Visuals Editor

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. 

ProPublica is looking for a creative, empathetic and ambitious visuals editor to join our editorial visuals team.

Our investigative journalism does more than expose wrongdoing and injustice; we intend for it to spark real-world change. The visuals editor will work closely with the art director and the rest of the visuals team to find compassionate, incisive and original approaches to story presentation that match the level of dedication of our fellow journalists. We’re looking for someone with exceptional abilities to understand and interpret complex investigations, and to facilitate a meaningful and resonant presentation of a story. This role requires individual creative initiative, collaborative curiosity, enthusiasm and a rigorous commitment to the impact-based mission of ProPublica.

A successful candidate will have extensive experience commissioning outstanding visuals, such as illustration and photography. A commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as care for the health and safety of those working in the field, is essential.

Here are other kinds of skills and experience we’re looking for:

• At least four years of professional experience creating or working in visual journalism, including design, interactives or photography. 
• Prior experience working in a newsroom is required.
• Strong news judgment and a solid understanding of visual ethics, including documentary photojournalism and editorial illustration. 
• Proven ability to clearly communicate a vision and guide it to fruition when commissioning visual artists, photographers and other creatives.
• Experience compiling visual storyboards and writing creative project briefs, and working in visual design tools like Photoshop, Sketch and Figma.
• An outstanding eye for visual narrative and the demonstrated ability to deploy photography, illustration and design elements for effective storytelling.
• Fresh ideas on how to experiment with novel formats, new artists and established illustrators to create meaningful work unbound by precedent.
• Proficiency in wire and archival photo research skills, a deep familiarity with copyright permissions and demonstrated competency negotiating licensing rights.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to juggle many responsibilities, meet deadlines and handle pressure while remaining calm.
• Prior experience with — and an appetite for — collaborating, both across the newsroom and with external partners. Stellar communication skills are a must. 
• A good working knowledge of HTML and CSS. Experience with JavaScript, Sass and other dev tools and languages is a plus but not required.

What you should send us:

The most important part of your application by far is your work examples. Typically that means your portfolio, but if you don’t have one, please send links to or screenshots of projects you’ve worked on or contributed to in some way and describe your role in detail, even if you weren’t the lead. We want to know what worked, what might not have and how your contribution fit into the context of what was needed for the project.

This job is full time and includes benefits. ProPublica is based in New York, but we’re open to remote candidates. We have offices in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Chicago; Phoenix; and Berkeley, California. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $95,000 to $120,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishment and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site, but at least through March 17, 2026.

Questions? Send an email to talent@propublica.org. 

No phone calls, please.

We know there are great candidates who may not fit into what we’ve described above or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. And we are taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age or any other status protected under applicable law.