Data Visualization Specialist / Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Data Visualization Specialist / Graphic Designer

Company: International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)

Location: São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Communications & Design / Data Visualization

Date Posted: May 06, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Develop compelling visual narratives from complex technical research for a global audience, focusing on data visualization and digital-native publication design.

• Translate intricate research findings into accessible and engaging formats such as infographics, interactive web pages, data dashboards, and social media assets.

• Ensure strict adherence to ICCT's brand guidelines, maintaining a consistent and impactful visual identity across all communication channels.

• Manage the end-to-end design process for a variety of collateral, including reports, briefs, presentations, and digital graphics, ensuring clarity and visual appeal.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role bridges technical research translation with sophisticated design execution, making it a critical function within the Communications team. The emphasis on "digital-native" formats and "scrollytelling" indicates a forward-thinking approach to content delivery, requiring expertise beyond traditional print design. This role is pivotal for enhancing the impact and reach of ICCT's environmental research.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Transform complex technical information and data into clear, engaging visual and digital formats including charts, infographics, social media visuals, and rapid response visual assets.

• Collaborate closely with researchers, communications staff, and editors to conceptualize and develop innovative digital-native publication formats such as interactive web pages, scrollytelling narratives, and data dashboards that extend beyond static PDFs.

• Uphold and enforce ICCT's brand guidelines, ensuring a consistent visual identity and high-quality aesthetic across all publications and communications products.

• Design and produce a wide range of materials, including detailed publications (reports, briefs, fact sheets), impactful PowerPoint presentations, engaging website graphics, large-scale event graphics, and platform-specific social media graphics.

• Effectively manage multiple design projects concurrently, prioritizing tasks and adhering to strict deadlines to ensure timely delivery of high-quality visual assets.

• Leverage design expertise to enhance ICCT's visual and brand standards, including the creation and maintenance of reusable templates for recurring formats and projects.

• Provide expert design guidance and consultation to project teams, advising on visual communications strategies to maximize the impact and clarity of their research.

• Support the development and implementation of new visual templates and scalable design systems to streamline production processes and ensure brand consistency.

• Contribute to knowledge sharing by assisting in training colleagues on best practices for visual communication and the effective utilization of design tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a proactive designer who can not only execute but also innovate and guide. The emphasis on "rapid response visual assets" suggests a need for agility and quick turnaround capabilities. Training colleagues indicates a mentorship component, implying a senior-level contribution to team development.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Data Visualization, Visual Communications, Information Design, or equivalent professional experience demonstrated through a substantive portfolio.

Experience: 3–5 years of professional graphic design or publication design experience, with a strong emphasis on data visualization and digital storytelling.

Required Skills:

• A strong portfolio thoroughly demonstrating expertise in data visualization, visual storytelling, typography, color theory, branding, and publication layout design.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, for sophisticated design and production.

• Proficiency with at least one dedicated data visualization tool (e.g., Datawrapper, Flourish, Tableau, or comparable) and a demonstrated ability to produce publication-quality charts directly from researcher-supplied data.

• Proven experience working collaboratively with subject-matter experts and cross-functional teams to develop impactful visual communications products.

• Ability to manage design projects independently from initial concept through to final production, demonstrating strong organizational and project management skills. Preferred Skills:

• Experience creating charts, infographics, and complex data visualizations that effectively communicate nuanced information.

• Experience designing policy reports, research publications, or other technical communications products for academic or non-profit organizations.

• Experience working within research or policy-focused organizations, understanding the unique communication needs of these sectors.

• Fluency in English is required for effective communication with international researchers and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for proficiency in specific data visualization tools like Datawrapper or Flourish, alongside Adobe Creative Suite, is critical. The emphasis on a "substantive portfolio" over formal education for preferred qualifications suggests a strong bias towards practical, demonstrable skills and a proven track record in visual communication and data interpretation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of work that clearly demonstrates proficiency in data visualization techniques and visual storytelling capabilities.

• Examples of publication layout design that highlight strong typography, color theory application, and adherence to branding guidelines.

• Case studies or project examples that illustrate the process of translating complex data into clear, compelling visual assets, such as charts and infographics.

