MSNBC is hiring a director of photography.
Director, Photography
Editorial | New York City, NY, United States
We seek an experienced, passionate photojournalism leader to direct our still photography report. As a member of msnbc.com’s editorial leadership team, you will lead in the creative production, acquisition, editing and presentation of news photographs.
The ideal candidate will merge the highest journalistic and ethical standards with the digital imperative for open-minded, innovative adaptability. You will be accountable for the quality and quantity of the 10-10-person photo team’s output, for collaboratively defining and executing site standards for photo usage, and for mentoring a newsroom spread across 8 time zones in four locations on best practices in picture editing. You will have demonstrated success in industry-leading storytelling, staff development and multi-platform photojournalism. Your love for great pictures is broad-ranging, and you will be as comfortable editing pictures from a war zone as you are telling visual stories about business trends, health news and entertainment events. Writing and verbal communication, enthusiastic team-work, organization and work-ethic are essential qualities for a successful candidate.
Use strong leadership skills to motivate and get top quality and high output from the photo team as they produce still photography as a standalone feature in slide shows, our PhotoBlog and The Week in Pictures, and as a key ingredient in top site pages (from our cover to stories and blog posts) across a variety of screens (PCs, phones, tablets and emerging platforms).
Partner in creating editorial strategy and manage strategy, policies, procedures and guidelines for on-line media content to achieve photo, editorial and company goals. Establish, communicate and implement strategy, direction and vision for the photo group in support of overall editorial and company strategic objectives.
- Manage the photo budget, including staff resources, T&E and contributor expenses.
- Manage staff schedules and cross-group coordination for coverage when needed.
- Manage employee performance and daily duties including setting expectations, giving direction, providing feedback, documenting and rating performance, nurturing top performers and coaching for improvement.
- Meet regularly with direct reports and also with co-managers from other groups. May coordinate work of contributors or freelancers.
- Recruit, interview and select employees for work group when openings arise.
- Analyze site traffic and work with team to grow traffic through modifying editorial coverage, improving packaging and/or utilizing technology in story-telling.
- Establish, maintain and build relationships with NBC News and Microsoft stakeholders and business partners to ensure win-win results.
- Work to build new strategies when needed.
- Produce the photo report, from writing and editing copy to writing headlines and updating subsection fronts.
- Be a major stakeholder in senior editorial meetings, generating ideas and problem solving for company and editorial department. Direct resources to implement plans. Be in sync with site philosophy and editor in chief.
- Ongoing partner relationships: Manage the editorial and production aspects of long-term relationships with content providers, syndicators of our video content, and technology and equipment vendors.
Qualifications
- A BA degree, particularly in Journalism, History, English, Film or other discipline emphasizing storytelling and multimedia creation, is required.
- Strong candidates with equivalent experience and education may be considered.
- Minimum ten years experience as a picture editor at leading publication(s), including at least 5 years of team leadership and digital platform experience.
- Proven picture editor with expertise in all of the following areas:
- Deadline assignment editing, picture editing from wires, archives and citizen journalists, deep understanding of photo copyright and negotiation for rights and clearances.
- Quick technology learner with demonstrated proficiency in photo editing software, digital asset management systems for online photos and content management systems for publishing multimedia content.