Graphic Designer in Alexandria, Virginia at National Association of Convenience Stores

About Us

The leading global trade association dedicated to advancing convenience and fuel retailing, NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is a trusted adviser to retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 152,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, conducts 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $860 billion in 2023. A member-driven organization, NACS has 70-plus employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $60 million.

NACS supports the industry through its media platforms, advocacy efforts, research, events, products & services, and industry initiatives, helping members stay informed and connected. NACS Media is the voice that connects the convenience and fuel retailing industry through various channels, including its award-winning monthly publication NACS Magazine, NACS Daily e-newsletter and other modern media such as its weekly Convenience Matters podcast and Convenience Corner blog. This is where ideas are shared, products are launched, and consumer needs are solved.

NACS also is a hub for cutting-edge research, insightful analysis, innovative educational opportunities and key industry initiatives that aim to advance the future of convenience and fuel retailing, including the NACS Show, one of the largest annual tradeshows in the country; more than a dozen targeted and regional events; 5 executive education programs at ivy-league universities and extensive advocacy to both elected leaders and the general public. Here is more about what it’s like to work at NACS.

Position Overview

We are looking for a talented graphic designer to join our growing, high-performing team. This role is ideal for someone who is motivated, curious, and ready to take on complex, high-impact campaigns.

You should have a flexible style with the ability to adapt to our brand look and feel across our portfolio and always look for the best approach to a creative brief. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage multiple deliverables with ease, and bring creativity and craft to high-volume design work.

In this role, you will help shape, design, and execute visual experiences that not only align with our brand, but truly resonate with our members. You will own day-to-day creative production across print, digital, and motion—delivering scalable, high-quality work while supporting performance-driven marketing across campaigns, social, and paid media.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Creative Execution

• Develop and execute high-quality marketing assets across campaigns, customizing content for various audiences, channels, and segmentation approaches to drive engagement.
• Translate campaign goals and business objectives into compelling visual and experiential designs, with a deep understanding of the visual user journey to create intuitive and engaging event experiences.
• Produce high-impact motion-first content (animated banners, social motion, GIFs), applying testing frameworks and performance learnings to optimize engagement and conversion outcomes across channels.
• Translate brand strategy into polished, production-ready deliverables across formats.
• Iterate and optimize creative based on performance data, A/B testing, and campaign insights
• Support rapid-turnaround creative needs for always-on marketing with speed and precision.
• Partner and collaborate with other creative designers, marketing team and internal stakeholders to execute approved creative efficiently
• Act as a proactive idea generator and self-starter, contributing fresh perspectives and inspiring concepts to the team.
• Experience in interactive and multimedia content creation is highly valued, with a focus on developing immersive and engaging experiences across multiple platforms.

Production & Scalability

• Own project end-to-end, from concept development through final production and delivery.
• Build and maintain scalable templates, toolkits, and design systems.
• Drive speed and scalability through repeatable systems, efficient workflows, and best practices.
• Operate with a highly agile mindset, delivering rapid iterations and same-day adjustments while optimizing campaigns in real time based on performance and market signals.
• Continuously optimize processes to improve turnaround time, consistency, and output quality.

Brand Consistency

• Ensure all creative output aligns with established brand standards, messaging, and tone.
• Maintain a high level of attention to detail and a strong commitment to quality.
• Identify and correct off-brand executions across teams.
• Support the ongoing evolution, application, and governance of brand guidelines.

AI & Innovation

• Embed AI as a core component of all creative workflows, actively leveraging and continuously learning new tools to improve efficiency, elevate output quality, and scale creative production.
• Position AI at the center of the creative process, consistently adopting, testing, and evolving new tools and technologies to enhance efficiency, innovation, and overall design impact.
• Stay current on design, motion, and marketing trends to keep creative fresh, relevant, and competitive.

Requirements:

• 3–6+ years of experience in marketing design (in-house or agency).
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellence across digital, print, and motion.
• Strong typography, layout, and visual storytelling skills.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and motion tools (After Effects or similar).
• Experience building templates and scalable design systems.
• Solid knowledge of print production and prepress.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Experience incorporating AI tools into design and motion workflows.
• Strong attention to detail combined with a natural sense of urgency, ensuring high-quality deliverables while meeting the fast-paced demands and volume of the marketing environment.

NACS Culture

We hugely value, invest in and are devoted to the constructive culture that we’ve built and work on every day at NACS. Almost everything we do requires broad, multi-department collaboration to ideate and execute creative initiatives that deliver compelling value to our members and our industry. What that requires is a relatively flat organizational structure that empowers teammates at different levels from all departments to constructively engage and support each other. Titles really don’t matter in such an organization. What matters is a culture of constructive behaviors that relishes divergent perspectives to craft well thought-out initiatives and then come together to execute them. NACS Values:

The NACS Culture is highly collaborative, and we are better when we are together. NACS is a culture that believes in working together from the office.

Other Pertinent Information

NACS is an Equal Opportunity Employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis. All applicants will be considered for all positions on the basis of qualifications and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, and any other legally protected status.

As the leading global trade association for convenience and fuel retailers, NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve and is a trusted adviser to its retailer and supplier members from more than 50 countries. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 152,000 stores, conducts more than 160 million transactions daily and had sales of $860 billion in 2023. For more information, visit convenience.org. Follow NACS on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.