• Demonstrations of digital-native design capabilities, including interactive web pages, scrollytelling examples, or data dashboards, showcasing an understanding of modern content delivery. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of a structured design process, from initial concept development and data interpretation to final asset creation and production, with a focus on efficiency and accuracy.

• Demonstration of how you collaborate with researchers and editors, outlining your workflow for gathering requirements, incorporating feedback, and ensuring scientific accuracy in visual representations.

• Examples of template creation or design system development that illustrate your ability to create scalable and consistent visual assets for recurring publication needs.

• Portfolio pieces that clearly articulate the problem, the design solution, and the impact or reach of the visual communications product, ideally with quantifiable results if available.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role focused on translating technical data, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond aesthetics to demonstrate a methodological approach to design, problem-solving, and effective communication of complex information. Highlighting the collaboration process and the ability to create reusable design assets will be key differentiators.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: BRL 11,600.00 per month. This is a specific monthly salary provided for the Graphic Designer / Data Visualization Specialist position.

Benefits:

• Meal Vouchers: Provided to supplement daily food expenses.

• Transportation Vouchers: Assistance with commuting costs to the office.

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical coverage for the employee.

• Dental Insurance: Coverage for dental care services.

• Other internal benefits offered by the ICCT.

Working Hours: The role is full-time, typically implying a standard 40-hour work week, with a hybrid model (3 days in office, 2 days remote).

📝 Enhancement Note: The stated salary of BRL 11,600.00 monthly is specific and falls within the mid-to-senior range for specialized design roles in São Paulo, particularly for positions requiring advanced technical and data visualization skills within a non-profit research context. The hybrid work model offers flexibility, balancing in-office collaboration with remote work efficiency.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Environmental & Sustainability, Science & Research, Policy Advocacy. The ICCT focuses on improving the environmental performance and energy efficiency of transportation, working with regulators globally.

Company Size: The ICCT is an international non-profit organization, likely with a distributed team structure across various global offices and remote employees. The specific size is not detailed, but its mission implies a dedicated and expert workforce.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but its mission suggests it has been established long enough to build credibility and influence in environmental policy research.

Team Structure:

• The role is within the Communications team, reporting to the Senior Communications Specialist, Art Direction. This suggests a structured design function within the broader communications department.

• Collaboration is expected with researchers, other communications staff, and editors, indicating a cross-functional working environment.

• The team likely comprises individuals with diverse expertise in research, communications, and design, working together to amplify the impact of ICCT's technical findings. Methodology:

• The core methodology involves translating complex, data-heavy technical research into accessible, compelling communications products.

• Emphasis is placed on data-driven storytelling and visual communication to influence policy and public understanding.

• The use of digital-native formats and innovative design approaches is encouraged to reach wider audiences effectively.

Company Website: https://theicct.org/

📝 Enhancement Note: The ICCT's focus on "first-rate, unbiased research" for "environmental regulators" sets a tone of scientific rigor and objective communication. The design role is positioned as crucial in making this research accessible, highlighting a culture that values both deep technical expertise and effective communication strategies.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level specialist, requiring 3-5 years of experience. It's a hands-on contributor role within the Communications team, focused on design execution and visual translation of research.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Senior Communications Specialist, Art Direction, indicating a clear hierarchy within the design function and a reporting line to a more senior creative lead.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the perception, reach, and effectiveness of ICCT's research by making complex data understandable and visually engaging for policymakers, journalists, and the public. This translates into greater influence on environmental policy and public awareness.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced data visualization techniques, interactive design, and potentially motion graphics for enhanced digital storytelling.

• Design System Development: Grow into a role that leads the development and maintenance of comprehensive design systems for the organization, influencing brand-wide visual strategy.

• Mentorship: As indicated by the responsibility to train colleagues, there's potential to grow into a senior design mentor or lead, guiding junior designers and cross-functional teams on best practices.

• Project Leadership: Take on lead design responsibilities for major ICCT publications or campaigns, managing design aspects from conception to execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: While not explicitly a "Revenue Operations" or "Sales Operations" role, the impact on influencing policy and public perception through effective communication aligns with GTM (Go-To-Market) principles of raising awareness and driving understanding. Growth opportunities focus on deepening specialized design skills and potentially moving into design leadership or strategy roles within the organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based at the ICCT Brazil office in the Paraíso neighborhood of São Paulo. The work model is hybrid, with 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home. This indicates a structured office environment designed for collaboration, supplemented by remote flexibility.

