Color Grading Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

How You'll Contribute

The National Geographic Society headquarters, based in Washington, D.C., is soon opening a state-of-the-art attraction, The National Geographic Museum of Exploration, which will be open June 2026. Components of the new guest experience will include a state-of-the-art pavilion entrance, auditorium, iconic photo gallery, exhibition space, immersive walk-through attraction, retail, food and beverage, education center, archives, tours, public programming and exciting new event space.
How You'll Contribute
The Business Strategy and Performance team is responsible for creating the overall business strategy of all revenue streams on campus that meet or exceed gross and net revenue targets across all business lines including, but not limited to ticketing sales, tours group sales, food and beverage, retail, event rentals, and event programming.
The Social Content Producer is the visual storyteller and technical engine behind the National Geographic Museum of Exploration's digital presence. This is a highly mobile, creative, and technical role designed for someone who lives behind a lens and inside an editing suite.
Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Content & Creative, this role will work closely with the Social Media Manager who focuses on strategy and community management, the Producer is the "boots on the ground" creator. This role is responsible for capturing the magic of our exhibitions, events, and behind-the-scenes discoveries, then transforming that raw footage into high-performing, platform-optimized assets.

Your Impact

Responsibilities Include:

Field Capture & Production 40%

• Boots on the Ground: Serve as the primary visual creator at museum events, exhibit launches, and content shoots.

• Raw Asset Collection: Capture high-quality video, photography, and audio that aligns with the National Geographic aesthetic.

• Creative Direction: Translate abstract exhibit themes into compelling visual hooks that stop the scroll.

Post-Production & Technical Optimization 50%

• The Pipeline Lead: Manage the end-to-end production workflow for both National Geographic Live (NGL) and Museum of Exploration (MOE) handles.

• Platform Formatting: Expertly reformat assets for specific platform UX (e.g., converting 16:9 cinematic footage into 9:16 Reels/TikToks/YouTube Shorts or 4:5 Feed posts).

• Technical Editing: Edit raw clips into cohesive narratives, including splitting long-form content into high-engagement assets like 10-slide Instagram Carousels.

Rapid-Response Design & Animation 10%

• Turn-key Creative: Provide light graphic design and motion graphics to ensure the museum can react to cultural trends in real-time.

• Asset Branding: Create custom title treatments, lower-thirds, and overlays that maintain brand integrity while feeling native to social media.

What You'll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor's degree in Film/Video Production, Digital Media, Multimedia Journalism or Visual Communications preferred.

Minimum Years of Experience:

3+ years in content production and editing.

Necessary Skills and Knowledge:

• Experience working in "live" environments (events, festivals, or active spaces)

• A proven history of producing short-form vertical video (9:16) that has reached high engagement levels.

• Software proficiency: Capcut, Adobe Creative Cloud, Premiere Pro, or similar software

• Cinematography & Capture: advance camera ops, mobile proficiency, stabilization, audio, and lighting

• UX Design for Social: Knowledge of "safe zones" on TikTok and Instagram to ensure text/UI doesn't cover critical visual information.

• Carousel Engineering: Ability to design seamless, swipeable narratives for Instagram and TikTok.

Desired Qualifications:

• 4K/8K Video Editing

• Narrative Storytelling

• Motion Graphics & Lower Thirds

• Situational Awareness (during live and busy spaces)

• Vertical Framing & Reframing

• Cultural Sensitivity & Editorial Integrity

• File Management & Transcoding

• Creative Problem Solving (under tight deadlines)

• Color Grading (Rec.709 & Log)

• Project management

• Collaboration & Communication

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $80,750.00 - $85,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.); paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

On-Site Flex - Staff members who must be physically present at Base Camp to do the vast majority of their work supporting overall building and museum operations. On-Site Flex staff hours are determined in consultation with supervisors, and are responsive to the needs of the MOE and other building operations, often including nontraditional (M-F, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) work hours.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience is not a 100% match with the position. We are looking for someone with relevant skills and experience, not a checklist that exactly matches the job description. We want to help you grow and in return, you help us grow into a stronger, more inclusive organization.