Photo Assignment Editor, (AJC)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is one of the most storied brands in journalism, with a legacy that stretches back over a century. Our MISSION is to be the most essential and engaging source of news and for the people of Atlanta, Georgia and the South, and we have a vision to transform this great institution into a modern media company.

That’s where you come in.

We are looking for a Photo Assignment Editor who has proven experience handling a wide range of visual coverage and assignments—from breaking news to entertainment. At the AJC, we cover a breadth of topics across local news, investigations, politics, education, features and sports (including high school, college, and professional teams). Our photographers work on daily, enterprise and investigative content, and their images are displayed across digital, social and print platforms.

We are redefining our visual strategy, and this role is a key to our success.

You will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most accomplished journalists in the South and to help us establish a bold visual identity and storytelling style that helps define The AJC for the next generation. And, you’ll have a chance to live, work and play in one of the nation’s most dynamic, fastest-growing cities, home to the nation’s largest film and television production hub outside of Hollywood.

A successful candidate displays strong editorial judgment and has a background in photojournalism, assignment editing, photo selection, and strong organizational skills. This role reports to the Director of visuals, and requires a team player who can work autonomously to deliver results.

Some of your job responsibilities:

· Work with a team of photographers, freelancers, and our QC desk to visually capture stories within metro Atlanta and our three AJC bureaus in Savannah, Athens and Macon.

· Stay tied to the news cycle and strategize to build out daily, weekly, and monthly assignments to ensure we are making keen editorial decisions and prioritizing stories that require original photography

· Collaborate closely with photographers, reporters and newsroom editors to ensure timely delivery of assets and keep social, video and graphics teams aware of photo opportunities

· Use editorial judgement to make photo selections and decisions for social posts and sponsored series

· Use editorial judgement and audience insights to edit and place photos within articles or content hubs

· Find creative solutions to elevate visuals across platforms, overseeing section fronts, print pages, and home page visuals

· Edit photos and identify opportunities to allocate graphic and video resources

· Receive photography requests from reporters and editors and build out thoughtful, creative approaches to direct photo shoots and capitalize on the team’s strengths

· Manage photography schedules, shoot locations, and credentials

· Maintain internal databases and workflow systems to track and archive assets

· Additional admin tasks as assigned by management

The qualifications and experience you should have:

· With a BA/BS, must have 4 years of photography photo assigning and/or photo editing/selection experience; with a Master’s degree have at least 2 years of experience; with Ph.D. must have at least 1 year of experience; with no degree, must have a minimum of 8 years of experience in photography and photo assignment/editing.

· 4 years experience working in a newsroom strongly preferred

· Experience covering of high-profile events, such as sports championships and political conventions

· Experience working on an assignment desk and contributing to making photo selection

· Proven understanding of photojournalism and photography

· Strong organizational skills and communication skills

· Passion and excitement for news and digital content

· Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines while juggling multiple projects

· Ability to remain flexible in changing environments

· Must be able to work an extended schedule as deadlines or the news cycle requires

· Fast digital editing skills

· Proficiency in photo editing software (ie: Photoshop, PhotoMechanic, Lightroom etc.) and FTP transmission.