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 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 interactive visualisations that are accurate, engaging and visually compelling. 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

Terms and conditions:
Full time, permanent, News Media Guild position

Annual Salary: $130,000 – $140,000

• 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 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.
• 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 handle team communications with local and international stakeholders.
• Ensure styles and principles for visual journalism are upheld, maintaining 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 the required technical backdrop for impactful visual journalism.

• 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.
• Strong understanding of data sourcing, cleaning and analysing.
• Knowledge of how to find trustworthy and reputable data sets, photos and other…