Visuals Editor: Archive and Licensing

Job Description

Visuals Editor: Archive and Licensing, Part Time

The San Francisco Chronicle has an immediate opening for a collaborative, creative, and detail-oriented editor to manage our rich photo archive. This is a rare opportunity to shape and support our newsroom’s visual coverage with more than 150 years of stunning historic photos.

The Archive and Licensing Visual Editor will be responsible for producing compelling quick-turn photo essays off breaking news, while balancing longer-term projects. This position focuses primarily on working with our archive material, licensing the work of our photojournalists, as well as photo editing contemporary work. This role is part-time, three days per week and based in San Francisco.

What you will do:

• Vet and respond to external licensing requests
• Facilitate newsroom archive requests for daily and enterprise stories
• Update and maintain our archiving standards and system
• Scan, tone, and archive photos with proper metadata
• Pitch and build visual-first narratives from our archives and current photography
• Write copy blocks and short stories to accompany visual essays
• Curate our photos of the month feature
• Curate Smugmug online photo store
• Assist with picture editing for online, print, and social media
• Lead our photo team’s Instagram account
• Keep internal systems Merlin and WCM updated with AP Kills and caption corrections
• Send PDFs to the Library of Congress
• Upload relevant/newsworthy archival content to AP and Getty partners
• Assist Video Editor with licensing multimedia content
• Generate daily and long-term story ideas
  
  

What it will take to be successful:

• A strong online portfolio that showcases photo editing experience and a passion for journalism that elevates and motivates others.
• Smart news judgment, story pitches, and a sense of urgency and the ambition to win the 24/7 news cycle.
• Knowledge of and adherence to journalism law and ethics, as well as photography copyright, and ability to educate the newsroom.
• Ability to write clean, accurate captions and metadata. Further writing experience is preferred.
• Experience in content authentication is preferred.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with all levels of the newsroom.
• Understanding of social media to effectively promote SFC photojournalism.
• Working knowledge of photo software programs such as Photoshop, Premiere, LightRoom and Photo Mechanic.
• Knowledge of the Bay Area is preferred.
  
  

Requirements:

• This position will be scheduled 24 hours per week.
• Working in the Chronicle office a minimum of 2 days per week.
• Occasional weekend, evening and holiday work will be required.
• A minimum of 2 years of photography experience with news organizations. .
• Bachelor’s degree in journalism, photography, video or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
  
  

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in California. The reasonable estimate is between $79,040 and $79,040. Please note this information is specific to those hired in San Francisco. If this role is open to candidates outside of San Francisco, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location. A final decision on the successful candidate’s starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education.

About the San Francisco Chronicle & SFGate:

The Chronicle is world-class journalism, San Francisco style. With name-brand voices and a keen editorial eye, The Chronicle is an authority that still surprises. It’s not afraid of being controversial or of doing things that haven’t been done. It’s bolder, brighter, and fearless. It’s news that is delivered to the discerning reader through multiple platforms.

SFGate provides a 360-degree view of San Francisco, wildly reflective of right now. Provocative, energetic and unapologetic, the Gate is in constant conversation with the world's most eclectic city.

Join our world-class team!