Graphic Designer - Email

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Graphic Designer - Email

Company: Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Location: Harrisburg, PA 17112

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations

Date Posted: 2026-06-05

Experience Level: 2-5 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in executing visual communication strategies, with a primary focus on email campaign design and development to drive customer engagement and sales.

• It involves the meticulous creation and optimization of digital assets, ensuring brand consistency and alignment with overarching marketing objectives.

• The position demands a strong production capability within a fast-paced environment, requiring efficient workflow management and adherence to tight deadlines.

• This Graphic Designer will collaborate cross-functionally with design, marketing, and project management teams to translate business requirements into compelling visual narratives.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Graphic Designer - Email," the responsibilities and skills indicate a strong emphasis on Marketing Operations and Creative Operations, specifically within the email channel. The role requires not just design but also production, testing, and understanding of marketing objectives, positioning it closer to operations than pure creative execution.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Produce high volumes of email campaigns using Adobe InDesign and an HTML email editor, ensuring rapid turnaround times.

• Develop and execute general graphic design layouts and creative assets for web, digital, and print communications to support marketing initiatives.

• Manage a concurrent portfolio of design projects, meticulously tracking progress and ensuring all deadlines are met within a production-driven workflow.

• Create compelling visual elements and copy for email content, focusing on driving engagement and conversion rates.

• Proactively identify and implement improvements in email design strategies and production processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current email design trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to inform creative output.

• Uphold and enforce brand consistency across all digital communications, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines.

• Collaborate closely with stakeholders to translate product offer information and marketing briefs into functional and visually appealing email deliverables.

• Support overall Marketing and Business objectives by ensuring design outputs are strategically aligned with campaign goals and ROI targets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "high volumes," "production-driven environment," "shifting priorities," and "tight deadlines" strongly suggests this is a production-focused operational role within the creative function, rather than a purely conceptual design position. The mention of "translating given product offer information into functional email deliverables" highlights a key operational aspect of bridging marketing strategy and technical execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a closely related field.

Experience: Minimum of 2 years of professional experience specifically in email production, digital design, or a similar production-oriented creative role.

Required Skills:

• Adobe InDesign: Advanced proficiency required for high-volume email production and layout design.

• Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator: Strong working knowledge for image manipulation, asset creation, and vector graphics.

• Email Production Tools: Experience with drag-and-drop HTML email editors and understanding of their functionalities.

• Graphic Design Principles: Solid understanding of typography, color theory, layout, and visual hierarchy.

• MacOS Operating System: Proficiency in using and navigating the MacOS environment.

• Brand Consistency Management: Ability to meticulously apply brand guidelines across diverse creative assets.

• Time Management & Prioritization: Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, adapt to shifting priorities, and meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced setting.

• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction with stakeholders and team members.

• Attention to Detail: Exceptional accuracy and a keen eye for detail, crucial for error-free design and production.

Preferred Skills:

• Basic HTML/CSS: Foundational knowledge for understanding email code structure and making minor adjustments.

• Retail Marketing/Advertising: Experience within the retail sector, understanding its unique communication needs and pace.

• Retail Email Marketing: Specific experience with email campaigns for retail brands, including promotional and lifecycle marketing.

• Project Management Fundamentals: Basic understanding of project workflows and stakeholder management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "Basic knowledge of HTML preferred" and "Experience with retail marketing or advertising preferred" suggests a role that values practical application and understanding of the business context, common in operations-focused positions where efficiency and effectiveness are paramount. The "2+ years of experience in email or digital production" points to a mid-level role with operational responsibilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Email Campaign Examples: Showcase a minimum of 5-7 diverse email campaigns, highlighting variety in layout, content, and campaign objective (e.g., promotional, informational, transactional). Emphasize successful A/B testing results if available.

• Digital Asset Production: Include examples of digital banner ads, social media graphics, or web page elements that demonstrate production efficiency and adherence to brand standards.

• Workflow Process Documentation: Briefly illustrate the process followed for a typical email campaign, from brief to deployment, highlighting quality control checkpoints and stakeholder review stages.

• Brand Consistency Examples: Showcase how brand guidelines were applied across different digital channels or campaign elements.

Process Documentation:

• Email Production Workflow: Demonstrate understanding of the end-to-end process for creating and deploying emails, including asset development, coding (if applicable), testing, and deployment coordination.

• Asset Management: Explain how design assets are organized, versioned, and maintained for efficient retrieval and reuse.

