Graphic Designer

Location: Knoxville (Shelton Group)

Create Work That Inspires Change

Help organizations build a competitive advantage by creating a more sustainable future. As a Graphic Designer, you'll play a key role in shaping how purpose-driven brands connect with their audiences through compelling visual storytelling. This opportunity is ideal for an experienced creative professional who thrives at the intersection of strategy, design, and innovation. You'll collaborate with talented marketers, strategists, writers, and designers to develop impactful campaigns that not only look exceptional but also help solve complex client challenges. If you're energized by bold ideas, thoughtful collaboration, and meaningful work, we'd love to hear from you.

Why This Role Matters?

Great design has the power to influence decisions, shape perceptions, and inspire action. In this role, you'll help bring Shelton Group's creative vision to life by developing visually engaging campaigns that support strategic marketing and advertising objectives. Your work will help organizations communicate their sustainability stories in ways that resonate with audiences and create lasting impact.

This is an opportunity to contribute both creatively and strategically, partnering across teams to develop innovative solutions that deliver results while advancing meaningful environmental and social outcomes.

What Your Impact Is

• Create beautiful, visually surprising, and engaging creative work across multiple platforms and campaigns.
• Develop concepts and visual solutions that align with approved strategic and creative marketing objectives.
• Shape the visual direction of marketing and advertising campaigns from concept through execution.
• Collaborate closely with account management and cross-functional teams to develop and present effective creative solutions.
• Stay current on emerging design trends, cultural shifts, creative tools, and industry best practices to keep work relevant and impactful.
• Contribute to both strategic recommendations and tactical creative execution for client projects.
• Help elevate the agency's creative standards by bringing fresh ideas, thoughtful design, and innovative approaches to every assignment.
• Support the successful delivery of client work in a fast-paced, collaborative agency environment.

What You'll Bring

Required

• An excellent portfolio of design work.
• A seasoned design professional.
• Strong design skills with a commitment to craft and conceptual thinking.
• Experience creating work that is visually surprising, captivating, and memorable.
• Strong marketing and advertising knowledge.
• Effective communication and presentation skills.
• Skilled across both conceptual and technical disciplines.
• Proficiency with digital, print, and social media design.
• Experience making strategic and tactical recommendations for clients.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a variety of creative professionals, including writers and digital designers.
• Strong partnership and teamwork skills within and outside the Creative Department.
• Proficiency with Apple Mac, Adobe Creative Suite, and Microsoft Office.
• A curious mindset with a passion for learning new skills and exploring innovative approaches to design and art direction.
• Authentic, visionary, and thoughtful approach to creative problem-solving.

Preferred

• Agency experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge of digital strategies and best practices, while continuously seeking new ways to engage users.
• Video production or editing experience.
• Prior knowledge of Slack, Monday.com, and Trello.

Key Responsibilities

• Create beautiful, visually surprising, and engaging work.
• Stay current on new trends, cultural shifts, and emerging influences that can inform and strengthen creative output.
• Stay current on creative tools, methods, and best practices for graphic design.
• Develop concepts for projects and campaigns that support approved strategic and creative marketing objectives.
• Work closely with account management to help the creative team present effective marketing solutions to account executives and clients.
• Attend creative input meetings as needed.
• Support creative execution using a variety of software programs and creative tools.
• Help bring the agency's creative vision to life through high-quality visual design.
• Collaborate across departments to strategize, manage, and execute effective creative solutions.
• Manage various aspects of projects, including concept development, design strategy, collaboration, and execution.
• Perform all other duties assigned by a supervisor or otherwise directed by the Company.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

Requires sitting for extended periods of time.

Requires frequent alpha/numeric keyboarding and navigation of standard software programs.

Requires effective and professional communications over the phone and in person.

Requires close vision, including prolonged computer screen use, and the ability to adjust focus.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

The work environment characteristics described are representative of those encountered while performing the essential functions of the role.

Why Join Us?

If you enjoy solving client challenges, thinking strategically, creating exceptional design, and collaborating with talented people who care deeply about their work, you'll find exciting opportunities here. You'll be part of a growing agency where curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning are valued, and where your contributions help shape meaningful outcomes for clients and communities alike.

Please submit a portfolio link or PDF along with your resume.

For the Graphic Designer position, the anticipated annual base pay is $61,600 - $75,700 (USD). Actual pay will depend on factors such as education, experience, skills, location, performance, and business needs. In some cases, pay may fall outside this range. This role may be eligible for bonus paysubject to the sole discretion of ERM and its policies and procedures (casual and fixed term/flex force employees are not bonus eligible).

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off (vacation, sick, and floating holidays), parental leave, medical, dental, vision, life, disability, AD&D insurance, 401(k), and other applicable benefits to eligible employees.

Who We Are

As the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, we partner with the world’s leading organizations, creating innovative solutions to sustainability challenges and unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations.

At ERM we know that creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment is an essential part of making our company a great place to build a career. We also see our diversity as a strength that helps us create better solutions for our clients. Our diverse team of world-class experts supports clients across the breadth of their organizations to operationalize sustainability, underpinned by our deep technical expertise in addressing their environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues.

We call this capability our “boots to boardroom” approach for its comprehensive service model that allows ERM to develop strategic and technical solutions that advance objectives on the ground or at the executive level.

Please submit your resume and brief cover letter.

ERM does not accept recruiting agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, ERM employees or any other company location. ERM is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

ERM is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Thank you for your interest in ERM!

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Additional Locations: Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Charlotte, North Carolina, Walnut Creek, California, Houston, Texas, Manhattan, New York, Washington, DC