Art Director, News and Features (Temporary)

The Los Angeles Times is seeking an art director to join its design team. The ideal candidate has experience working in digital media, commissioning and art-directing illustrations, with a portfolio that shows off high-level skills in design, typography and visual storytelling. This person will be comfortable working under the deadlines of a busy newsroom and be willing to roll up their sleeves when needed to build story layouts for our digital stories, design branding for newsletters or podcasts and create photo illustrations. We want to make the visual voice of the Los Angeles Times truly special - a creative reflection of Los Angeles - and are looking for an energetic collaborator to join our team.

In this position, you will:

• Design, art-direct and coordinate projects and the digital builds of our stories using our CMS
• Collaborate with copy editors, assigning editors, reporters, website producers, graphics editors and photo/visual journalists to tell stories with impact
• Design and art-direct A1 as well as section covers and inside pages for daily California, Business, Sports and Opinion sections and weekly Entertainment and Weekend features sections, as well as special projects, plus section booking as needed
• Commission and art-direct freelance illustrators
• Create photo illustrations for daily digital stories and social media
• Develop innovative design ideas and approaches to storytelling
• Organize and take the lead on digital design projects such as Instagram accounts or newsletters, as well as coach designers to do the same
• Create branding for new initiatives
• Seek out new illustrator portfolios to add to our inclusive database of illustrators, with an emphasis on L.A. artists
• Learn and follow style guidelines
• Work with design managers to ensure brand coherence
• Experiment with what we can do as digital designers

Requirements:

• A minimum of seven years of experience at a comparable digital-first journalistic publication or website
• Previous experience with CCI Newsgate or similar CMS
• Must be willing to work weekend shifts, and may be required to work evening hours for special coverage
• Excellent time management skills
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• Strong editorial news judgment, impeccable journalistic instincts and an unimpeachable commitment to ethics
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Demonstrated ability to design for daily digital stories and social media
• A portfolio of work that demonstrates excellence in photo editing, typography and art direction
• High energy and enthusiasm for journalism and visual storytelling
• A keen eye for current design trends and the ability to create designs in a variety of styles
• Ability to work on a tight deadline, especially in breaking news situations
• Strong working knowledge of design software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
• Positive self-starter capable of performing under pressure and making good decisions
• Experience with animation, motion graphics or After Effects a plus

This temporary position is expected to last nine months. We will consider candidates who would work remotely in other time zones as well as those who would work in El Segundo, Calif. Night and weekend work is expected.

Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and portfolio to Senior Deputy Design Directors Allison Hong and Faith Stafford through the Apply link.

The L.A. Times is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively work to create an inclusive environment where all of our employees can thrive. This Privacy Notice for Los Angeles Times sets forth how we will use the information we obtain when you apply for a position with us. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our career site.

The pay scale the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of the posting is $39.59 to $52.92 and takes into account a wide range of factors including but not limited to skill set, experience, training, licenses, certifications, and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. At the L.A. Times, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role. Please visit our career site to view the benefits available to our employees. We recommend adding our applicant tracking system domain (@dayforce.com) as a safe sender or contact, sometimes these emails get filtered to candidates' spam folders.

The Company is a mandatory vaccination employer for COVID-19 and its variants. The Company requires that its employees be fully vaccinated as of their start date. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to start. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date.

• The Los Angeles Times, 2300 E. Imperial Hwy, El Segundo, California, United States of America