Senior Video Editor & Motion Graphics Lead (Policy)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Transit benefits

Life & disability insurance

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 — podcast videos, policy documentaries, event coverage, interview series, explainer videos, and social content — and sets the technical and creative standard the rest of the team works to.

This is a hybrid position in Washington, DC.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional video editing experience in news, documentary, policy, or nonprofit media environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Premiere Pro and After Effects; motion graphics core strength.
• Strong command of the broader Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) and ability to learn new tools quickly.
• Experience mentoring or directing junior editors or freelancers.

Responsibilities

• Own the edit on Cato's highest-visibility projects — documentaries, flagship interview series, and major event coverage — from ingest through final delivery.
• Lead motion graphics design system-wide: animated lower thirds, title sequences, data visualizations, and other on-screen elements.
• Serve as the primary editorial partner to producers, researchers, and senior staff, advising on story structure and visual strategy.
• Set and maintain Cato's on-screen brand standards, and train/guide other editors, freelancers, or interns.
• Manage the post-production pipeline end to end: media ingest, archiving, version control, and file organization across concurrent projects.
• Handle color correction and audio mixing to a broadcast-ready standard; troubleshoot technical issues in the signal chain.

Skills

Premiere Pro

After Effects

Motion graphics

Story editing

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

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 — podcast videos, policy documentaries, event coverage, interview series, explainer videos, and social content — and sets the technical and creative standard the rest of the team works to.

This is a hybrid position in Washington, DC.