Senior Intern, bizzNEST Design

Temporary, Part-time: 20-25 hours per week

Pay Rate: $20.00 per hour, non-exempt

Benefits: Professional Development and Career Coaching, CA Sick Time Off

Organization size: 50+ employees

Reports to: Design Lead

Location(s): In-person at one of the four Digital NEST Centers: Watsonville, Gilroy, Modesto, or Stockton. This position is not eligible to work remotely.

Age requirements: Internship positions are reserved for young adults ages 18 - 24 years of age.

*The job offer will be contingent upon the successful completion and passing of a background check.

ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW:

Digital NEST is a workforce development center that has welcomed hundreds of youth from communities to develop the technical and professional skills they need to achieve their dreams. Digital NEST operates five centers in the heart of Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy, Modesto, and Stockton. 

JOB OVERVIEW:
bizzNEST is the creative agency of Digital NEST. bizzNEST offers a paid,  1-year internship program that provides real world professional training. Through this program, interns hone and develop their technical and professional skills, gain real professional experience by working with clients, build professional level portfolios and resumes, and become competitively qualified for entry-level, career-focused employment.

bizzNEST is looking for a motivated Senior Intern who can assist with our web design, UX/UI graphic design, and marketing projects. Someone who is a quick learner, collaborative leader and has a passion for this field is a perfect fit for this position. The Senior Intern will work closely under the supervision of the Design Lead to task supervise a small team of general interns on client projects. They will work on creating visually appealing and functional websites and a variety of other projects for web and print applications, using Adobe Suite, WordPress, and Figma. These projects include user research, persona development, journey mapping, wireframes, site structure/ navigation, light website development, visual design (typography, graphics, imagery) and branding. They will be designing for external clients as well as working within the organization as an in-house designer. They will also collaborate across functional teams for projects as needed, including Marketing, Development and Video Production.  

RESPONSIBILITIES:

UX/UI and Web Design (45%):

• Oversee and lead user research and UI/UX design for client projects.
• Organize and lead the creation of sitemaps.
• Oversee and create website concepts with wireframes and mockups.
• Implement changes to the work based on client, staff, and colleague feedback.
• Develop, customize, and maintain WordPress websites, themes, and plugins.
• Ensure websites are responsive and mobile-friendly.
• Design websites using Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator or Adobe Xd.
• Design and develop websites using Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Xd, and WordPress.
• Present designs and provide feedback for others during critique sessions.
• Be aware of and assist with project management & meet deadlines. 
• Task supervise and guide a team of general interns.
• Assist with client meetings and communications.

Graphic Design (25%):

• Be the lead designer in the creation of assets, as assigned.
• Create and/or follow brand guidelines for project consistency.
• Present designs and provide feedback for others during critique sessions.
• Present designs to clients and receive feedback.
• Actively learn and implement the elements and principles of art & design and share knowledge with general interns.
• Rapidly implement changes based on client, staff, and colleague feedback & thoroughly communicate edits during the next client meeting or design presentation.
• Review and understand materials provided by the client and project goals.
• Proactively seek and implement information about design production specifications such as print guidelines and web file types and dimensions for project handoff.
• Meet deadlines, assist with project management & client communications.

Other (30%):

• Log work and progress on project management (PM) software such as Asana and customer relationship management (CRM) software such as Salesforce, if necessary.
• Communicate across-teams through email, chat and in-person.
• Attend meetings and participate in critiques.
• Collaborate with staff members from other departments, as necessary.
• Attend and actively participate in client meetings.
• Participate in applicable certification programs, workshops, and courses for continued skill development. 
• Participate in the Mentorship Program. 
• Seek and participate in professional development activities and share with the intern cohort.
• Support the onboarding process for new interns during seasonal transitions.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: 

• College seniors or recent graduates majoring in Graphic Design, Web Design, Visual / Graphic Communications, Communication Design, Computer Science, Digital Art  or related fields. Self-taught individuals are welcome if they can demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency in web and graphic design.

Technical Skills / Experience: 

• Experience using the Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.
• Basic knowledge of  HTML and CSS. 
• Familiarity with website content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress.
• Background in art, photography, or other creative discipline.

Professional Skills: 

• Demonstrates self-awareness skills to identify and evaluate strengths, biases, and growth areas, and to generate innovative ideas or strategies based on a deep understanding of oneself.
• Takes the initiative to proactively learn, grow, creatively contribute, and take responsibility for one’s contribution to the team.
• Demonstrates strong organizational and time management skills that enhance productivity, efficiency, and goal attainment. Ability to break down projects into manageable tasks, monitor progress, and ensure adherence to quality standards.
• Excellent collaboration and teamwork skills. Uses empathy and communication to collaborate effectively with individuals of diverse personalities, identities, and experiences to achieve common goals.
• Excellent oral, written, and non-verbal communication skills. Employs active listening, tailors communication to different audiences, and can provide and receive constructive feedback.
• Excellent critical thinking skills. Seeks and synthesizes relevant information with curiosity and diligence. Critically analyzes their work, and assesses their work  from the client’s perspective.
• Independent and creative problem solver. Thinks creatively and critically to identify complex problems, assess options, imagine outcomes, offer new solutions, and make strategic decisions.
• Forward thinking and adaptable to change, challenges, and new responsibilities. Sees change as opportunities. 
• Strong leadership skills. Uses personal strengths and interpersonal skills to motivate and guide others toward a shared vision.
• Consistently demonstrates creativity, curiosity, and innovative strategies to developing products and communicating ideas to clients.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Passion for the mission of Digital NEST and belief in upholding organization’s core values.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues of culture/ethnicity/race, gender, sexual identity, class/SES and immigration status. 
• Ability to be an ally to people of color, women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning and intersex individuals and their allies (LGBTQIA).
• Ability to meet the minimum amount of hours required. 
• In-person participation at one of the Digital NEST sites.
• Ability to  to perform essential job functions (such as extended time at a computer).

KEY DATES: 

05/01 - Senior Intern Application Deadline

06/09 - 06/20 - Senior Intern Interviews

08/05 - 08/08 - Senior Intern Orientation Days

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of dedication, impact, and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We want you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for. We also know that diversity of background and thought makes for better problem-solving and more creative thinking, so we're dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Digital NEST, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Digital NEST is committed to an inclusive experience for all applicants and will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations in the interview process, to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.  

Please refer to our career page for more information on how to apply for reasonable accommodations.