• Feedback Integration: Illustrate how feedback from multiple stakeholders is incorporated into design revisions while maintaining project timelines and brand integrity.

• Quality Assurance (QA) Procedures: Outline the steps taken to ensure the accuracy, functionality, and visual integrity of email designs before deployment, including cross-browser and cross-device testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role emphasizing production and efficiency, a portfolio showcasing a structured approach to design processes, clear documentation of workflow, and demonstrated ability to manage feedback and QA is crucial. This aligns with operations' focus on repeatable, efficient processes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: An estimated annual salary range of $50,000 - $70,000 USD. This estimate is based on industry benchmarks for Graphic Designers with 2-5 years of experience specializing in email production, located in the Harrisburg, PA area, considering the cost of living and typical compensation for similar roles in the retail sector.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription (RX) coverage available after 30 days of employment.

• Retirement Savings Plan: 401K plan with company matching that begins upon associate enrollment, supporting long-term financial planning.

• Professional Development: Strong culture supporting career growth and talent development opportunities, including potential for advancement within the creative or marketing teams.

• Employee Discount: A significant 20% discount on all Ollie's purchases, offering tangible savings for employees.

• Voluntary Benefits: Access to a wide array of voluntary benefits to supplement core offerings based on individual needs.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, estimated at 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility to meet production demands and project deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on industry data for similar roles in the specified location. The benefits listed are directly from the job description and are presented to highlight their value to potential candidates, especially the career growth and discount aspects which are attractive to retail professionals.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Retail (Discount Retailer). Ollie's Bargain Outlet operates in the highly competitive discount retail sector, focusing on providing value-driven merchandise. This context implies a need for high-volume, cost-effective marketing and design solutions.

Company Size: Ollie's Bargain Outlet is a large, publicly traded company with a significant number of employees, indicating a structured corporate environment with established processes and ample resources.

Founded: Founded in 1982, Ollie's has a long-standing history in the retail market, suggesting stability and a deep understanding of its customer base and operational strategies.

Team Structure:

• The Graphic Designer will be part of the Creative team, likely reporting to a Lead Designer or Creative Director.

• This team collaborates closely with the Marketing department, Project Coordinators, and potentially merchandising teams to execute campaigns.

• The structure supports a production-oriented workflow, with clear roles for design execution, project management, and strategic oversight. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated, the focus on email marketing and retail objectives implies that design decisions are informed by performance metrics and customer data to optimize engagement and sales.

• Agile Production: The description emphasizes a "fast-paced, production-driven environment with shifting priorities, tight deadlines," suggesting an agile or iterative approach to creative development and execution.

• Brand Stewardship: A core methodology involves maintaining brand consistency across all communications, ensuring a unified customer experience.

Company Website: https://www.ollies.us/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes core values like teamwork, care, value obsession, commitment, growth, and authenticity. For an operations role, understanding "Value Obsessed" and "Committed" is key, as it translates to a results-driven, high-effort approach. The "Growing" value suggests opportunities for development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as an entry-to-mid-level specialist within the Creative Operations function. It requires practical execution skills and the ability to manage a production workload, with opportunities to learn and contribute to process improvements.

Reporting Structure: The Graphic Designer will likely report to a Lead Designer or Creative Manager, who provides direction and oversight. Collaboration will extend to Project Coordinators and various marketing stakeholders.

Operations Impact: This role directly impacts revenue by creating visually compelling email campaigns that drive customer traffic, sales, and engagement. Effective email design and production are critical for the success of Ollie's promotional strategies and customer retention efforts.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Develop deep expertise in email design, production, and potentially basic HTML/CSS, becoming a go-to resource for digital communications.

• Process Improvement: Contribute to refining email production workflows, testing methodologies, and asset management systems, moving towards more operational leadership.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain experience collaborating with diverse teams, understanding broader marketing strategies and business objectives, potentially leading to roles in marketing coordination or project management.

• Career Advancement: Potential to advance into a Senior Graphic Designer role, Lead Designer, or explore adjacent roles in Marketing Operations or Digital Asset Management as experience grows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "career growth & talent development culture" and "how do we get better every day?" (part of Ollie's values) suggests a company that invests in its employees' development. For an operations professional, this means opportunities to refine processes, take on more complex projects, and potentially move into more strategic or leadership roles within the marketing and creative functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role, implying a traditional office setting within Ollie's Bargain Outlet corporate headquarters or a dedicated creative hub.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Harrisburg, PA 17112. This location serves as the central point for on-site collaboration and production activities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The workspace is designed to foster collaboration among the creative team, marketing department, and project coordinators, facilitating quick communication and feedback loops essential for a fast-paced production environment.

