/yrMid Level5+ years expFull time

Posted 4 months ago

The other 99% submit and hope. You're about to do something different.

Lead DJDS's creative output and visual identity, directing design across touchpoints and a forthcoming website overhaul.

Own DJDS's visual identity across touchpoints, from social to proposals.
Must-have: 5+ years of design leadership with a diverse, multi-format portfolio.
Standout: Experience coordinating cross-team deliverables and a design workflow.

Own and evolve DJDS's visual identity across all touchpoints: social media, client deliverables, the website, and beyond.
Establish and maintain design guidelines: fonts, color standards, logo lockups, and templates for our core communications channels.
Translate DJDS's design ethos and mission into outputs that feel true to who we are and the communities we serve.
Provide creative direction for a forthcoming website overhaul and lead in-house graphic production.
Coordinate timelines, inputs, and deliverables across the organization, including for fee-for-service projects.
Build lightweight systems (templates, trackers, checklists) that make everyone's work easier to find, easier to complete, and easier to hand off.
Flag risks early, resolve blockers, and keep things moving without waiting to be asked.
Provide day-to-day graphic design support for active and potential design studio projects: client presentations, final documentation packages, community engagement materials.
Attend Project Manager and Milestone Meetings to create and complete deliverables alongside the design team.
Organize community engagement assets so they're findable, reusable, and ready when the team needs them.

5+ years in a comparable role. Scope and demonstrated impact matter more than a number, but this is not an early-career position.
Proven experience managing people, and a genuine desire to keep doing it.
A portfolio that demonstrates: range across output types (decks, reports, social assets, web, print, community materials), adaptability across communities and organizations, and creativity you're proud of.
Cultural competency, demonstrated through your work and not just listed on your resume.
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (required).
Google Workspace and Microsoft Office (required).
WordPress and/or Webflow for website ownership (required).
Some hands-on experience with AI tools in your workflow. You can reference tools you've used or ways you're experimenting with AI in your design process.

Experience at a startup, scale-up, or mission-driven organization where the infrastructure was still being built.
Familiarity with community engagement processes and producing culturally relevant engagement materials.
Experience supporting fundraising collateral, thought leadership content, or RFP/proposal production.
Background in social enterprise, nonprofit, or design-centered organizations, especially where you've had to craft a case for support, articulate a problem statement, or pitch a solution.
Experience with ClickUp, Notion, or similar project management tools.
A strong visual sensibility and curiosity about current design trends, color theory, digital design, and the cultural contexts that shape visual communication.

100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision for employees and their children under 26, with optional coverage for domestic partners, long-term disability, and life insurance.
Generous paid time off: vacation (tiered by tenure), sick leave, bereavement, jury duty, and 16 total holidays (12 standard + 4 flexible personal days).
Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, supported by California state benefits and DJDS supplemental pay.