Senior Designer & Illustrator (Future Opportunity)

ICF•Reston, VA

3d•Remote

About The Position

This role is contingent upon contract award. While not an immediate opening, we are actively interviewing and may extend offers in anticipation of the award, with start dates dependent upon contract finalization. You bring humanity to the work. You understand that illustration is not decoration. It shapes tone, emotion, personality, and meaning. In a world increasingly filled with generated content, you know how to create work with authorship, personality, and a clear visual point of view. You think like both a designer and an illustrator. You understand systems, composition, storytelling, and how images work across experiences and formats. You know when an idea needs clarity, when it needs emotion, and when it needs a distinct point of view. You care deeply about craft. Line, texture, shape, rhythm, gesture, composition. You understand how small decisions give work specificity and emotional weight. You move comfortably between conceptual thinking and execution. Sometimes building fully illustrated systems. Sometimes creating a single image or moment that gives the work its identity. The work spans campaigns, digital experiences, content, and brand systems. It needs to hold together across channels, audiences, and formats. The expectations are high. ICF Next brings together strategy, creativity, data, and technology to solve real problems. We work with organizations facing complex challenges across energy, public health, climate, and more. The work is not just about communication. It is about helping people understand, engage, and take action. Our teams build integrated campaigns and experiences that connect with people and hold together across channels. The work needs to be clear, useful, and built to perform. If it does not resonate, it does not work.

Requirements

7 + years of experience in design, illustration, or a related creative discipline
A portfolio that demonstrates strong craft, conceptual thinking, and visual storytelling
Deep understanding of composition, typography, color, and visual hierarchy
Experience contributing to campaigns, visual systems, or brand identities across multiple formats
Strong illustration skills with the ability to work across styles while maintaining a clear point of view
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and contemporary creative tools
Strong collaboration and communication skills

Nice To Haves

Strong attention to detail and consistency
Ability to push ideas beyond the expected solution
Curiosity about culture, storytelling, and visual communication
Comfort working collaboratively across disciplines
Ability to balance expressive craft with strategic objectives
Confidence giving and receiving feedback in a creative environment

Responsibilities

Develop original visual approaches for campaigns, brands, and experiences
Create illustration systems and assets across digital, social, content, and brand environments
Contribute to concept development from the beginning of the creative process
Build compositions and visual systems that balance clarity, emotion, and craft
Partner closely with writers, strategists, designers, and art directors to shape ideas
Help define how illustration, typography, image, and motion work together across experiences
Present work with clear rationale and creative confidence
Maintain a high level of craft across multiple projects and timelines