Freelance Editorial Photographer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Guardian is a global news organization that delivers fearless, independent journalism. From breaking news and award-winning investigations to in-depth coverage of technology, sports, film, culture, and lifestyle, the Guardian offers a global view that deepens our audiences' understanding of America and the world.

Headquartered in New York City, Guardian US is an entirely digital operation that seeks to engage US readers by combining the Guardian's international coverage with US voices and expertise. Core coverage areas include US politics, technology, the climate emergency, economic and racial inequality, health, sports, culture, and more. Guardian US launched in 2011 and has bureaus in New York, Washington DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. The Guardian is an independently owned, mission-driven organization funded by readers around the globe.

It's the talent, energy, and commitment our people bring to The Guardian that makes us who we are. Across our business, we have some of the most creative thinkers in media and beyond, award-winning journalists, cutting-edge commercial teams, digital talent, and more.

Department: Editorial

Reports to:  Executive Editor, Guardian US and Global head of photography (based in London)

Location: New York, NY

Hybrid/Remote/In-Person: Hybrid

Terms and conditions: Full time, permanent, News Media Guild position

Annual Salary: $130,000 - $140,000
This is a senior leadership role, taking responsibility for the day-to-day operations of all photography published from the US region. You will  commission and curate editorial photography across the region and take responsibility for direct management of regional picture editors/photographers. You will be accountable for applying global standards locally and ensuring the Guardian's high editorial standards are met in all photographic output.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities
 

• Directly manage the staff picture desk in the US, overseeing day-to-day operations, and allocate regional resources and budgets.
• Support the Global head of photography in overseeing the production of editorial photography, upholding standards and driving innovation.
• Collaborate with regional and global creative teams to expand our visual journalism and ensure visual assets and fresh formats for multiple platforms.
• Contribute to the Guardian's global, 24/7 news operation by allocating appropriate picture desk resources to major news stories outside of the US region during your working hours.
• Develop and maintain relationships with freelance photographers and agencies, identifying emerging photographic talent and promoting diversity among our pool of contributors.
• Oversee photographic coverage of major news events in the US, making quick commissioning and publishing decisions during breaking news and ensuring appropriate photographer deployment and agency coverage.
• Share learnings and best practices with team members and colleagues more broadly to enhance visual appreciation.
• Mindfully contribute to the evolution of our editorial tools including Grid management and management of the picture archive.
• Represent the US photography department in editorial and cross-departmental meetings to ensure the team's alignment with daily priorities and longer term strategy.
• Work closely with editorial, design, graphics, and audience teams to make photography an integral part of story development and presentation.
• Generate and refine visual ideas for stories, packages and projects, with a strong understanding of what different platforms and formats require.
• Maintain the Guardian's high standards of accuracy, fairness, ethics, and legal compliance, particularly with regard to AI and image verification.

Key contacts and relationships (internal and external)
 

Global head of photography, regional editors, regional global head, regional creative leads.

Knowledge & experience
 

• Wide experience and understanding of photo-journalism and visual presentation.
• Extensive knowledge of and connections to multimedia photographers and industry experts.
• Experience managing teams of picture editors, photographers and freelancers
• Expertise on latest developments in photography and imaging.
• Experience with budgeting, planning and resource management.
• Knowledge of copyright and media law.
• Understanding of camera technology and workflows, metadata and captioning standards, colour management and image quality and associated tools and software
• Experience of demonstrating fair,  inclusive leadership by promoting equity, valuing diverse perspectives, and addressing barriers that affect your team.
• Ideally, you'll have a demonstrable ability to bring a diverse perspective to this role. 

Skills and behaviours  

• Confident making editorial decisions against tight deadlines and ability to stay calm under pressure
• Excellent eye for detail, quality and powerful visual narratives
• Collaborative, open and inclusive in approach.
• Enthusiastic about experimenting with new formats and ways of reaching audiences.
• Understanding of audience needs and behaviour across different platforms. 
• Comfortable engaging with analytics to take a data-informed approach to decision-making
• Open to learning new skills and adaptable in applying your existing expertise in new ways.
• Keen to innovate and experiment in your daily work, seeing every outcome as a chance to learn and improve.
• Understanding of our values: honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community.

How to apply

We know there are great candidates who might not check all these boxes or who possess important skills we haven't thought of. If that's you, we encourage you to apply and tell us about yourself.

All candidates interested in applying should upload a resume and cover letter.  

All roles at the Guardian are open for everybody to apply. It is important to us that you feel supported and comfortable throughout your recruitment process, in order to perform your best. Please let us know if there are any changes we could make to the application process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Please email the recruiter listed on the job posting or at recruitment.us@theguardian.com to discuss further so we can work with you to support you through your application.
Compensation and benefits

• 25 days of vacation leave in addition to 12 company holidays
• Unlimited sick time
• Employee Assistance Programs
• 401(k) Match
• Subsidized healthcare coverage including medical, vision, and dental
• Medical and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts
• Generous parental leave with 100% pay
• Long Term and Short Term Disability insurance 
• Life insurance 
• Commuter benefits 
• Work/Life balance: Flexible hybrid schedule 
   

Culture & wellbeing

We want everyone to feel like they belong at the Guardian and we champion diversity of thought. You will also have the opportunity to hear unique insight from our journalists in our morning conference, a live discussion on the news story of the day. 

We offer great tools to help you prioritize your wellbeing including access to Employee Assistance Programs. 

Learning & development

We encourage personal and professional growth. Employees have access to a broad range of tools and solutions, and we are happy to support the pursuit of professional qualifications through vocational courses and apprenticeships.

Sustainability

Our goal is to become an environmentally regenerative company and we have signed up to a sustainability vision and strategy to reach it. Find more information about sustainability at GNM here.

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The Guardian is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, national origin, ethnic origin, citizenship status, disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law in its employment policies. In addition, the Guardian will provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities.
We value and respect all differences (seen and unseen) in all people at the Guardian. We aspire to have inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future.