Photography Director, The Cut

Group Nine Media; New York (NY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cut, part of Vox Media, seeks a Photography Director to shape and lead our visual strategy across digital, social, video, and print. You will oversee the photo team, mentor talent, and collaborate with editors to translate ideas into compelling visual narratives.

With a minimum of ten years in visual production and expert use of photo editing tools, you will drive high-stakes shoots and maintain aesthetic standards across platforms in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in visual production or related field.
• Strong editorial judgment with experience leading teams.
• Proficiency in photo editing software and visual storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Set the visual strategy for The Cut across print, digital, social, and video.
• Provide clear visual direction and feedback to the photo team.
• Lead photo shoot production, budgeting, and vendor coordination on multiple projects.

Skills

Visual strategy

Leadership

Photo production

Budget management

Editorial judgment

Mentoring

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Photoshop

Job description

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR, THE CUT

WHO WE ARE

New York Magazine and The Cut are part of Vox Media, the leading modern media company. We guide our audience from discovery to obsession. We inspire essential conversations about what’s now, what’s next, and what’s possible.

As a community of journalists and storytellers, business professionals, creators and technologists, we believe it is a moral and business imperative to amplify voices: to cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our organization and media. This applies to our candidates, our teams, our storytelling, our creative work, and our platforms, products, and partnerships.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Cut is looking for a Photo Director to set and lead our visual strategy across digital, social, video, and print. The ideal candidate will have at least ten years of experience in visual production and a deep understanding of photography, art direction, and visual storytelling, along with an enviable book of contacts across agencies, photographers, and creatives. This role requires strong editorial judgment, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to manage many projects and deadlines at once in a fast-paced environment. You will report to Lindsay Peoples, Editor-in-Chief of The Cut and work closely with her to uphold and advance the visual identity of The Cut, while partnering with editorial teams to turn ideas into compelling visual narratives. You will also lead and mentor the photo team, guiding them to deliver strong results while nurturing their craft and creative sensibilities.

We're looking for someone who obsessively follows culture (from politics to fashion to celebrity) and knows what makes a Cut story. You should have impeccable visual taste, big ideas on how to expand the visual language of The Cut, and a passion for storytelling.

WHO YOU ARE

Responsibilities & Qualifications

• Set the visual strategy for The Cut across print, digital, social, and video
• Provide clear visual direction, constructive feedback, and support to the photo team
• Spearhead all aspects of photo shoot production, from commissioning teams and liaising with vendors to ensuring each shoot is successful and on budget
• Track and maintain the overall photo budget, setting and assigning individual project budgets to team members and communicating clearly with editorial leadership and finance partners on all active projects
• Manage workflow, including assigning work, overseeing workloads, and maintaining visual quality
• Manage photo research, image selection, credits, and CMS upload and publication
• Conduct deep visual research and curate lists of photographers accompanied by visual boards
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with the editors across The Cut to understand their visual needs and orchestrate projects accordingly
• Regularly pitch ideas for new photographers, essays, and photo-driven stories
• Develop and maintain relationships with photo agencies, independent photographers, stylists, and studios
• Ensure contracts, photo fees, and usage rights are in place for all images, whether produced or researched, and that all photography meets ethical standards and adheres to copyright law
• Collaborate with sales, partnerships, editorial, web, social, and video teams to ensure the highest level of visual execution across all platforms
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in visual production, photo editing, or a related field
• Strong people manager with a track record of inspiring and developing talent
• Excellent editorial judgment, with demonstrated experience managing teams to develop visual stories across platforms and a detailed understanding of each platform's requirements
• Proficiency in photo editing software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Photoshop
• Ability to travel on occasion for assignments and shoots
• Enjoy a collaborative and fast-paced work environment

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The salary range listed below represents the minimum and maximum base pay for this position at the time of this posting. Final salary offered to the candidate selected for the position will be based on factors including but not limited to the candidate's skills and experience.

Pay Range: $175,000 — $195,000 USD

OUR DEI COMMITMENT

Vox Media is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone can show up as their authentic selves and create their best work. We recognize that great stories, platforms, products and services come from people with all manner of backgrounds and experiences. We recognize that our commitments require ongoing work and sustained attention, as well as adaptation to new insights and best practices.

Vox Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, national origin, protected veteran status, age, or any other status protected by applicable national, federal, state, or local law. Vox Media will also consider all qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable Fair Chance laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations as part of the application process to candidates with disabilities.

If you require a reasonable accommodation as part of the application process, please contact our recruiting team ([e-mail]).

WHAT COMES NEXT

Our recruiting team will go through applications in a timely manner. Please note that our recruiting team will only contact you from @voxmedia.com email addresses, never via text message. Read more about how our recruiting team operates, and how to protect yourself from recruitment fraud, here.