Office Location(s): The primary office is in São Paulo, Brazil. Candidates must be located in São Paulo.

Workspace Context:

• The hybrid model suggests a need for both focused individual work (at home) and collaborative team interaction (in the office). The office likely provides resources for design work and meeting spaces.

• Access to standard office technology and potentially specialized design software and hardware within the office environment. Collaboration with researchers and communications staff will be key.

• Opportunities for direct interaction with colleagues in the Communications team and across research departments to understand project needs and provide design solutions.

Work Schedule: Full-time, hybrid model. The specific daily hours are not detailed but are implied to align with a standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility to split time between office and remote work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is a key aspect of the work environment, requiring self-discipline and strong communication skills to manage tasks effectively across different locations. The emphasis on being located in São Paulo is crucial for eligibility.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Screening of résumés, cover letters, and portfolios against the required qualifications. The portfolio is critical for demonstrating data visualization and design skills.

• Design Challenge/Portfolio Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, discussing specific projects, their design process, and how they translated complex data. A practical design challenge related to data visualization or publication layout might be administered.

• Interviews: Conversations with the Senior Communications Specialist, Art Direction, and potentially other team members or researchers to assess collaboration style, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.

• Final Evaluation: Assessment of overall fit, technical skills, communication abilities, and potential contribution to the ICCT's mission.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your data visualization skills, ability to translate complex information, publication design expertise, and adherence to branding. Include examples of both print and digital design.

• Showcase Process: For each project, briefly explain the objective, the challenge, your design approach, the tools used, and the outcome. Highlight how you collaborated with subject-matter experts.

• Quantify Impact: If possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback on how your designs improved understanding, engagement, or reach.

• Tailor to ICCT: Emphasize projects relevant to research, policy, or non-profit work. Demonstrate an understanding of the ICCT's mission and how your design skills can support it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: Familiarize yourself with the ICCT's work and the types of data and research they publish.

• Practice Data Interpretation: Be ready to quickly analyze a small dataset or an infographic brief and propose design solutions.

• Articulate Design Decisions: Prepare to explain the rationale behind your design choices, focusing on clarity, impact, and audience engagement.

• Tool Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your experience with specific design and data visualization tools mentioned in the job description.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is the most critical component of the application. Candidates should meticulously curate it to highlight relevant skills and demonstrate a clear, logical design process. The interview is likely to be highly focused on the candidate's ability to visually communicate complex data and collaborate effectively.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Advanced proficiency required, specifically:

  • InDesign: For publication layout, typesetting, and overall document design.
  • Illustrator: For creating vector graphics, charts, infographics, and icons.
  • Photoshop: For image editing, manipulation, and digital asset creation.

• Data Visualization Tools: Proficiency with at least one dedicated tool is essential:

  • Datawrapper: Commonly used for creating publication-quality charts and maps for online use.

  • Flourish: Known for interactive storytelling and animated data visualizations.

  • Tableau: A powerful business intelligence tool for creating interactive dashboards and visualizations.

  • Comparable tools are also acceptable, demonstrating adaptability. Analytics & Reporting: While not a primary analyst role, understanding how to design visualizations that effectively present key metrics and data trends is crucial. This involves understanding the purpose of reports and dashboards.

CRM & Automation: Not directly relevant to this design role, but familiarity with digital publishing platforms and content management systems might be beneficial for delivering digital-native content.

Other Potential Tools: Familiarity with web design principles, HTML/CSS for digital publications, or motion graphics software could be advantageous for creating more dynamic content.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of specific data visualization tools indicates that practical, hands-on experience with these platforms is a non-negotiable requirement. The ability to translate raw data into publication-ready charts using these tools will be a key differentiator.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Rigorous Research & Unbiased Analysis: A commitment to scientific accuracy and objective reporting is fundamental. Visuals must accurately represent data without distortion.

• Impact & Influence: A drive to ensure research translates into real-world change, particularly in environmental policy. Design plays a key role in achieving this influence.

