Visual Projects Editor

Critical Playground LLC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Six weeks annual leave

Pension scheme with employer contrib.

Volunteer days

Private healthcare

Life cover

Dental insurance

Job summary

The Guardian is seeking a Visual Projects Editor to lead innovative visual journalism with graphical, interactive, multimedia or spatial focus. You will shape, edit and publish visual stories in collaboration with reporters and editors, ensuring accuracy and compelling storytelling across digital platforms.

You'll drive data visualization projects, explore new technologies, manage groups, and push the boundaries of what a news story can be in a multi-platform space while maintaining newsroom

Qualifications

• Editorial leadership experience on complex visual storytelling projects.
• Experience adapting data-driven visuals for multiple platforms and audiences.

Responsibilities

• Report on, structure and edit visual stories, integrating copy and visuals.
• Collaborate with reporters to conceptualise visual news stories with data visualization.
• Interrogate datasets for veracity and newsworthiness.
• Develop technical skills to advance visual investigative capabilities.
• Lead groups to produce visualisations, interactives and new formats.
• Work with editors, developers, designers and data journalists across platforms.
• Ensure visual projects are timely, newsworthy, and clear.
• Contribute new ideas for visual and data stories.

Skills

Editorial leadership

Data-driven storytelling

Data analysis

Interactive graphics

Svelte/React/d3

Mobile-first design

Storyboarding visuals

Adobe Creative Suite

Illustrator

Figma

JavaScript/HTML/CSS

OSINT analysis

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Tools

Svelte

React

d3

Illustrator

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Google Earth

JavaScript

HTML

CSS

Job description

Join our team at the Guardian and be a part of a diverse and inclusive global organisation that delivers fearless, investigative journalism, and holds power to account. Our team of award-winning journalists, cutting-edge commercial professionals, and industry-leading digital experts are committed to making a difference and represent a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. We offer a challenging and exciting environment for career development, with a focus on training, growth and fostering an inclusive culture.

We're looking for a visual projects editor to lead the production of innovative, impactful visual journalism with a graphical, interactive, multimedia or spatial focus.

Here is a look at the team's wide-ranging and impactful work:

• Meet the cartographers who took on centuries of western bias
• London buses in decline? Why public transport in global cities is slowing to a crawl – visualised
• Nigel Farage and Count Binface: a visual guide to their electoral careers
• #ToddlerSkincare: the ‘dark and exploitative' world of children's beauty videos on TikTok

This is a full-time, permanent NUJ contract on a five day week working pattern.

About the role

• Report on, structure and edit visual stories, write engaging copy, and ensure that words and visual elements are intuitively integrated
• Collaborate with reporters and editors to conceptualise visual news stories, drawing on knowledge of data visualisation and sharp skills in visual storytelling
• Interrogate datasets and other types of information for veracity, reliability and newsworthiness
• Explore emerging technologies and develop the technical skills required to advance the department's visual investigative and innovation capabilities
• Employ hands-on project management skills to lead working groups to produce visualisations, interactives and new formats
• Work with interactive journalists, developers, designers, data journalists and correspondents to push the bounds of what a news story can be in a multi-platform digital space
• Use your knowledge of the digital news ecosystem to ensure that visual projects are newsworthy, timely and clear
• Regularly contribute new ideas for visual and data stories, and articulate the value of telling these stories visually
• Keep abreast of the news agenda, emerging technologies and new storytelling techniques

About you

There are several different profiles that would be a good match for this role; we are not expecting a single candidate to have all of the skills/competencies listed below.

• Strong track record of providing editorial leadership and overarching guidance on complex visual storytelling projects
• Ideally you will have experience adapting data-driven visual journalism for different platforms and audiences, such as social video
• Experience editing/reporting data or mixed media stories (e.g.: graphics, postcode lookups, satellite imagery, video, audio, animation, 3D modelling)
• Experience analysing data, using tools such as R or similar
• Expertise in the development of interactive graphics, using libraries such as Svelte, React, d3 or similar (desirable)
• Experience creating mobile-first visual journalism with UX needs in mind
• Ability to storyboard visual articles, using Illustrator, Figma or similar (desirable)
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite including Illustrator (desirable)
• Experience working on teams that encompass a range of different skills
• Excellent creative project management and communication skills
• Literacy in data visualisation, with knowledge of approaches and techniques
• Front-end web development skills are an advantage, including Javascript, HTML, and CSS
• Experience analysing OSINT materials, using tools such as Google Earth or similar, is desirable
• Ideally, you'll have a demonstrable ability to bring a diverse perspective to this role

We actively encourage applications from candidates traditionally underrepresented in the UK media.

The salary band for this role starts at £60,000, with the final offer determined by the successful candidate's skills, experience, and responsibilities.

We appreciate the time taken to prepare each application we receive. We do not use AI-assisted technology to review applications; every application is reviewed by a member of our recruitment team.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 21st October 2026.

It is important to us that you feel supported and comfortable throughout your recruitment process, in order to perform your best. Please let Sean Brinkley, Senior Recruitment Partner ([e-mail]) know if there are any changes we could make to help your application, this includes providing documents in accessible formats or personalising the process to better support your needs.

Benefits at the Guardian

You'll have six weeks of annual leave per year (plus bank holidays) with the option to purchase an additional 5 days. Our pension scheme is generous; if you contribute 5% then we will contribute 8-12% (depending on your age). We believe in giving back, which is why employees are given 2 volunteering days annually and the option of payroll giving. Season ticket loans are also available.

You are entitled to private healthcare, life cover, income protection, and eye tests. You can also opt in to dental insurance.

We have enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies in place. We also support our employees by offering an IVF, menopause, baby loss, and trans equality policy.

Culture and wellbeing

We want everyone to feel like they belong at the Guardian and we champion diversity of thought. Our various employee forums provide a platform to use their voice to foster an inclusive workplace. We became the first major media organisation to achieve B Corp status.

We offer tools to help you prioritise your wellbeing including access to our employee benefits platform which provides tailored support for health and wellbeing. In addition, we also offer free yoga and pilates classes. These run alongside our corporate gym membership and cycle to work scheme.

Our canteen has views overlooking the Regents Canal and caters for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Learning and development

We encourage personal and professional growth. Employees have access to a broad range of tools and solutions, and we are happy to support the pursuit of professional qualifications through vocational courses and apprenticeships.