Graphics Editor

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.

The US Graphics editor leads the creation and delivery of data visualisation from the Guardian’s US office. Working across breaking news, data-driven reporting and explanatory journalism, they source, commission, produce and edit graphics and interactives that are accurate, engaging and visually compelling. As part of a global graphics operation, they collaborate with editors, reporters and visual teams across time zones to ensure high-quality visual coverage of both international and US news, while helping to shape workflows, standards and innovation within the team.

Department: Editorial

Reports to: Head of News, US; Creative director US; Global head of visuals and data journalism

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
 

Key Responsibilities

• Take the day-to-day lead in producing impactful visual journalism from single statics, through to packages of visuals for quick-turnaround projects and longer term interactive features with a focus on US and international news.
• Partner with US editors, reporters and global data and visuals teams to plan and coordinate coverage of major news events, such as US elections or conflict outbreaks, ensuring flow of communication between stakeholders in all our offices.
• Work as part of a global, round-the-clock Graphics/Data Visuals team, taking ownership of major breaking and globally significant stories during US hours and providing clear handovers to colleagues in other locations to support continuous coverage.
• Source reliable and trustworthy data from reputable sources
• Source, clean and analyse data, and where possible obtain meaningful satellite imagery and other materials for the creation of news graphics and visual explainers.
• Digest and interpret material from scientific publications and other sources that can be used to build explainer diagrams, annotated images and other diverse forms of visual journalism.
• Oversee and edit a range of visuals, from simple charts using in-house tools through to complex data visualisation and detailed mapping exercises, using various software.
• To pitch graphics and visual projects to the newsroom, manage the work of the US graphics reporters and interactive journalists, prioritise stories and requests in order of impact and importance, and to handle team comms with local and international stakeholders.
• To ensure styles and principles for visual journalism are upheld, ensuring rigorous standards of journalistic integrity and usability.
• Ensure a mobile-first mindset in the team for the production of visual journalism
• Engage with ways to elevate the team’s skill sets and evolve workflows, collaborating with global teams to ensure you have the technical backdrop required to produce impactful visual journalism.

About you 
 

• Deep knowledge of visual journalism, with a portfolio demonstrating the ability to create effective data-driven graphics for digital platforms and experience with the tools, techniques and workflows required.
• Experience working at pace for a busy news organisation, ideally within a breaking news environment.
• Experience managing editorial teams and production workflows.
• Discernment and strong judgement around the use of OSINT.
• Extensive knowledge of geography and cartographic best practice.
• A strong understanding of data sourcing,  cleaning and analysing.
• Knowledge of how to find trustworthy and reputable data sets, photos and other information that can be the source for visual assignments.
• A knowledge of key accessibility checks, and the challenges of designing inclusive graphics
• A good understanding of cartography e.g.: appropriate projection use and choropleth classifications
• A sophisticated understanding of data visualisation best practice including the relative effectiveness of visual encodings and the choosing of, for instance,  appropriate colour ramps.
• Substantial experience with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel/Google Sheets and in working with geodata in QGIS, or equivalents.
• The ability to give feedback to senior stakeholders and to collaborate and build relationships within a newsroom setting.
• Ideally, you’ll have a demonstrable ability to bring a diverse perspective to this role 

Key contacts and relationships (internal and external)

US head of news, US international and home editors, US reporters, US investigations and data reporters, US creative director, digital editors, UK and Australian graphics / data and visuals teams, Global head of visual and data journalism.

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 [email protected] 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.

***
 

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.