Ascension is seeking an experienced Video & Graphic Design Specialist to provide on-demand multimedia production and visual communications support for public-sector strategic communications initiatives.

The ideal candidate is a multidisciplinary creative professional who can take a communications concept from initial idea through final production—developing creative concepts and storyboards, supporting scripts, capturing professional-quality video and audio, editing footage, creating motion graphics, developing print and digital graphics, and packaging finished products for use across multiple communications channels.

This position is particularly important to helping Montgomery Planning communicate complex planning, land-use, community engagement, and public-information topics in ways that are clear, engaging, accessible, visually compelling, and meaningful to diverse audiences.

The successful candidate will be comfortable balancing creative quality with public-sector requirements, brand standards, accessibility requirements, tight deadlines, and multiple stakeholder reviews. Candidates should be self-driven, highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of moving work forward with limited supervision while anticipating production challenges and recommending practical solutions.

This is an excellent fit for an experienced creative professional who enjoys translating complex information into compelling visual stories and can move fluidly between video production, post-production, graphic design, and accessible digital content.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Video & Graphic Design Specialist will support Ascension and its project team in developing multimedia and graphic communications products for Montgomery Planning and potentially other M-NCPPC divisions or units.

The specialist will support the entire multimedia production lifecycle, including creative development, pre-production planning, storyboarding, script refinement, field production, B-roll capture, audio recording, video editing, animation, motion graphics, captioning, transcription, accessibility, and final production.

The contractor will also create visual communications products such as reports, fact sheets, maps, infographics, presentation materials, social media graphics, advertising campaign collateral, and reusable templates.

Because Montgomery Planning communicates with residents, community organizations, partner agencies, elected officials, media, and other stakeholders, the specialist must understand how to create products that are visually effective without sacrificing accuracy, accessibility, plain-language communication, cultural awareness, or consistency with established brand standards.

The contractor will be expected to independently manage assigned creative work, organize source materials and project assets, incorporate stakeholder feedback efficiently, maintain version control, document usage and intellectual property rights, and deliver publication-ready products within task-order schedules.

Position’s Day-to-Day / Task-Order Activities

The Video & Graphic Design Specialist will:

• DEVELOP creative concepts, treatments, visual approaches, storyboards, shot lists, and production plans for multimedia assignments.
• COLLABORATE with communications strategists, project managers, subject matter experts, writers, researchers, and client stakeholders to translate communications objectives into visual products.
• DRAFT and REFINE video scripts, narration, interview questions, on-screen text, calls to action, and supporting visual concepts.
• PLAN field production activities, including shooting schedules, locations, equipment requirements, interviews, B-roll requirements, releases, and production logistics.
• CAPTURE professional-quality video footage, interviews, B-roll, ambient sound, and supporting audio in field and event environments.
• RECORD clean, intelligible audio using appropriate microphones, field recorders, monitoring equipment, and production techniques.
• EDIT video and audio content into polished products appropriate for web, social media, presentations, public meetings, educational programming, and outreach campaigns.
• CREATE motion graphics, animated titles, lower-thirds, transitions, data visualizations, and other graphical elements supporting effective storytelling.
• DESIGN reports, fact sheets, maps, infographics, social media graphics, advertisements, presentation materials, outreach collateral, and other communications products.
• DEVELOP reusable templates for social media, presentations, reports, print products, and other recurring communications needs.
• APPLY Montgomery Planning and project-specific branding guidelines consistently across multimedia and graphic products.
• PRODUCE captions, transcripts, alternative text, and other accessibility features for multimedia products.
• VERIFY that assigned deliverables comply with applicable ADA accessibility requirements, WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines, and Revised Section 508 Standards.
• REMEDIATE graphics, presentations, PDFs, and other visual communications products as necessary to improve accessibility.
• PERFORM quality-control reviews addressing visual consistency, audio quality, typography, color contrast, spelling, formatting, accessibility, technical specifications, and brand compliance.
• INCORPORATE client and project-team feedback while protecting design integrity and maintaining production schedules.
• ADAPT creative materials into multiple formats, dimensions, resolutions, platforms, and distribution channels.
• PREPARE digital assets optimized for websites, social platforms, presentations, email communications, print production, and advertising campaigns.
• MAINTAIN organized project folders, source files, working files, final products, fonts, imagery, audio, video footage, templates, and supporting production assets.
• TRACK stock photography, music, video, fonts, illustrations, licenses, permissions, releases, and other intellectual-property or usage rights associated with produced materials.
• DELIVER editable source files, final production files, rights documentation, and organized asset packages at project closeout.
• COORDINATE multiple assignments and priorities while meeting accelerated deadlines and responding to changing communications needs.
• SUPPORT campaign creative development when video, animation, graphics, or advertising collateral is required.
• RECOMMEND visual storytelling, production, workflow, equipment, accessibility, and creative approaches that improve the quality and effectiveness of communications products.

Tools and Production Environment

Candidates should be comfortable working with a combination of:

• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe After Effects
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Adobe Audition or comparable professional audio tools
• Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft 365
• Professional DSLR, mirrorless, cinema, or comparable video-camera systems
• Professional lighting equipment
• Lavalier, shotgun, wireless, and other professional audio equipment
• Tripods, stabilizers, gimbals, and related field-production equipment
• Digital asset-management and structured file-management systems
• Cloud-based collaboration and creative-review tools
• Captioning, transcription, and accessibility-testing tools

Accessibility Responsibilities

Accessibility is a core requirement of this assignment rather than a final production check.

The Video & Graphic Design Specialist must be capable of incorporating accessibility throughout the creative process, including:

• Accurate closed captions.
• Complete transcripts.
• Appropriate alternative text for graphics and images.
• Sufficient color contrast.
• Clear visual hierarchy.
• Legible typography.
• Accessible charts and graphics.
• Avoidance of color-only information cues.
• Accessible PDFs and presentations when producing supporting materials.
• Compatibility considerations for assistive technologies.