Full-Time

Junior Designer

Posted on 9/11/2026

Highwire

Highwire

51-200 employees

Scholarly publishing platform and manuscript management

Compensation Overview

$52k - $60k/yr

+ Referral bonuses

San Francisco, CA, USA

Hybrid

Three in-office days per week are required for candidates within commuting distance of the San Francisco office. Candidates must reside in an approved state at hire.

Bachelor's

Category
Art, Graphics & Animation (1)
Required Skills
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Figma
Animation
Adobe Illustrator
Graphic Design

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Requirements
  • One to two years of professional design experience, with agency exposure a plus.
  • A visual, graphic, or motion design degree, or equivalent coursework or experience.
  • A portfolio showcasing foundational visual design work and an understanding of core design principles.
  • Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
  • Familiarity with Figma.
  • A foundational understanding of motion graphic principles.
  • A foundational understanding of color theory, visual hierarchy, and layout composition.
  • The ability to manage multiple smaller projects with support from senior team members while meeting deadlines.
  • The ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
  • Curiosity about how artificial intelligence tools are reshaping creative workflows, with a willingness to experiment and learn.
Responsibilities
  • Execute design deliverables with minimal supervision while consistently meeting deadlines.
  • Create on-brand visual assets such as presentations, social media graphics, and campaign elements.
  • Contribute ideas during brainstorming sessions and build relationships with team members.
  • Incorporate feedback into revisions to continuously improve design quality.
  • Collaborate with teammates to ensure consistent quality and brand alignment across projects.
  • Work within established brand systems and design guidelines, applying them consistently across assigned deliverables.
  • Develop an understanding of how creative output connects to broader client strategy and goals.
  • Ask questions during briefing to clarify client goals and translate feedback into design decisions.
  • Manage multiple smaller tasks and deliverables with growing independence and accountability.
  • Stay current with design, social, and digital trends.
Desired Qualifications
  • Exposure to Adobe After Effects.
  • Agency experience.
  • Basic understanding of motion graphic principles.

HighWire provides a digital publishing platform and services for scholarly publishers to host journals and books, manage manuscript submission and peer review, and handle subscriptions. It offers an end-to-end, integrated workflow from author submission through editorial review to publication and monetization. By focusing on the scholarly publishing niche, HighWire differentiates itself with long-standing relationships and a full suite tailored to publishers’ needs rather than generic publishing tech. The goal is to streamline scholarly communication by delivering scalable technology-enabled tools that simplify content production, review workflows, and revenue management for publishers, societies, and university presses.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$1.2M

Headquarters

Princeton, New Jersey

Founded

2008

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • June 30, 2026 AcroIntelligence gives Highwire a differentiated AI product selling point.
  • O'Dwyer’s 2026 rankings placed Highwire second, signaling strong market momentum and visibility.
  • June 15, 2026 CFO hire Kelly Losko supports scaling after the Bliss acquisition.

What critics are saying

  • AI-native competitors will commoditize media monitoring and pitch work by 2027, crushing retainers.
  • The Bliss integration can distract leaders and trigger client defections during 2026 account reviews.
  • Highwire depends on reputation-sensitive tech and healthcare clients; one crisis can rapidly destroy pipeline.

What makes Highwire unique

  • Highwire blends technology PR, sector specialization, and in-house AI tooling across campaigns.
  • The January 14, 2026 Bliss acquisition broadened Highwire into healthcare and financial services.
  • Highwire’s March 31, 2026 Health and June 30, 2026 AcroIntelligence launches deepen productized communications.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Hybrid Work Options

401(k) Company Match

Home Office Stipend

Wellness Program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-4%

2 year growth

-4%
GlobeNewswire
May 13th, 2025
Highwire Appoints Powerhouse Michael O'Brien As Ceo

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highwire, a strategic marketing communications agency partnering with brands at the intersection of innovation and industry, today announced the appointment of Michael O’Brien as its new chief executive officer, to further accelerate the agency’s growth and lead Highwire’s journey into a new era of integrated services and impactful client programs. O’Brien brings over 30 years of experience driving growth and excellence for some of the world’s most iconic brands. He served as chief client officer for over 10 years of his 23-year career at Ketchum. There, he transformed client service by focusing on growth, reducing revenue attrition, and creating a more purposeful approach to client management. O’Brien was also responsible for global business development and strategic planning. He will succeed Carol Carrubba, who is currently serving as interim CEO

ForexTV
Mar 20th, 2025
Highwire Achieves Double-Digit Growth in 2024, Elevates Michael Byrnes to Chief Growth Officer

To sustain and accelerate this momentum, Highwire has promoted Michael Byrnes to Chief Growth Officer.

The Robot Report
Dec 28th, 2024
Bay Area Events Note The Convergence Of Ai And Robotics

The San Francisco Bay Area is a nexus of AI and robotics. Source: Adobe Stock. The San Francisco Bay Area is the nexus of the artificial intelligence revolution in the U.S., anchored by San Francisco, with the renaissance of robotics investment and innovation in Silicon Valley. AI is merging with and embodied by robotics here. For instance, Waymo’s driverless cars are a common sight in San Francisco. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said the future of AI is physical AI, embodied by robotics including self-driving cars

GlobeNewswire
Dec 19th, 2024
Highwire Appoints Mike Steavenson As Executive Vice President Of Enterprise Technology Practice, Elevates Jason Mayde To Cto

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Highwire, a high-impact communications and marketing partner for global technology and healthcare companies, is proud to announce the appointment of Mike Steavenson as Executive Vice President of its Enterprise Technology Practice and the elevation of Jason Mayde to Chief Technology Officer (CTO). By expanding its technology leadership team, Highwire bolsters its commitment to harness the transformative power of AI in every aspect of its business and to offer clients unparalleled expertise in both B2B technology and AI. Highwire is committed to leveraging AI in a way that ensures quality, safeguards ethics, and complies with all applicable regulations. This approach harnesses the power of AI responsibly to drive innovation, efficiency, and impactful results for clients. “AI is transforming every industry, including communications and marketing, so investment in enterprise and technology talent distinguishes Highwire as we guide our clients in this new era,” said Highwire interim CEO Carol Carrubba

PRWeek
Jul 30th, 2024
Highwire PR hires Real Chemistry's Chuck Hemann

At the start of the year, Real Chemistry named group president and managing partner Kevin Johnson to oversee capabilities, including social media planning and activation; starpower, its pop culture and influencer agency; paid media; and omnichannel practices.