Jr. Graphic Designer in Costa Mesa, California at El Pollo Loco

At El Pollo Loco, we are on a mission to be the nations leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant. When it

comes to our people, we are all about growth. Whether that means specialized training, a clearly laid out career trajectory or collaborating cross-functionally, we are committed to the success of our people the same way weve been committed to the success of the El Pollo Loco brand for the last 50 years. In fact, we see you as our secret ingredient. While our chicken is fire, its our people who set us ablaze.

Our restaurants are only the tip of the flame! If youre looking for an innovative, winning, and welcoming workplace, then a flamin good career in our Restaurant Support Center is right for you.

At our Support Center, we believe our best work is done Together, when departments collaborate and

everyone is confident in contributing their ideas. This is why we are in the office 3 days per week.

Lets Get Loco!

Whats in it for you!

• STRONG office culture recognized as a Great Place to Work and driven by our core values: Simple. Together. Relentless. Ownership. Nimble. Growth
• Career growth opportunities
• Competitive pay and bonus potential
• Medical + Dental +Vision Insurance + HSA Savings Account
• 401(K) Retirement
• Plan with company match and immediate vesting
• Paid Vacation + Sick Pay + 12 Paid Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free El Pollo Loco food + restaurant discounts
• PerkSpot discounts program

Position Purpose

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Junior Graphic Designer to join our Marketing team. The Junior Graphic Designer will lead day-to-day production design across digital web, in-store kiosk ordering, and social platforms, and will collaborate on in-restaurant POP merchandising and large scale marketing campaigns from concept through delivery. This role will exercise independent judgment and discretion in the creation of original visual content for social media, field marketing initiatives, and test merchandising campaigns. The ideal candidate has a meticulous eye for detail, takes pride in producing clean, on-brand work at high volume, and brings a coachable, team-first attitude.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Social Content Design 20% of time

Independently conceive, design, and produce original visual content for social platforms, including animated posts, story templates, reels, and short-form graphics.

Exercise independent creative judgment in adapting brand voice and visual identity to platform-native formats (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and other emerging platforms).

Develop and recommend design approaches for social campaign rollouts and provide creative direction on platform best practices.

Field Marketing Design Support 30% of time

Independently design and develop creative for field marketing

initiatives, including localized promotional materials, regional campaigns, and

franchisee support materials.

Work directly with field marketing partners to develop on-brand materials that meet

specific market or location needs, exercising independent judgment on creative direction.

Adapt national campaign creative to local field marketing requirements, applying brand standards while accommodating regional considerations.

Manage timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder feedback for field marketing projects

with minimal supervision.

Test Merchandising Campaign Design 20% of time

Develop original creative concepts for test merchandising campaigns, including in-restaurant point-of-purchase materials, signage, and merchandising.

Iterate on designs based on test results and provide creative recommendations for broader rollout.

Exercise independent creative judgment in evaluating design effectiveness across test

conditions and adapting approaches accordingly.

Attend photoshoots to learn and contribute to the production workflow; independently build post-shoot POP collateral from photographed assets.

Production Design 30% of time

Produces and adapts creative assets across multiple formats, including digital, print, social, and experiential, ensuring files are accurate and organized, while ensuring brand consistency and on-time delivery.

Resize, adapt, and prepare existing campaign creative for digital web, in-store kiosk

ordering screens, and other production destinations.

Maintain the brand asset library, including templates, file naming conventions, and

version control.

Execute production-ready creative based on established creative direction from senior

designers and outside agencies.

Provide technical execution recommendations on file craft, color management, and output

specifications across digital, print, and in-restaurant kiosk channels.

Other Duties

Collaborate with internal stakeholders including marketing, social, field marketing, and senior design to execute cohesive campaigns across all channels on schedule.

Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, prioritizing deadlines effectively across concurrent campaigns and product launches.

Stay informed about advancements in AI design tools (Adobe Firefly, generative fill, batch resizing) and apply them across all categories of work to streamline output and quality.

Other activities, duties, or responsibilities that are assigned by your supervisor.

Qualifications Education, Experience, License/Certifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. The requirements listed below are representative of the education and/or experience required.

Education/Work Experience

BA/BS degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or related field, or equivalent demonstrated production design experience. 2+ years of production-focused design experience preferred candidates with a strong portfolio demonstrating production-quality output and craft will be considered without the full two years. Experience in restaurant, retail, e-commerce, or multi-unit concepts with frequent product launches and concurrent campaigns is preferred. Food, restaurant, or QSR (quick-service restaurant) experience is a plus but not required. Candidates with more senior

experience are welcome, provided they are excited about owning hands-on production work.

License/Certifications

Possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, with particular depth in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Experience producing creative across traditional, print, digital, animation, video, and photography channels.

Strong understanding of typography, layout, color theory, and brand systems.

Awareness of output specifications across destinations, including DPI/resolution differences for kiosk, web, social, and print/POP, and RGB vs. CMYK color management.

Detail-oriented with pride in shipping clean, on-brand work at high volume.

Coachable, low-ego, and proactive comfortable taking direction, asking thoughtful

questions, and producing the day-to-day production work that keeps the creative team moving, including the less glamorous, high-volume jobs.

Strong file organization, naming conventions, and version control habits.

Ability to effectively communicate with internal stakeholders and outside agencies.

Ability to prioritize and plan work assignments and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.

Ability to customarily and regularly exercise independent judgment and discretion in

the creation of original creative content, the evaluation of design effectiveness, and the adaptation of campaign concepts to social, field marketing, and test merchandising contexts.

Working knowledge of or demonstrated interest in After Effects and Premiere Pro for social motion graphics and short-form video editing is a plus.

Experience with AI design technologies and their application in production workflows is a plus.

Must be willing and able to travel locally within Southern California to photoshoots and restaurant locations, and to out-of-state locations as needed, by car or airplane.

Our Company

In 1980 the first American

El Pollo Loco opened on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles, quickly becoming a

destination for the best citrus-marinated, fire-grilled pollo in town. Over the

past four decades, El Pollo Loco has grown into more than 500 restaurants

across 9 states, becoming an L.A. mainstay and cultural benchmark along the

way. Today, we continue to work just as hard to always provide our customers

with Quality Chicken. Fast. Easy. Affordable.

The pay range identified is the hourly or salary rate El Pollo Loco expects to pay for the posted position. This range does not include any benefits or bonus opportunities that might be

available for the position based on position and eligibility criteria. At El Pollo Loco, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range. Individual pay decisions will vary based on a variety of factors including years of experience, industry experience, education, geography, etc.

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