Creative Director, Content Design (AJC)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC's) mission is to be the most essential and engaging source of news and information for the people of Atlanta, of Georgia and the South. To achieve that mission, we are transforming ourselves from a storied daily newspaper into a modern media company. A place where reporters, videographers, and digital gurus are delivering work across diverse creative platforms, industries and borders.
THE JOB:
The Creative Director will oversee a team of motion designers and infographic producers dedicated to conceptualization and execution of the AJC's visual identity across platforms.
This candidate will serve as the point person for large projects, franchises, and video series. They will oversee design projects, bespoke graphics, and site interactives, while also helping to evolve and uphold the visual identity of AJC's digital video.
This candidate is a hands-on creative leader, responsible for owning the visual direction and output of the design team, upholding the tone and voice of the AJC, and meeting editorial standards. An understanding of audience behavior across digital platforms, and an ability to create engaging, innovative, and relevant content is a must. If you are a do-er and a tastemaker, you should apply.
The ideal candidate is a voracious consumer of digital video and social platforms in its many forms. Strong editorial judgment and a knowledge of the digital and documentary landscape is required. Superior design, post-production, graphic and motion design is a must.
The Creative Director will report to the Head of Video & Audio and must be self-motivated, well-organized and eager to find creative solutions to challenging problems.
Additional Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of motion designers and graphic artists to manage day-to-day consistency of video and graphic storytelling
• Build workflows, templates and systems that can be easily implemented across video and social teams
• Lead by example and set the bar for work expected across the motion design and interactives team
• Empower and encourage staff with thoughtful feedback and analysis; review work to ensure quality
• Maintain a consistent look and feel across all AJC platforms and social channels
• Conceptualize new ideas for daily videos, series, and franchises
• Design and delegate the design of still imagery to elevate articles, our home page experience, and our social platforms (ie: IG).
• Support and guide team of data visualization and infographic producers to build interactives and unique visuals that elevate AJC storytelling and reporting
• Work independently to execute projects from conception through design and delivery
• Juggle multiple projects at a high quality; abide by design standards without supervision
• Design and implement original pieces that include illustrations, static infographics, social templates, full video animations, and composite motion-design work.
• Stay current with industry trends and advancements in data visualization techniques and design tools
• Work with Head of Video to establish KPIs for visuals and contribute to newsroom OKRs; evaluate performance and make changes that drive results

Technical Qualifications and Design Tools:

• Adobe Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator,
• Apple Keynote, Microsoft Powerpoint
• Maxon Cinema 4D or similar 3d software, advance rendering techniques
• Canva
• Figma
• Monday.com, Airtable or similar

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree + 10 years of experience with 5 years in leadership; OR MS with 8+ years of experience OR 14 years with no formal degree.
• Proven experience leading a team; works well under pressure
• Extensive experience working in a fast-paced, news environment
• Outstanding editorial judgment, critical and strategic thinking, and organization skills
• Superior editing and post-production skills
• Strong communication skills, excellent teamwork and team-building skills
• Must be willing to work flexible hours and/or holidays and weekends as dictated by the news cycle or business needs
• Must have at least 5 years of leadership experience.

USD 117,300.00 - 195,500.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary of $117,300.00 - $195,500.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
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Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page .
Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual's age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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