Temporary Senior Editor, Visuals

Application Deadline: Please submit your application materials by Friday, November 6th, 2026, at 5:00 pm EST

Intro to Position

As a member of the Visuals team, the Senior Visual Editor will be primarily focused on editing and producing content for NPR’s Investigations and Long Form Podcast Unit and projects. This producer will primarily work on commissioning and editing photography and illustration for all NPR platforms. This is a temporary position and ends in June 2027.

NPR Visuals is focused on creating and distributing content that reflects and serves America. We work with teams across NPR, our member stations, and content partners to tell stories and engage audiences on NPR.org, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other visual platforms.

This is an NPR editorial role covered under the terms of the NPR Ethics Handbook. All editorial staff are bound by this guidance. Editorial staff are defined as staff members who play a role in shaping the journalistic or creative direction of NPR's content, including events.    

This is a union-represented role covered under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement with SAG-AFTRA. 

Responsibilities

• Commission and edit original photography and illustrations for NPR stories and podcasts.
• Innovate, execute, assess and iterate visual projects for all platforms.
• Edit, research and license images for all NPR platforms including NPR.org, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok  and emerging platforms.
• Work with photographers, illustrators, agencies and vendors to process contracts and invoices from assignments. 
• Handle photo imaging, captions and credits for stories you edit.
• Attend meetings as needed with the Visuals team, desks, podcasts and shows.
• Contribute to planning and creating strategic efforts to effectively reach new and existing audiences on digital platforms
• Coordinate with member station journalists and other content partners as needed in order to acquire, publish and distribute visual assets for NPR and other public media platforms.
• Effectively represents the interests and capabilities of NPR visuals with colleagues across the company
• Provide guidance and feedback to other Visual team members.
• Occasionally photo edit breaking news stories or large scale news events. 
• Research, pitch, write and produce stories for NPR’s visuals blog, The Picture Show.
• Uphold the highest standards for NPR’s visual journalism and storytelling.
• Collaborate with NPR’s Instagram team on creating engaging visual content for the platform.
• Stay up to date with NPR broadcasts, podcasts, reporters, news wires, competition and internal communications to make sure our visual storytelling is optimized and smart.
• Additional duties as assigned by your manager.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Required Skills

• Photographic storytelling experience, preferably with a major network or newsroom, studio or creative agency.
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Cloud programs related to video and photo design. (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere).
• Ability to handle multiple and complex projects simultaneously under stringent time frames and changing priorities/conditions.
• Demonstrated commitment to increasing audience diversity.
• Be well versed in copyright and ethical journalism practices.
• Extensive experience in content management systems.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Excellent organizational skills to handle multiple assignments across different teams and timelines.
• Have a strong interest in current events.
• Ability to work independently and with members of a cooperative team.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in work experience

Work Location & Requirements

• SAG-AFTRA Hybrid Permitted: This is a hybrid permitted role. The employee will be required to be in the office at the Washington, D.C. location at least 2 days a week. The employee must also reside in Washington, D.C. / Maryland / Virginia.

Job Type

• This is a temporary (6-month) full-time position.

Compensation

Hourly Rate: The U.S. based anticipated hourly rate for this opportunity is $61.30 per hour. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum hourly rate NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR offers access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

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