• Technology-Rich Environment: Expect access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite), production tools, and potentially project management systems necessary for efficient workflow.

• Team Interaction: Daily interaction with colleagues within the creative and marketing teams is expected, promoting a supportive and dynamic work atmosphere focused on achieving shared goals.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is full-time, approximately 40 hours per week. However, the role's production-driven nature may require flexibility to meet urgent deadlines or accommodate campaign launch schedules, common in marketing operations settings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is crucial for roles involving high-volume production and tight collaboration. This environment is often best suited for immediate feedback, rapid iteration, and seamless team synchronicity, which are hallmarks of effective operations teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications, experience, and alignment with the role's requirements, with a focus on email production capabilities.

• Skills Assessment/Portfolio Review: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, discuss specific projects (especially email campaigns), and potentially a practical design challenge or screen test to evaluate technical skills and problem-solving abilities.

• Behavioral/Situational Interview: Questions focusing on how you handle pressure, manage priorities, collaborate with stakeholders, and apply Ollie's core values in a work context. Expect questions related to your experience in fast-paced environments and with tight deadlines.

• Team/Manager Interview: Meeting with the hiring manager and potential team members to assess cultural fit, communication style, and overall synergy with the existing team dynamics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-7 of your strongest email design and production projects. Prioritize those that demonstrate high-volume output, successful campaign results (if quantifiable), and adherence to brand guidelines.

• Showcase Process: For each selected project, be prepared to briefly explain your role, the objective, the design process, any challenges overcome, and the outcome. Highlight efficiency and problem-solving.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics or results associated with your email designs (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, conversion improvements).

• Highlight Production Skills: Emphasize your proficiency with Adobe InDesign and HTML email editors, and your ability to work efficiently under pressure.

• Address Ollie's Values: Be ready to connect your work experience and approach to Ollie's core values, particularly "Value Obsessed," "Committed," and "Growing."

Challenge Preparation:

• Email Production Scenario: You might be given a brief product offer and asked to design a draft email, or critique an existing email, focusing on speed, accuracy, and brand alignment.

• Time Management Exercise: Be prepared for timed tasks that mimic the production environment, assessing your ability to deliver quality work under pressure.

• Stakeholder Communication: Practice articulating design choices and responding to feedback constructively, demonstrating your ability to manage stakeholder input effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations-focused role, interviewers will likely probe your ability to execute efficiently and consistently. Demonstrating a structured approach to your work, a clear understanding of production workflows, and the ability to adapt to changing demands will be key. Your portfolio should reflect these operational strengths, not just aesthetic talent.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe InDesign: Core tool for high-volume email layout and production. Proficiency expected for creating templates and executing designs efficiently.

• Adobe Photoshop: Essential for image editing, retouching, and creating digital assets for emails and other digital communications.

• Adobe Illustrator: Used for creating vector graphics, logos, icons, and other scalable visual elements.

• HTML Email Editors: Experience with drag-and-drop editors (specifics may vary, but understanding the paradigm is key) for assembling email content.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Email Marketing Platforms: Familiarity with platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or enterprise solutions (though specific tool not mentioned, understanding the ecosystem is beneficial) for understanding campaign deployment and basic performance metrics.

• Web Analytics Tools (Basic Awareness): Understanding how email performance contributes to overall website analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) is a plus.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems (Awareness): While not directly managing a CRM, understanding how email marketing integrates with CRM data (e.g., customer segmentation) can be advantageous.

• Project Management Software: Experience with tools like Asana, Trello, or similar for managing tasks and workflows within a production environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Adobe Creative Suite and HTML email editors indicates a need for strong technical design skills. While specific CRM or advanced automation tool experience isn't listed as required, awareness of how these tools interact with email marketing is beneficial for understanding the broader GTM ecosystem.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Value Obsessed: This translates to a focus on delivering high-quality design work efficiently and cost-effectively, directly contributing to Ollie's "good stuff cheap" brand promise. Expect a results-oriented approach where every design effort must show clear value.

• Committed: Associates are expected to demonstrate grit, passion, and tenacity. This means taking ownership of tasks, pushing through challenges, and delivering on commitments, especially under tight deadlines.