• Clarity & Accessibility: A dedication to making complex information understandable to diverse audiences, including policymakers, journalists, and the public.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Working effectively across disciplines (research, communications, design) to achieve shared goals.

• Environmental Stewardship: A shared passion for advancing clean transportation and improving environmental performance.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Close partnership with researchers to understand technical details and with editors to refine messaging.

• Feedback-Driven: An environment where constructive feedback is shared and incorporated to improve design quality and effectiveness.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, design techniques, and insights to elevate the team's overall capabilities.

• Process Improvement: Openness to developing and refining design workflows and systems for greater efficiency and consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture values scientific integrity and practical application. The design role is seen as a critical enabler of the ICCT's mission, requiring close collaboration and a shared commitment to clear, impactful communication of environmental research.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Technical Complexity: The primary challenge is to distill highly technical and data-intensive research into visually simple, accurate, and compelling narratives without oversimplification or misrepresentation.

• Diverse Audience Needs: Designing for a range of stakeholders, from technical regulators to the general public, requires versatility in visual communication strategies.

• Rapid Response Design: The need to produce "rapid response visual assets" means adapting quickly to current events or policy developments and creating timely visual content under pressure.

• Evolving Digital Formats: Staying current with new digital storytelling techniques, interactive design tools, and platform-specific content requirements.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Data Visualization Techniques: Opportunities to learn and apply cutting-edge methods in data visualization and interactive design.

• Digital Publication Design: Developing expertise in creating engaging web-based reports, scrollytelling, and interactive dashboards.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining deeper insights into environmental science and transportation policy through regular interaction with researchers.

• Design System Leadership: Potential to take on a leadership role in developing and managing the organization's visual identity and design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents a unique challenge in balancing scientific accuracy with engaging visual design. Growth opportunities are tied to mastering advanced digital design and data visualization techniques, as well as contributing to the strategic visual direction of the organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for translating complex technical data into a compelling infographic or data visualization. Can you walk us through a specific example from your portfolio?" (Focus on methodology, data interpretation, and storytelling.)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency and visual integrity when working with multiple researchers and project teams who may have different design preferences?" (Assess collaboration, adherence to guidelines, and negotiation skills.)

• "Imagine we have a critical research finding that needs to be communicated rapidly to policymakers. What steps would you take to create impactful visual assets under a tight deadline?" (Evaluate agility, problem-solving under pressure, and prioritization.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about the ICCT's mission and our work in clean transportation?" (Gauge alignment with the organization's purpose.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with subject-matter experts who may not have a design background?" (Assess interpersonal skills and ability to translate technical needs into design solutions.)

• "Describe a time you had to advocate for a specific design choice to meet project goals. How did you communicate its value?" (Understand communication style and ability to justify design decisions.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: Organize your portfolio logically, perhaps by project type or skill. For each piece, clearly state the client/project, the problem, your role, the solution, and the impact.

• Highlight Process & Rationale: For data visualizations, explain your data interpretation, the chart types chosen, and why they best represent the data. For publications, discuss typography, layout, and branding choices.

• Showcase Digital Skills: If you have examples of interactive web pages, scrollytelling, or dashboards, be prepared to demonstrate their functionality and user experience.

• Be Ready for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your technical process, tool choices, and how you handle feedback or revisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating a strong understanding of data visualization principles, publication design best practices, and the ability to translate complex information visually. Articulating your design process and rationale clearly is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Data Visualization Specialist / Graphic Designer position:

• Submit your résumé/CV and a cover letter, both in English, through the application link provided.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features examples of data visualization, infographics, and publication design that align with the requirements. Tailor your presentation to highlight your ability to translate technical research into compelling visuals.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly list your proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and specific data visualization tools (Datawrapper, Flourish, Tableau). Quantify achievements where possible, emphasizing years of experience and project impact.

• Interview Preparation: Practice discussing your portfolio projects, focusing on your design process, rationale, and how you ensure clarity and accuracy in communicating complex data. Be prepared to answer strategy and behavioral questions related to collaboration and problem-solving.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), its mission, recent publications, and its focus areas. Understand their existing visual style and identify how your skills can enhance their communication efforts.

• Reference Preparation: Have the names and contact information of three professional or academic references ready, as requested in the application instructions.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.