Editor, Social Visuals

The New York Times is continuing to expand our presence across social media platforms. The Social Visuals team's core mission is to identify compelling visual stories across the depth and breadth of our report. We showcase the expertise of Times journalists, share urgent news updates, and promote and elevate some of our most compelling visual material. The team applies expert design, photo editing, art direction and social platform expertise to the visuals that lead and accompany the way our work is presented to our audiences off platform.

The Editor, Social Visuals is responsible for defining and implementing the visual strategy for The Times's off-platform reporting. You have a clear vision of how to create the biggest impact with our visuals wherever we publish and will bring an elevated, distinctive aesthetic and a strong narrative-driven quality to the Times' social media presence. This role requires a nuanced approach: developing standardized structures and flexible formulas to ensure speed and scalability. You will articulate your strategic vision and help lead its successful execution. You will manage and motivate a cross-functional team of editors and designers while fostering a collaborative approach with the rest of the organization.

This is an in-office position based in New York and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week.

Responsibilities:

• Manage and mentor a team to produce urgent, compelling, and high-quality visuals across all social platforms, ensuring we meet strategic goals for reach and distinction.

• Emphasize card-based formats across platforms, establishing best practices for combining visual editing and writing, and maintain synergy and collaborative opportunities with the Home team.

• Develop a high-level social visuals strategy and playbook, considering different platform needs.

• Oversee new tools and provide training for cross-functional teams to expand the scale and 24/7 availability of high-quality visuals.

• Embrace measures for success that combine editorial and visual judgment with data and Audience feedback about engagement, growth and specific reader responses.

• Partner with the Audience team to clearly define social visual resources for both breaking news and enterprise executions, working with social editors to structure shifts within resource constraints.

• Contribute strategic insights and plans to Social leaders, counseling them on best visual practices and fostering a trusting dialogue on strategy, programming, and visual quality.

• Refine systems and workflows that ensure the team upholds visual and journalistic standards and documentation to clarify best practices and routines.

• Champion the use of tools and resources that help the Times grow at scale and enable other teams to create high-quality visuals that support our off-platform report.

• Collaborate closely with the Photo, Graphics, Design, and Video desks to oversee asset usage and maintain communication with newsroom desks to ensure signature visual journalism has a sharp presence in social feeds.

• Maintain a conversation with the Reporter Video unit for overlapping work and inspiration.

• Provide bespoke direction and editing on high-priority and enterprise packages with a strong visual element, assigning a social visuals editor to collaborate with the Audience team.

• Drive the efficient use of visual assets for both off-platform distribution and the homepage.

• Conduct regular meetings to review visual quality and set visual priorities with the team each day

• Provide regular feedback, coaching, and training to adjacent editors (Social and desk audience editors) to enhance their visual editing and making skills.

• Manage and support your direct reports, including recruiting and hiring, career development, and training.

• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

• You will report to the Editor, Digital News Design with a dotted line to the Editor, Social Media and Emerging Platforms.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience, including collaborative design and project management, preferably in a digital newsroom or publication.

• Management and leadership experience

• Proven experience producing and editing visual journalism

• Deep understanding of evolving trends on mainstream and emerging social channels.

• Knowledge of digital tools and programs, including content management systems.

• Track record of developing successful visual approaches for a range of platforms.

• A refined visual design sensibility; hierarchy, typography, color, space.

• Well-versed in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong news judgement, and a deep understanding of journalism ethics and independent reporting.

• Design or Visual background at a major news organization.

• Experience working collaboratively to develop formats for visual journalism on a range of platforms

• Strong organizational and collaborative talents

• Strong communication and diplomatic skills

• A passion for visual storytelling and breaking news, feature and enterprise journalism.

• Comfortable managing multiple projects on a variety of timelines in a fast-paced and often challenging environment

• Flexibility to work extended hours

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