Job Description

Ascension is a leading Catholic media and publishing company. Our app reaches millions of Catholics through programs like Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz, and we’re planning a new print periodical to deepen Catholics’ prayer lives and lead them to encounter Christ. We’re hiring a designer to help bring this all together visually.

You'll start by doing a lot of the work yourself — applying Ascension's visual system to the periodical and the app, and figuring out how to scale it across hundreds of surfaces without it ever feeling tired or repetitive. As our output grows, you'll start directing the work of freelance designers to multiply your reach. This is a role for someone who wants to take a strong visual foundation and run with it. You’ll report directly to the Director of App & Communications. Don’t count yourself out even if you’re fairly new to design—we try hard to evaluate potential alongside experience. Part of the final interview round for this role may involve a small (paid) project.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design visual assets for a print periodical — illustrations, pull quotes, section openers, and other graphic elements.
• Create graphics for the Ascension app — thumbnails, featured images, promotional art, and other visual content that lives within the app experience.
• Maintain a consistent, compelling visual identity across both print and digital contexts.
• As the role matures, take on art direction responsibilities — briefing, reviewing, and guiding the work of freelance graphic designers.
• Build and manage a reliable roster of freelance design talent to handle high-volume app asset needs.
• Contribute to the evolution of Ascension’s visual brand standards and help champion them across the organization.

Requirements

• Strong portfolio — we care far more about what you’ve made than where you went to school or how long you’ve been doing it.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and/or Figma.
• Sharp eye for typography, composition, and visual hierarchy.
• You can see how a strong visual idea gets applied a thousand times without going stale, and you enjoy that puzzle.
• Ability to work across both print and digital contexts
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills; you’ll be juggling a lot.
• Growth mindset around creative direction — you may not have managed freelancers before, but you can already look at a piece of work and articulate what's working, what's not, and what would make it better.
• Your passion and pace energize the people around you and raise the standard of whatever team you’re part of.
• Deep understanding of and sincere love for the Catholic faith.
• Exemplify and live our core values of humility, passion, and integrity.
• The ability to occasionally travel to Ascension’s headquarters in Exton, PA, is required.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Work From Home
• Wellness Resources