Lead Digital Designer

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 Guardian is an independently owned, mission-driven organization funded by readers around the globe.

It's the talent, energy, and commitment our people bring to The Guardian that makes us who we are. Across our business, we have some of the most creative thinkers in media and beyond, award-winning journalists, cutting-edge commercial teams, digital talent, and more.

We are looking for a Lead Digital Designer to help shape our visual storytelling.  A hands-on web/app/UI designer, you will help lead our US editorial design practice day to day while also pushing the newsroom toward more ambitious, distinctive and reader-focused digital experiences. This role requires strong editorial judgment, refined visual taste, a deep understanding of digital storytelling and the ability to translate complex journalism into clear, accessible and visually compelling experiences. You will work closely with editors, photo editors, designers and developers in our global newsrooms to determine how stories should be structured, designed and experienced across platforms. 

You will be equally comfortable directing a designer on a major enterprise package, developing the visual system for a breaking news explainer, designing a deeply reported interactive feature, or creating reusable templates and workflows that help the newsroom move faster without sacrificing craft. You should understand how digital stories are built, how audiences encounter them on mobile and desktop, and how design, graphics, photography, video, audio, motion and interactive elements can work together to strengthen journalism. You should also have enough technical fluency to collaborate closely with developers, prototype ideas, understand product limitations and evaluate the feasibility of custom digital work.

Department: Editorial

Reports to: Creative Director, Visuals

Location: New York, NY

Hybrid/Remote/In-Person: Hybrid 

Terms and conditions: Full-time, Permanent, News Media Guild position

Annual Salary: $125,000 -$135,000

 

Key Responsibilities

• Work with a small design team, help set priorities and foster a collaborative, engaged and ambitious design culture.
• Translate complex journalism into clear, immersive and scalable digital experiences, including visual story packages, interactives, explainers, tools, templates and experimental formats.
• Design story experiences that thoughtfully integrate text, graphics, maps, photography, illustration, video, audio, motion and interactive elements where appropriate.
• Develop wireframes, prototypes, and polished editorial treatments.
• Collaborate with developers to ensure designs are technically feasible, effective, accessible and achievable within project timelines.
• Identify opportunities to improve reusable design treatments, templates, workflows and production processes across the visuals team.
• Contribute to quick-turn news coverage by developing clear, effective and visually distinctive treatments on deadline.
• Help develop new editorial formats and digital storytelling approaches that can reach audiences in fresh and useful ways.
• Collaborate with and cultivate relationships with illustrators, artists, designers and other contributors from