Photo Editor Jobs in Elgin, IL (NOW HIRING)

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants is looking for a Brand Content Creator - a versatile, hands-on creative who can ideate, shoot, edit, and publish best-in-class content across every platform where our guests live. This is a maker’s role for someone who is equally confident behind a camera, in an edit timeline, and inside a content calendar.

Reporting to the Creative Content Lead, you will translate brand and campaign direction into scroll-stopping work - fast. While the heart of this role is social content (short-form video, Reels, photography), you are also an in-house creative resource who supports the broader brand across photography, video, and visual storytelling needs. You move quickly, produce professionally, and stay resourceful when a moment needs to be captured and posted in real time.

This role supports Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants and Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk, and is part of the Marketing team.

How You Will Succeed:

Content Creation & Production (the core of this role)

• Ideate, shoot, edit, and publish high-performing content - short-form video, Reels, TikToks, and photography - that brings the Cooper’s Hawk brand and menu to life.
• Own the full production process end to end: concept, capture, edit, color, sound, captions, and final delivery, with a strong eye for pacing, framing, and brand aesthetics.
• Act as the on-the-ground content creator at events, activations, tastings, and in-restaurant moments - capturing and posting in real time.
• Produce platform-native content optimized for the distinct needs of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and emerging platforms, adapting tone, format, and aspect ratio for each.
• Maintain a library of organized, tagged, and archived photo and video assets for reuse across teams.

Beyond Social: In-House Brand Creative

• Serve as a flexible in-house creative resource, supporting broader brand media needs including lifestyle and food photography, video production, and visual content for marketing campaigns.
• Partner with Brand, PR, and Creative teams to ensure visual consistency and a cohesive brand identity across channels and touchpoints.
• Bring fresh, trend-aware creative ideas to the table and prototype new content formats and series.

Publishing, Community & Light Monitoring

• Publish and schedule content through Sprout Social, ensuring posts align with the marketing calendar and brand standards.
• Provide light community management - monitoring comments and DMs, surfacing and escalating notable guest feedback or brand sentiment to the Social Media Manager and internal teams. (Community management supports the role but is not its primary focus.)
• Support influencer and cross-brand collaborations through content coordination, tagging, and cross-posting for wine partnerships, Friends of Cooper’s Hawk events, and brand collaborations.

Trends & Performance Awareness

• Stay ahead of platform updates, formats, and cultural trends, bringing timely ideas that keep the brand relevant and culturally fluent.
• Review content performance alongside the Social Media Manager and apply learnings (engagement, views, saves, growth) to sharpen future content.

What You’ll Bring:

• Multi-medium craft: 2–4+ years creating social-first content with a portfolio/reel that demonstrates strong shooting and editing across video and photography.
• Production skills: proficiency with video and photo editing tools (Adobe Premiere Pro, CapCut, Lightroom/Photoshop or similar); comfortable operating cameras, lighting, and audio in run-and-gun and styled settings.
• AI:  Demonstrated proficiency with AI platforms (e.g. Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Canva, or similar) and a passion for continuously adopting emerging technologies that enhance creative performance.
• Platform fluency: deep working knowledge of Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok best practices - trends, algorithms, formats, and what makes each platform perform.
• Tools of the trade: hands-on experience with a social media management platform (Sprout Social strongly preferred) for scheduling, publishing, and monitoring.
• Speed + polish: able to turn around professional work quickly in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment without sacrificing quality.
• Resourcefulness: a self-starter who can solve problems on set, capture the moment, and make great content with whatever the situation allows.
• Collaboration: takes creative direction well, communicates clearly, and works smoothly across Brand, PR, and Creative partners.
• Education/experience: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Digital Media, Film, or related field - or equivalent professional experience. Hospitality, food & beverage, or lifestyle brand experience is a strong plus.

Compensation Range: $60,000 - $75,000. The final offered salary will be based on several factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s depth of experience, skill set, qualifications, and internal pay equity.

• Incredible Discounts:
• Monthly Dining Allowance
• 50% Dining and Carryout
• 40% Retail Wine
• 20% Retail and Private Events
• Monthly Complimentary Wine Tasting for Two 
• Medical, Prescription, Dental, Vision Insurance plus Telemedicine and Wellness Program
• Company Matching 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Flexible Savings Accounts- Health and Dependent Care
• Health Savings Account 
• Long-Term Disability; Voluntary Short-Term Disability
• Basic Life and AD&D Insurance (with option to purchase additional coverage)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Highly Competitive Pay plus Team Member Incentives & Rewards  
• Paid Time Off 
• Milestones Recognition Program
• Complimentary Gym Membership in RSC Building
• Hybrid Work Week (3 days in office, 2 days remote, depending on role)

About Us

Cooper's Hawk features a Napa-style tasting room with wine-inspired retail for entertaining and a full-service restaurant, bar and private event space, offering a modern-yet-casual dining experience. Each scratch-kitchen menu item is designed to pair with our wines. Speaking of wine...the Cooper's Hawk Wine Club is perhaps the largest in the world, offering not only top-notch award-winning wines but also exclusive Wine Club membership benefits, including curated dining and travel experiences. Since 2005, we've brought the Napa Valley experience to our guests and Wine Club members, and now, with Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk, we’re bringing the vibrant flavors of Rome to them as well. Together, we’re creating a lifestyle brand like no other.