Senior Video Editor & Motion Graphics Lead (Hybrid)

Cato Institute; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cato Institute in Washington, DC is seeking a Senior Video Editor to lead day-to-day production for its in-house AV team. This role owns the editorial and visual execution of Cato's multimedia output — podcasts, documentaries, event coverage, interview series, explainers, and social content — and sets the technical and creative standard for the team.

The ideal candidate combines superb editing craft with motion graphics fluency and sound judgment for translating dense policy material into

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional video editing experience in news, documentary, policy, or nonprofit media.
• Advanced proficiency in Premiere Pro and After Effects; motion graphics must be a core strength.
• Strong command of Photoshop and Illustrator; adapt to new tools quickly.
• Experience mentoring or directing junior editors or freelancers.
• Ability to manage full post-production workflows and multi-format delivery.

Responsibilities

• Own the edit on high-visibility projects from ingest to final delivery.
• Lead motion graphics design system-wide including lower thirds and data visuals.
• Partner with producers and senior staff on story structure and visual strategy.
• Set and maintain on-screen brand standards and train others on those standards.
• Manage post-production pipeline: media ingest, archiving, version control.
• Handle color correction and audio mixing to broadcast-ready standards.
• Reformat content for YouTube, social, broadcast, and web.
• Evaluate new tools and workflow improvements.
• Manage freelance editors and vendors on overflow projects.

Skills

Video editing

Motion graphics

Communication skills

Project management

Attention to detail

Education

5+ years of professional video editing experience

Tools

Adobe Premiere Pro

After Effects

Photoshop

Illustrator

Job description

The Cato Institute in Washington, DC is seeking a Senior Video Editor to lead day-to-day production for its in-house AV team. This role owns the editorial and visual execution of Cato's multimedia output — podcasts, documentaries, event coverage, interview series, explainers, and social content — and sets the technical and creative standard for the team.

The ideal candidate combines superb editing craft with motion graphics fluency and sound judgment for translating dense policy material into