Art Director 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 seeking a talented Art Designer who is a lover of design, brands and people.

As Art Director, you will lead the visual expression of the NACS brand across digital, social, web, events, and marketing collateral. You will tackle dynamic brand and creative opportunities with strong strategic thinking and exceptional design execution—always keeping the target audience at the center of your work.

This is a highly visible, manager-level role for a creative leader who combines refined design sensibility with cross-functional collaboration. You will partner closely with the Creative Director and marketing leadership to drive brand clarity, consistency, and innovation—creating meaningful impact for NACS growth and its members.

This role requires both strategic vision and hands-on execution, along with the ability to integrate modern tools, including AI, into scalable creative workflows.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership & Strategy

• Partner with the Creative Director and marketing leads to shape and execute high-impact creative aligned with business goals.
• Lead concept development from ideation through execution—brainstorming, pitching, and translating strategy into compelling visual ideas.
• Direct end-to-end event marketing campaigns with a strong understanding of the full workflow, from strategy and creative development to production and post-event analysis, ensuring cohesive and impactful execution across all touchpoints.
• Experience in trade show and exhibition design, creating impactful booth environments and branded experiences that attract, engage, and convert audiences.
• Translate campaign goals into compelling visual and experiential designs, with a deep understanding of the visual user journey to create intuitive and engaging event experiences, while developing scalable campaign theme guidelines and design systems for consistent use by internal teams and external partners.
• Manage and collaborate closely with event vendors, agencies, and cross-functional teams, aligning on timelines, budgets, and deliverables to ensure high-quality execution and seamless event experiences.
• Ensure all creative work is audience-focused, insight-driven, and aligned with brand positioning.
• Present design concepts in a clear and concise manner to stakeholders.

Brand System & Visual Direction

• Collaborate on the development and ongoing evolution of the NACS brand system, ensuring clarity, flexibility, and scalability.
• Maintain and elevate visual consistency across all touchpoints in all channels—digital, campaigns, events, and partnerships.
• Define and uphold a high bar for design quality, sophistication, and brand expression.

Design Execution

• Create visually distinctive assets across multiple channels, including web, social, campaigns, presentations, and marketing collateral.
• Design engaging digital experiences across web, mobile, and social platforms.
• Extend and enhance existing design systems to support scalable execution.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Mentor and guide designers by providing direction, feedback, and creative support across projects.
• As the role evolves, take on management responsibilities, including mentoring, coaching, and overseeing designers.
• Oversee day-to-day creative output to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with strategy.
• Drive continuous improvement across all creative assets through iterative design, A/B testing, and optimizing engagement and conversion while ensuring all deliverables meet brand, user experience, and campaign objectives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing, editorial, events, and digital teams to align creative strategy with campaign goals.
• Act as a key creative partner across departments, bringing clarity and cohesion to complex initiatives.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution.

Innovation & Growth

• Stay current with industry trends, design best practices, and emerging technologies.
• Embed AI as a core component of all creative workflows, actively leveraging and continuously learning new tools to drive efficiency, elevating 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.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of processes, systems, and team capabilities.

Requirements:

• 8–10+ years of experience in brand, visual, or campaign design (agency or in-house).
• Proven experience building and scaling brand design systems.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, brand identity, and motion design.
• Experience creating toolkits and documentation for scalable, consistent execution.
• Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite (including After Effects or similar).
• Experience incorporating AI tools into design and motion workflows.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration experience with marketing, product, and external partners.
• Strong commitment to quality and brand consistency.
• Understanding of performance marketing principles (A/B testing, audience targeting, creative optimization).
• Experience in interactive and multimedia content creation is highly valued, with a focus on developing immersive and engaging experiences across multiple platforms.
• Strong attention to detail combined with a natural sense of urgency, ensuring high-quality deliverables while meeting the fast-paced demands 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.