• Growing: A mindset of continuous improvement is valued. This applies to both personal skill development and contributing to the enhancement of team processes and workflows.

• Team Player: Collaboration is key. Associates are expected to be supportive, work together effectively, and contribute to a positive team dynamic, essential for meeting production demands.

• Caring & Real: While softer values, these contribute to a culture of respect, honesty, and transparency, fostering effective communication and problem-solving within the team.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires frequent collaboration with marketing, project management, and potentially other departments to ensure design outputs align with business objectives and product offers.

• Feedback-Driven Iteration: A willingness to receive and incorporate feedback from multiple stakeholders is essential for successful campaign development and deployment.

• Efficiency-Focused Exchange: Communication is likely direct and focused on achieving production goals swiftly and accurately, with an emphasis on clear briefs and concise feedback.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding and aligning with Ollie's core values is critical for success. For a Graphic Designer in a production role, demonstrating how you embody "Value Obsessed" (efficiency, cost-effectiveness) and "Committed" (meeting deadlines, high effort) will be particularly important.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• High-Volume Production Pressure: Consistently producing a large volume of high-quality email designs under tight deadlines requires excellent time management, organizational skills, and resilience.

• Managing Shifting Priorities: The fast-paced retail environment means priorities can change rapidly; adapting quickly and maintaining efficiency is crucial.

• Balancing Creative Vision with Brand/Offer Constraints: Translating diverse product offers and strict brand guidelines into compelling, effective emails requires creative problem-solving within defined parameters.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management: Effectively communicating with and incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, each with potentially different objectives, can be challenging.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Email Marketing Strategy: Deepen understanding of email marketing best practices, segmentation, A/B testing strategies, and performance analytics to inform design decisions.

• Advanced Design & Production Techniques: Explore more advanced features within Adobe Creative Suite and potentially new email production technologies to improve efficiency and visual impact.

• Cross-Departmental Understanding: Gain insights into broader marketing strategies, retail operations, and business goals, enhancing your ability to contribute strategically.

• Potential for Specialization: Develop expertise in specific areas of digital design or marketing operations, opening doors for future career paths.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for production-focused operations roles. Framing these challenges as opportunities for skill development (e.g., mastering time management, improving stakeholder communication) will be beneficial. The growth opportunities highlight the potential for this role to serve as a stepping stone within the organization.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to produce a high volume of creative assets under a tight deadline. What was your process, and how did you ensure quality?" (Assesses production capability, time management, and quality control.)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency across multiple design projects, especially when working with different product offers or marketing messages?" (Tests understanding of brand stewardship and attention to detail.)

• "Walk us through your process for designing an email campaign, from receiving the brief to final deployment. What are your key quality assurance steps?" (Evaluates workflow management, process thinking, and operational rigor.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you align with Ollie's core values, particularly 'Value Obsessed' and 'Committed'?" (Assesses cultural fit and understanding of company ethos.)

• "Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a rapidly changing priority. How did you manage it?" (Gauges adaptability and resilience in a dynamic environment.)

• "How do you approach collaborating with stakeholders who may have different opinions or requirements for a design project?" (Probes communication, negotiation, and teamwork skills.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each email project, clearly state the objective, your role, the key design elements, and the outcome (preferably with metrics).

• Highlight Production Efficiency: Emphasize your speed, accuracy, and proficiency with the required tools (InDesign, email editors).

• Demonstrate Problem-Solving: Be prepared to discuss any challenges encountered during a project and how you overcame them.

• Connect to Ollie's Values: Frame your experience and contributions in the context of Ollie's core values, showing how you embody their culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interviewers for this role will be looking for a blend of creative talent and operational efficiency. Prepare to discuss not just "what" you designed, but "how" you designed it, focusing on process, speed, accuracy, and alignment with business objectives.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Graphic Designer - Email position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the Ollie's Bargain Outlet careers portal.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in email production, digital asset creation, and proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite and HTML email editors. Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Produced X emails per week," "Contributed to Y% increase in click-through rates").

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select your strongest email design and production examples. Prepare to discuss your process, the tools used, and the outcomes, emphasizing efficiency and brand adherence.

• Prepare for Production Scenarios: Be ready to discuss how you handle high-volume work, tight deadlines, and shifting priorities. Practice articulating your workflow and quality assurance steps.

• Research Ollie's Values: Understand and be prepared to discuss how your work ethic and approach align with Ollie's core values, especially "Value Obsessed," "Committed," and "Growing."

⚠️ 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.

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