Visuals Editor
The Charlotte Observer is looking for an experienced journalist to join us in shaping and executing our visual journalism strategy. This is an editorial leadership position focused on delivering video experiences that connect with existing and new audiences.
This individual will lead the visual journalism efforts across the Charlotte newsroom. He or she will manage the visual journalism staff in Charlotte, in addition to visual journalists in several McClatchy southeast region newsrooms. This position requires excellent communication skills to work effectively across our newsroom, our region’s newsrooms and with our regional team of video producers. The visuals editor plays a vital role in ensuring that video is a major part of the daily and long-term coverage plans around key topic areas through a combination of original and aggregated content. A background in video production, leadership and a strong sense of news judgment is required.
Responsibilities:
- Use data and audience understanding to coach and guide short-term and long-term video strategies.
- Assign and direct daily and long-term multimedia (video and photo) stories.
- Collaborate with regional video production leaders on daily video aggregation, curation and promotion efforts, prioritizing placement within our stories and on social media.
- Lead training sessions on video best practices for reporters and editors.
- Communicate regularly with McClatchy video leaders on audience goals and video quality.
- Pay close attention daily to real-time analytics to determine video possibilities.
- Generate ideas for video that appeals across platforms for multiple audiences.
- Pitch video stories to relevant third-parties for embed, social, promotional consideration
- Supervise additional visual journalists at other southeastern regional sites at the direction of the regional visuals editor.
Requirements
Education: College degree required.
Experience: Minimum of three years digital journalism experience. Familiarity with file conversion software, codecs and platforms such as Storyful, Chartbeat and CrowdTangle a plus.
Special training: Advanced ability to edit video. Extensive background in video and online media preferred.
Skills needed: Excellent interpersonal, problem solving and collaborative skills required. Leadership, strategic thinking experience and the ability to work across a broad range of colleagues essential. Visual sensibility and experience contributing to interactive and multimedia work, with creative concepts and implementation. Exceptional news judgment, advanced communication skills needed. A deeply-connected professional network and a vision of future audience trends and digital media are important.
Personal attributes: Comfort in a fast-paced deadline environment, flexibility and online smarts. The ability to monitor a vast amount of information for a wide audience, matched with discerning judgment. Skill to work well with a variety of editors and staff at all levels within a digital newsroom. Aptitude for thinking big, working wisely and quickly iterating.
This position will be based in the Charlotte newsroom and will report to the regional visuals editor, with a dotted line to the executive editor in Charlotte.