About Launch Tennessee
Launch Tennessee is a 501c3 nonprofit organization building an ecosystem of support for every startup and investor in Tennessee. As a public-private partnership, we are uniquely positioned to provide direct investment, while also supporting collaboration among founders, investors, researchers, private sector institutions, and government. We foster entrepreneurship, technology advancement, and workforce development by providing capital access, commercialization support, and connections.

Our core values are:

Don’t just think outside the box; break it.
Go further through collaboration.
Be driven to serve.
Be accessible and inclusive always.
Put people first in everything we do.
Life is too short not to love what you do.
We make it happen.

Position overview:

This position serves as design and branding lead for Launch Tennessee as an organization as well as its robust roster of statewide networks, programs, and events.

Effectively serving as an in-house design department of one, this role is responsible for development, production, and rollout of all creative materials, ranging from:

logos and branding systems of all sizes and scopes to informational and promotional assets for owned, earned, and paid media (notably socials, email, website, original digital/video content)
print materials (ranging from a 40+ page bound organizational annual report to program collateral, promotional postcards and seasonal cards, and sponsorship and partnership engagement resources)
expansive creative identities and large-scale decor and merch for events (stage signage, building wraps, branded swag, badges and credentials, etc).

LaunchTN’s marketing strategy is focused on supporting awareness of and engagement with our mission and programs, as well as key stakeholders and partners, and aims to achieve the organization’s strategic priorities and objectives.

Roles and responsibilities:

Serve as Launch Tennessee’s in-house creative resource, bolstering the larger organization and all events, programs, and partners. Specifically, ideating, developing, producing, versioning, and delivering all brand guides, materials, files, and assets, and fulfilling all incoming requests, projects, and needs. Collaborate with VP of Marketing & Communications as well as the CEO and senior leadership team on strategy, initial ideation, and creative development.
Own design portion of all marketing and communications activities, including multi-platform media campaigns; owned and original content initiatives; event production including signature programs like annual 3686 entrepreneur conference, InvestTN Summit, multi-day SXSW activation the Tennessee House, and more; and LaunchTN Capital, Commercialization, and Development programs and projects, including InvestTN, Catalyst Circle, and Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium.
Sustain and build on the existing organizational branding system and brand hierarchy to strategically align new initiatives and projects with established identity. Explore new ideas and fresh ways to expand creative systems, engage audiences, and communicate across platforms.
Build, update, and expand organization’s portfolio of websites and digital properties, from refreshing existing content with updated content, graphics, or palettes to creating entirely original pages and new functionality for maximum communication impact
Produce high-impact presentations for internal and external events, from quarterly Board meetings to master decks cohesively combining submitted pitch slides from partners and constituents. Mostly using existing deck templates and polishing and fine-tuning as necessary.
Build on organization’s reputation for cool and in-demand branded merch to generate creative ideas for dynamic swag items that break out of nonprofit clutter for broad reach and impact
Assist VP of Marketing & Communications with coordinating content capture and media production plans, including quarterly pop-up video studios at major gatherings, as well as on-site photography and video filming crews. Serve as organization’s in-house art director for consistent visual presentation.
Serve as an established category expert to assist and offer recommendations to organizational network of partners, including regional entrepreneur centers, industry partners, investment portfolio companies, Board of Directors members, and other stakeholders across footprint
Regular day/overnight travel within the state may be required to support programs and initiatives, as well as occasional air travel for multi-day out-of-state events i.e. SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Requirements and expectations:

Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a hands-on, consumer-facing design and creative role supporting an established and visible B2B and B2C organizational brand, including history working independently and juggling multiple projects and platforms as well as competing deadlines at once.
Ability to create/follow and communicate clear brand guidelines and maintain visual consistency, impact, and appropriateness across all deliverables. Experience working with established organizational brand systems and within inherited brand guidelines a must, as well as strategic and creative mind to expand identities to serve new needs
Passionate and innovative, finds inspiration everywhere, able to produce readily-deployable work that feels fresh and exciting (infused with startup mentality) while avoiding stale rinse-and-repeat model
Web design and production familiarity and know-how, including working with WordPress (and other CMS), user experience, responsive design, and mobile web design
Experience building and delivering large-scale print files for venue decor (building wraps, wall/window clings, stair treads)
Deep familiarity using full Google and Adobe Creative suites. Enhanced photo editing, motion design, animation, video editing, digital illustration skills a plus
Experience with diverse sponsor relations and partner fulfillment, tracking deliverables, and receiving & responding to notes
Exceptional attention to detail – including spelling, punctuation, and impact of messaging – and ongoing delivery timelines. Able to simultaneously focus on the minutiae without losing sight of how individual smaller pieces ladder up to larger projects and initiatives. Eye to larger creative and communication trends.
Cool, calm, and collected in the midst of chaotic situations; doesn’t get flustered, able to triage multiple things in real-time and focus on solving problems to ensure high-quality outcomes and results
Lean-forward, hands-on team player with a ‘no job too big or too small’ attitude and all-hands-on-deck mindset. Service-oriented with a genuine interest in working for a nonprofit organization.
Comfort with high-performing small teams, open-plan office with scrappy startup energy
Enjoys collaboration & building consensus with team, colleagues, and stakeholders. Decisive and able to operate independently and follow an agreed-upon game plan
Acts as an ambassador for state of Tennessee, building awareness of innovation ecosystem and support for startups and entrepreneurs
This is a full-time position. Business hours are generally Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a minimum of at least three full days in-office. LaunchTN values work-life balance but evening and weekend work may be required as a part of occasional organization-wide events.

Note: as part of the application process for this role, there will be a modest practical assignment for final candidates to complete to demonstrate their design skills and how they approach creative problem solving. In recognition of time spent completing this work, candidates will be eligible to receive a small stipend upon submission, regardless of ultimate hiring.

What success looks like:

1 month: Settle in role, comfortable with organization’s mission, programs, and upcoming calendar. Start actively contributing to priority projects and incoming requests, connecting with established and preferred vendors. Become fully fluent with organization storage and shared drives.
3 months: Working independently and collaborating with team lead on in-depth plans for annual tentpoles and major programs. Smoothly producing creative assets to-spec and juggling concurrent demands.
6 months: Successfully juggling multiple real-time projects simultaneously and actively planning for upcoming initiatives. Able to solve creative problems and optimize in real time, as well as offer critical analysis afterwards. Established relationships with team, leadership, external partners, and vendors.

To apply, follow this link.

Launch Tennessee is an equal opportunity employer.

Apply now

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LaunchTN initiatives to promote entrepreneurship, technology advancement, capital formation and workforce development are funded through a grant contract with the State of Tennessee.

1321 6th Ave N., Nashville, TN 37208 615.991.2809 | info@launchtn.org