Job description
The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.
About the Role:
The New York Times Photo department is seeking a visionary leader and experienced visual journalist to oversee the continued digital transformation of one of the world’s most significant visual histories. While our digital archive is extensive, many undigitized physical assets remain stored in our newsroom.
This role is dual-purpose: you will serve as the strategic architectfor the ongoing digitization and preservation of these archives, and as an editorial producer who surfaces and initiates ambitious visual storytelling. You will bridge the gap between our physical past and our digital future, ensuring our vast collection of unseen history is accessible, preserved, and utilized to enhance our journalism.
This is an in-office position based in New York and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute a long-term plan to digitize ~2 million remaining prints and millions of negatives, transitioning physical assets to cloud-based systems for newsroom-wide access.
- Oversee the urgent migration of legacy digital media to the cloud, ensuring these assets are successfully linked to our internal search and discovery tools for newsroom access.
- Source and pitch archival visual enterprise stories and series, collaborating with various desks to produce Life in Pictures features, advance obituaries, and complex visual narratives.
- Lead the development of new digital formats and presentation styles for archival content, pushing the boundaries of how historical photography is experienced online.
- Manage and partner with the caretaker of The Times’ archive to fully edify your knowledge and understanding of the archive’s structure, contents and history.
- Work closely with the caretaker of The Times’ archive and other stakeholders to ensure a cohesive approach to the preservation of both photographic and non-photographic history.
- Collaborate with the assistant editor for the Image Support Team to coordinate and modernize Image Support technician workflows to maximize efficiency in archival scanning, studio operations, still-life photography, and digital production support for photo editors.
- Accelerate the research process for desks across the newsroom, acting as the primary expert on the archive’s contents and potential.
- 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 a Deputy Editor for Photo.
Basic Qualifications:
- At least 8 years of relevant professional experience
- Experience managing journalists and/or leading multidisciplinary teams.
- Proven deep knowledge of photographic preservation standards, digital asset management systems, and large-scale digitization workflows
- A strong background in photo editing and visual journalism, with a proven ability to identify compelling narratives within a vast collection of images.
- Experience managing technical staff (lab technicians) and overseeing complex, multi-year projects with many moving parts.
- Familiarity with cloud-based storage solutions and a forward-thinking approach to digital storytelling tools.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Newsroom experience
- Experience working seamlessly across different newsroom desks, balancing the technical needs of preservation with the fast-paced demands of daily journalism.
- A passion for the history of photography and an understanding of its cultural and journalistic significance.
REQ-019526
The annual base pay range for this role is between:
$150,000—$170,000 USD
For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.
For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.
The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.
The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email [email protected]. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
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