Communications Designer

Unknown Nations; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance (

HSA

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Short-term disability

Life insurance

Cell phone reimbursement

401(k) match after 1 year

Job summary

Unknown Nations is seeking a highly creative communicator who is passionate about design and storytelling. This role merges visual design with written messaging to craft donor communications, digital campaigns, and marketing pieces that inspire engagement with God's mission.

You will own projects from concept through execution, shaping both what people see and read, with emphasis on typography, layout, and compelling headlines.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional graphic design experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating digital and print work.
• Professional writing experience with marketing, fundraising, journalism, communications, or brand storytelling.
• Excellent typography and layout skills.
• Strong understanding of brand guides.
• Ability to write persuasive, emotionally compelling copy.
• High attention to detail.
• Excellent organization and time management.
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Must have a personal commitment to the mission and values of Unknown Nations.

Responsibilities

• Create print collateral including brochures, reports, event materials, and direct mail.
• Design digital pieces including emails, landing pages, and social posts.
• Write website copy.
• Develop marketing headlines and calls to action.
• Edit and proofread organizational communications.
• Maintain consistency of brand voice.
• Help tell stories from the field in compelling and donor-centered ways.

Skills

Graphic design

Portfolio development

Professional writing

Typography

Layout skills

Brand knowledge

Copywriting

Time management

Communication

Collaboration

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Lightroom

Figma

Microsoft Office

Google Workspace

Job description

Unknown Nations is seeking a highly creative communicator who is equally passionate about exceptional design and compelling storytelling.

This role is unique. We are not simply looking for a graphic designer, nor are we simply looking for a writer. We are looking for someone who understands how powerful communication happens when visual design and written messaging work together.

You will create donor communications, digital campaigns, print materials, fundraising pieces, website experiences, social media content, and marketing campaigns that inspire people to engage in God's mission among the world's least-reached people.

You should enjoy owning projects from concept through execution—helping shape both what people see and what they read.

If you love great typography, thoughtful layouts, compelling headlines, and writing that moves people to action, we'd love to meet you.

Responsibilities:

Creative Design

• Create print collateral including brochures, reports, event materials, and direct mail
• Design digital pieces including emails, landing pages, and social posts
• Write website copy
• Develop marketing headlines and calls to action
• Edit and proofread organizational communications
• Maintain consistency of brand voice
• Help tell stories from the field in compelling and donor-centered ways

Qualifications Required

• 5+ years of professional graphic design experience
• Strong portfolio demonstrating digital and print work
• Professional writing experience with marketing, fundraising, journalism, communications, or brand storytelling
• Excellent typography and layout skills
• Strong understanding of brand guides
• Ability to write persuasive, emotionally compelling copy
• High attention to detail
• Excellent organization and time management
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Must have a personal commitment to the mission and values of Unknown Nations

Preferred Experience

Experience Designing:

• Annual reports
• Direct mail
• Website UX/UI
• Brand systems

Experience writing:

• Marketing campaigns
• Donor communications
• Brand messaging
• Website copy
• Storytelling

Software

Preferred proficiency in:

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• InDesign
• Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Lightroom
• Figma
• Microsoft Office
• Google Workspace

Experience with CMS platforms and email marketing software is a plus.

Characteristics

The ideal candidate:

• Thinks like a communicator, not just a designer
• Loves solving communication problems
• Can switch comfortably between writing and designing
• Takes initiative
• Welcomes constructive feedback
• Enjoys collaborating with others
• Values continual learning
• Has a servant-hearted attitude
• Can work independently with minimal supervision
• Understands how design influences emotion and decision-making
• Cares deeply about creating work that is both beautiful and effective

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with:

• Faith-based organizations
• Photography
• Video editing or motion graphics

Pay

• This is a full-time, exempt salaried position: $50,000-54,000.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance (Employer pays 75%) with HSA, paid time off, paid holidays, short-term disability and life insurance, cell phone reimbursement, 401(k) match after 1 year.

Imagine . .

You are a follower of Jesus and have the opportunity to impact the nations of the earth in a similar fashion that the printing press did for the Protestant Reformation. Every day your life becomes a fulfillment of Jesus’ final teaching to his disciples, the Great Commission!

You are joining a team that provides historic, first-time access to the Good News for thousands of individuals, families and villages that have never heard of Jesus.

You are mobilizing and providing an on-ramp for the 99% of Christians who, until now, have no expression of “ends of the Earth” in their life - an area that every believer is called to have personal involvement.

Unknown Nations

We are a Christian ministry based in Grand Rapids, MI, that started in 1994 with a passion to see people in the developing world have an opportunity to become disciples of Jesus. As we learned that more than 3 billion people live in areas without access to the Good News, our hearts were broken. From that moment, God led us to pour all our efforts and resources into that initiative, reaching the unreached, and it became our calling as an organization!

When we understood that more than 80% of the population that has never heard the gospel are also oral learners (prefer to learn in a non-literate way) it required us to use an appropriate tool. Our solar powered audio bible, the Treasure, is available in more than 4,000 languages. Our listening group model is dynamic and nurtures long‑term discipleship making.

As we minister to millions of people overseas in the 10/40 window (location where unreached people live) we invite local Christians to join in this amazing opportunity. Since most American believers are not participating in ‘the ends of the Earth’ ministry, we find great fulfillment in offering our very tangible ministry model. Reaching those who are unreached and mobilizing the church in America in strategic international missions is what we are all about!

Our culture is characterized as:

• Highly valuing the Word and prayer.
• Being growth-minded
• Living in community and loving each other.
• Being focused on our vision.
• High standards and hard work.

Our MissionTo reach the unknown nations at the ends of the Earth—completing the last four words of Jesus’ calling.

The ends of the Earth are not the most distant places geographically. They are the most distant places spiritually. They are the most zero‑access, barrier‑ridden, spiritually antagonistic, spoken‑word reliant people groups on the planet. Unknown Nations exists to give birth to the Church in impossible places. We achieve this through our three strategic initiatives of creating access to God's Word, targeted humanitarian projects, and discipleship training.

Unknown Nations works with indigenous missionaries to reach barrier‑ridden people groups with the Bible. We provide humanitarian relief, plant churches, and distribute audio Bibles in areaswith a 0.00–0.02 gospel presence where Jesus is completely unknown. We’re changing lives and bringing hope.