Senior Graphic Design Assistant

February 22, 2026

H (no hardship)

FamilyFamily

GS5

General Service

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-03-02

Senior Graphic Design Assistant

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Senior Graphic Design Assistant supports with creative design for use across UNHCR products. This may include graphic design for print and layout production, infographics, interactive creative, animations, social media and multimedia (video and motion graphics), wireframes, user interface design and prototypes. The role is normally supervised by a Design Officer, Communications Officer or as decided by the senior management in the area of responsibility. The supervisor provides the incumbent with regular guidance. The incumbent maintains regular internal contacts with the communications units at bureau, field, and HQ levels, as well as with the Web & Design, Photo, Social Media, and other teams within the Global Communications Service/Creative Services Section. It also engages externally with designers in other UN agencies and with creative/design agencies and consultants.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

• Support in the development of engaging visual products for use across a range of audiences, channels and devices.

• Follow UNHCR brand and visual identity to design, create and execute all products requested.

• Assist in designing and developing offline and digital assets for campaigns and awareness building (ads, banners, displays, postcards, eBoards, social media visuals etc.) as well as for institutional communication and events (posters, exhibits, programmes, season's greeting cards, etc.).

• Apply graphic arts communication and production methods as required by the assignment.

• Support the assessment of design requests and capture brief to decide upon delivery of best creative product.

• Assist with look and feel of design projects to meet the defined project objectives within time and budget.

• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).

• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For G5 - 2 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 1 year relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher

Field(s) of Education

Not applicable.

Certificates and/or Licenses

International Relations;      Journalism;          Graphic Design;                

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Some work experience relevant to the position. Excellent visual design skills and use of design software.

Desirable

Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to the functions of the position.

Functional Skills

CO-Digital content production

CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, photography, video, layout & graphics)

CO-Social Media Publishing/Monitoring/Marketing tools

IT-Web Application Development

CO-Media monitoring and analysis

CO-Photojournalism, photo editing (Photoshop)

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Not specified.

Cross-Functional Competencies

Innovation and Creativity

Technological Awareness

Planning & Organizing

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

The candidate requires a strong design portfolio across a variety of projects and devices, demonstrating design skills and professional experience in visual design, branding and layout, user interface design and information architecture, visual communications, media design, system design or related – and have proven experience in translating complex ideas into clear visuals.

The candidate must have a good understanding of creative development processes with a user-centric approach and be able to tailor creative concepts to meet diverse target audiences. The candidate must have experience designing for various platforms, offline and online, including for the web and social media.

The candidate must have experience in the use of photography and understanding of visual narrative and image guidelines, including photography ethics. The candidate must have fluency in best practices for UI/UX design, including design for mobile and accessibility, and a good understanding of AI tools for visual production.

The candidate must be a highly organized, able to prioritize, think creatively and analytically, and have careful attention to details, pixel perfection and visual form. They will have strong interpersonal and communication skills, with good judgement, flexibility and the ability to communicate designs effectively with stakeholders. They will have excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities.

The candidate must have strong knowledge of design tools, including the Adobe Creative Cloud products, Canva and Figma.

English

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Senior Graphic Design Assistant will be based in Madrid, Spain, and operate within the Creative Services Section of the Global Communications Service (GCS), which sits in the Division of External Relations (DER).

 

The Senior Graphic Design Assistant is critical to ensuring high quality visual impact for UNHCR communication products. The post is supervised by the Digital Design Officer and is responsible for the production of creative assets to be used for digital and offline purposes.

 

The role delivers creative design for use across UNHCR products. This may include graphic design for print and layout production, infographics, interactive creative, animations, social media and multimedia (video and motion graphics), wireframes, user interface design and prototypes.

 

The role closely follows UNHCR brand and visual identity to design, create and execute all products requested. The role supports in the development of engaging visual products for use across a range of audiences, channels and devices, and assists in designing and developing offline and digital assets for campaigns and awareness building (ads, banners, displays, postcards, eBoards, social media visuals etc.) as well as for institutional communication and events (posters, exhibits, programmes, season's greeting cards, etc.).

 

The incumbent supports the assessment of design requests and captures brief to decide upon delivery of best creative product, and assists with look and feel of design projects to meet the defined project objectives within time and budget. The incumbent helps develop UNHCR’s visual identity and answers design-based enquiries on use of UNHCR brand.

 

Living and working conditions:

This position is located in Madrid. Living and working conditions are consistent with an H-level duty station.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

CO-Digital content production, CO-Journalism (incl. print, broadcast, photography, video, layout & graphics), CO-Media monitoring and analysis, CO-Photojournalism, photo editing (Photoshop), CO-Social Media Publishing/Monitoring/Marketing tools, IT-Web Application Development

Certifications

Graphic Design - Other, International Relations - Other, Journalism - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Innovation & creativity, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration, Technological awareness

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance