The Seattle Times - Director of Photography

Director of Photography is needed in Seattle, United States.

Client: The Seattle Times

Location: Seattle, WA

Contract: Full-time, Full-time, Part-time

Job Description

The Seattle Times, a family-owned news organization and one of the nation’s premier regional news sources, is hiring a Director of Photography to lead our photo/video team and advance the Seattle Times’ legacy as a publisher of impactful photojournalism. This is a key leadership position in our newsroom and an opportunity to manage one of the best photojournalism teams in the country.

As the Director of Photography, you will lead a team of award-winning photojournalists, video journalists, photo editors, and photo production staff, fostering collaboration and inclusion while ensuring a high level of quality visual journalism is maintained across all Seattle Times online and print publications. Your role will include participation across the newsroom in brainstorming the best approaches for photo and video assignments and selecting images for a variety of stories. You will set the vision of the team with accuracy and ethics as a guide, encouraging coverage that reflects the beauty and diversity of the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle Times has a history of producing groundbreaking journalism for a regional audience and is dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in its news coverage.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of award-winning photojournalists, video journalists, photo editors, and photo production staff, fostering a culture of creativity and innovation.
• Edit photography on a daily basis and establish responsibilities for the photo edit and production staff.
• Utilize audience metrics for strategic coverage decisions that align with company growth goals.
• Determine workflows for publishing photojournalism, assigning and editing photo/video staff, and collaborating with other journalists.
• Manage budgets for equipment, travel, and coverage expenses.
• Ensure adherence to journalism ethics while maintaining standards on news judgment and equity.
• Contribute to newsroom initiatives and build collaborative relationships across teams.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years in a fast-paced newsroom, with at least 4 years in editing photography and managing visual teams.
• Demonstrated leadership ability with visual teams and experience making data-driven coverage decisions.
• Strong prioritization, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to coach and mentor team members, fostering teamwork.
• Experience advancing equity and inclusion in news coverage.
• Flexibility to work nights and weekends as needed.

Compensation

The full salary range for this position is $99,100 to $140,000, with typical pay between $99,100 and $126,400 depending on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

• Medical, dental insurance, and long-term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Optional life and AD&D insurance and long-term care insurance
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• 10 days of annual vacation accrual, increasing with tenure up to 20 days
• 10 days of annual sick accrual; unused sick pay accrues to an extended illness bank
• 9 paid holidays
• Subsidized transit cards
• Complimentary Seattle Times subscription
• Wellness program
• Parental leave options