ETSY Graphic designer/ Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant — Etsy Print-on-Demand Design & Listings

Part-time, 10–20 hrs /week Type: Seasonal contract, Sept–Dec for Q4 holiday season], with possible re-hire for future seasons

About the Role

We're looking for a detail-oriented Virtual Assistant to support our Etsy print-on-demand (POD) shop during a busy seasonal push. You'll create product designs, build optimized mockups, and help our listings look professional and convert well within a fixed, deadline-driven window. Strong performers will be first in line for future seasonal seasons.

Responsibilities
Create original, sellable POD designs for personalized ornaments, mugs, cutting boards Woven blankets, and candles based on trend research and brief direction
Build clean, high-converting mockups for Etsy listings — including personalization preview mockups (e.g. showing sample names/text on ornaments) — with multiple angle/color/variation shots
Optimize listing images per Etsy's best practices (correct dimensions, first-image "hook," image order for conversion)
Do light trend/niche research (Etsy, Pinterest, social media) to suggest new design ideas
Organize and label design files clearly (source files + export files) in shared drive/folder
Basic listing support: uploading images, writing/editing titles & tags if needed (optional — confirm if in scope)
Communicate progress and flag issues proactively; meet weekly deliverable targets
Work to a fixed seasonal calendar (e.g. batches of designs due weekly ahead of key dates) and deliver on tight, non-negotiable deadlines
Requirements
Proven experience designing for Etsy POD shops (please share portfolio/shop links)
Specific experience with our product lines — must show past work in at least 2 of these:
Personalized ornaments (name/date customization layouts)
Mugs (wrap-around design placement, handle-safe zones)
Cutting boards (engraving-style designs, laser-engrave-safe files)
Candles (label/wrap design, jar vs. tin sizing)
Comfortable with design software (Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, or similar — any combination is fine, just tell us what you use)
Understands POD production requirements (print-ready files, DPI, bleed/safe zones, transparent PNGs) and specifically laser engraving file specs (for cutting boards/ornaments, e.g. vector files, engrave-safe line weights) and sublimation printing specs (for mugs, e.g. wrap templates, white space/handle areas)
Familiarity with Etsy SEO and listing best practices (image order, thumbnail optimization) is a plus
Strong eye for current design trends and color/typography choices
Reliable internet connection and ability to meet deadlines
Available for the full duration of the season with no planned extended time off (please flag any known unavailability upfront)
Able to handle higher design volume/output during peak weeks without sacrificing quality
Good written English for async communication
Experience with file organization/naming conventions and cloud tools (Google Drive, Dropbox, Trello/Asana, etc.)
Nice to Have
Experience with a specific POD niche similar to ours (tell candidates your niche here)
Basic copywriting skills for titles/tags/descriptions
Familiarity with Canva Bulk Create or mockup automation tools
Experience using AI design tools (Claude) Chat Gpt etc.) for concepting — if you're open to this

How to Apply

Please include:

Portfolio or links to Etsy shops you've designed for — please point out any work on ornaments, mugs, cutting boards, or candles specifically
Software/tools you're proficient in
Your available hours/timezone overlap
Your rate expectation (hourly, in USD)
Confirmation you're available for the full season dates listed above
A 1–2 sentence answer: "What makes a mockup convert on Etsy?"
Compensation
Own dedicated computer
Reliable High Speed Internet

Add your hourly rate range or budget here
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X–Y/hr USD, paid via Wise/PayPal/Payoneer, [weekly/bi-weekly]]

Tools We Use

List your stack — e.g., Canva Pro, Printify, Etsy Seller App, Trello, Google Drive, Slack