Multimedia Director Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Multimedia Designer

Job description

The Multimedia Designer creates engaging multimedia storytelling experiences that support editorial, audience, and client-facing initiatives across Crain brands. Reporting to the Crain Design Hub, this role collaborates with editors, reporters, content managers, designers, and other creative professionals to concept, design, edit, and enhance storytelling experiences across digital platforms.

The Multimedia Designer translates complex information into compelling visual narratives through video storytelling, motion graphics, social-first content, multimedia presentations, and interactive experiences that align with brand standards, strengthen audience engagement, and support business objectives. This role plays a key part in advancing how stories are experienced across web, mobile, social, and emerging digital platforms.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with editors, reporters, content managers, and stakeholders to develop visually compelling multimedia storytelling experiences.
• Edit video content for editorial and client-facing initiatives while guiding the visual execution through motion graphics, typography, branding, animation, and audience-focused design.
• Design engaging social-first video content optimized for digital and social media platforms.
• Create motion graphics, animations, lower thirds, title sequences, and supporting visual assets that elevate storytelling across platforms.
• Establish and maintain visual standards and best practices for video storytelling across Crain brands.
• Design and develop multimedia presentations and audience-focused storytelling experiences that combine graphics, motion, video, audio, and interactive elements.
• Contribute creative ideas and storytelling concepts that improve audience engagement and user experience.
• Create cohesive storytelling experiences across web, mobile, social, and multimedia platforms.
• Support alternative story formats and digital storytelling initiatives in partnership with Digital Designers and Art Directors.
• Build and maintain digital storytelling projects using established design and development best practices.
• Implement web accessibility standards and usability best practices where applicable.
• Support web production needs, as needed, to ensure timely publishing and execution.
• Manage assigned projects and deadlines across multiple Crain brands.
• Collaborate with team members to troubleshoot multimedia, design, and user experience challenges.
• Stay current on emerging storytelling formats, multimedia technologies, social media trends, accessibility standards, and audience engagement best practices.
• Assist with the development of reusable multimedia templates, motion graphics packages, storytelling frameworks, and workflow standards.
• Contribute to a collaborative creative environment by sharing ideas, supporting teammates, and continually exploring innovative storytelling approaches.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in visual design, graphic design, digital media, multimedia design, communications, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in multimedia design, video editing, motion graphics, digital storytelling, or a related field.
• Advanced proficiency in professional video editing workflows, including editing for digital, mobile, and social-first platforms.
• Strong understanding of visual storytelling principles, audience engagement strategies, and interactive storytelling.
• Experience designing content optimized for social media platforms and mobile-first audiences.
• Strong understanding of SEO best practices and digital content optimization.
• Experience using AI-assisted creative tools to enhance storytelling, improve workflow efficiency, and support content production.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into visually compelling and accessible storytelling experiences.
• Experience developing creative standards, templates, or best practices that improve quality and consistency.
• Advanced proficiency with Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Experience with design tools such as Figma and Ceros.
• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and digital publishing workflows.
• Experience working with content management systems such as Arc XP or WordPress.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in a hybrid work environment.
• Excellent organization, time management, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Positive, collaborative, and solutions-oriented mindset.

Preferred skills

• Experience working within a newsroom, publishing organization, agency, or custom content environment.
• Experience working within a centralized creative team, balancing priorities and collaborating across multiple brands and stakeholders.
• Experience providing creative direction or art direction for multimedia, digital storytelling, or cross-platform editorial and client-facing projects.
• Demonstrated project management skills with the ability to coordinate multiple multimedia-related initiatives.
• Experience mentoring or providing creative guidance within a collaborative design environment.

Pay Transparency Disclosure:

The estimated salary range for this position is $75,000 to $100,000.

The final salary offering will take into accounta wide range of factors, including experience, accomplishments and location. The salary range provided should not be considered as a salary limit or cap. In addition to base salary, Crain also offers competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance.

This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.

#DNI

About Crain Communications:

Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, energy, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain's brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain's regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today's business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visitcrain.com.

Environmental Demands

Where you work matters. The job posting will provide specific information on where and when your amazing work would be performed. Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.

• An "in-office" role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
• A "remote" role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
• A "hybrid" role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager's approval, subject to change.
• Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.

Many positions will also include work done in "the field." Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves. Employees may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other typical job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work.

Travel to cover news stories/events, meetings with clients, and to our geographically separated offices may be required. It is the nature of many positions to experience non-standard working hours and be on-call when needed for responding to email, meeting with clients, attending work-related events, story development or breaking news. Most employees perform work Monday through Friday, although early-morning, evening or weekend shifts may be required. Work schedule and travel requirements are subject to change as a role and needs evolve over time.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of many Crain jobs and are subject to change.

Physical activities will include frequent in-person or virtual interactions. For most positions, it is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, perform computer-related tasks, and create/maintain documents within filing systems. Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing reports and information, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading. The typical physical requirements are light work-exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion. Some positions will have additional physical requirements, including exerting up to 50lbs of force to move and/or carry equipment, supplies, files, or other materials as the role requires.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)