Photography Director, Cut

New York Magazine and The Cut are part of Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s possible.

As a community of journalists and storytellers, business professionals, creators and technologists, we believe it is a moral and business imperative to amplify voices: to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and media. This applies to our candidates, our teams, our storytelling, our creative work, and our platforms, products, and partnerships.

The Cut is looking for a Photo Director to set and lead our visual strategy across digital, social, video, and print. The ideal candidate will have at least ten years of experience in visual production and a deep understanding of photography, art direction, and visual storytelling, along with an enviable book of contacts across agencies, photographers, and creatives. This role requires strong editorial judgment, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to manage many projects and deadlines at once in a fast-paced environment.

You will report to Lindsay Peoples, Editor-in-Chief of The Cut and work closely with her to uphold and advance the visual identity of The Cut, while partnering with editorial teams to turn ideas into compelling visual narratives. You will also lead and mentor the photo team, guiding them to deliver strong results while nurturing their craft and creative sensibilities.

We're looking for someone who obsessively follows culture (from politics to fashion to celebrity) and knows what makes a Cut story. You should have impeccable visual taste, big ideas on how to expand the visual language of The Cut, and a passion for storytelling.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

• Set the visual strategy for The Cut across print, digital, social, and video
• Provide clear visual direction, constructive feedback, and support to the photo team
• Spearhead all aspects of photo shoot production, from commissioning teams and liaising with vendors to ensuring each shoot is successful and on budget
• Track and maintain the overall photo budget, setting and assigning individual project budgets to team members and communicating clearly with editorial leadership and finance partners on all active projects
• Manage workflow, including assigning work, overseeing workloads, and maintaining visual quality
• Manage photo research, image selection, credits, and CMS upload and publication
• Conduct deep visual research and curate lists of photographers accompanied by visual boards
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with the editors across The Cut to understand their visual needs and orchestrate projects accordingly
• Regularly pitch ideas for new photographers, essays, and photo-driven stories
• Develop and maintain relationships with photo agencies, independent photographers, stylists, and studios
• Ensure contracts, photo fees, and usage rights are in place for all images, whether produced or researched, and that all photography meet ethical standards and adheres to copyright law
• Collaborate with sales, partnerships, editorial, web, social, and video teams to ensure the highest level of visual execution across all platforms
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in visual production, photo editing, or a related field
• Strong people manager with a track record of inspiring and developing talent
• Excellent editorial judgment, with demonstrated experience managing teams to develop visual stories across platforms and a detailed understanding of each platform's requirements
• Proficiency in photo editing software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Photoshop
• Ability to travel on occasion for assignments and shoots
• Enjoy…