Visuals Department Director
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Portland
,
OR
Application Deadline: Friday, Mar 03, 2023
Description
Visuals Department Director
Application instructions for this and all current OPB employment opportunities are available at OPB’s careers page.
About OPB
OPB is a leader in public media, serving diverse communities of the Northwest with fact-based, in-depth news and information about politics, the environment, science, arts, history, and cultures; business, education and more. Powered by the generous support of members, OPB seeks out a variety of voices in our communities and lifts up authentic stories of the people, places, events and issues of the region, providing context and a deeper understanding. OPB’s independent journalism and programs are available at opb.org, on OPB Radio and OPB TV. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
The Opportunity
At OPB our goal is to be the most trusted news source in the region. That requires strong journalistic content on all available platforms to serve a growing audience in the Pacific Northwest. We are seeking a Visuals Department Director to join us in that effort. The Visuals Department Director will play an integral role in leading our effort to adapt our video production efforts to a news-oriented, digital media ecosystem. In this role you will lead implementation of OPB’s video strategy which combines the strength of long-form broadcast production with increasing capacity for video production that requires faster turnaround times. OPB has a longstanding reputation for quality video programming, and this position will enable us to create even more value for our audience through production of quality content that is both relevant and timely.
This position may be a good fit for you if you have people management skills acquired through having supervised others in the past, and you also have experience working in video production in a variety of roles and for various platforms. In addition, the Visuals Department Director must have a desire to stay current with regional and national news and understand how video enhances storytelling opportunities.
Through your work in this position, you will have a visible impact on the work OPB does and on how we serve our audience.
Position Details
The Director of the Visuals Department manages OPB’s staff and resources devoted to visual elements of journalism and production, including videography, photography, graphics and animation. The Director will contribute to and lead implementation of OPB’s visual strategy, including definition of the institution’s “visual language” and how that relates to production standards set for individual shows and digital platforms to best serve audiences. This person is part of the Content leadership group and coordinates directly with leaders of content units to plan for, allocate resources to and deliver visual assets for both on-demand and linear digital and broadcast platforms. In that role, they are responsible for establishing and monitoring ethical standards for OPB’s visual content, in conjunction with the Chief Content Officer and other content unit leaders. The Director will also support efforts to track and expand the representation of all the communities OPB serves in our video content. The Director leads innovation opportunities in visual journalism to support fresh approaches to content that will attract new and diverse audiences in addition to collaborating with existing production units to improve their work with visual assets. They will also be the primary manager of OPB’s relationships with freelance visuals talent, with any services we use to employ such talent for Content production and with outside partners with whom we are co-creating visual content. Relationship management includes assuring that the work of such talent meets OPB quality and ethical standards. Oversee production of educational media for outside partners.
Responsibilities
65% Manage Visuals Department production activity
• Lead OPB’s effort to define the institution’s “visual language” in video content and how that relates to production standards set for individual shows and digital platforms to best serve audiences.
• Coordinate with Content unit leaders and executive producers to ensure that staff and resources are available for each unit’s ongoing production, newsgathering and special projects. Where needed, establish collaborative processes with existing content units, such as the newsroom, to manage visual content production from inception to distribution.
• Provide editorial input on video produced primarily for digital platforms, including final sign-off on digital video projects, if requested. Provide input on the application of journalistic ethics to our video content, where necessary.
• Support efforts to track and expand the representation of all the communities OPB serves in our video content. This includes working with the Chief Content Officer (CCO) to build out a visuals strategy with explicit goals related to OPB’s values and equity efforts.
• Manage business-to-business relationships for visuals service providers and vendors
• Oversee budget and decision-making processes for visuals gear acquisition and replacement
• Collaborate with the Programming & Audience Development department on consistent video branding across platforms.
• Support efforts to develop immersive storytelling tools and processes (VR/AR/XR/MR) among content units
15% – Photography and Graphics
• Supervise OPB’s Photo Editor and support efforts to set priorities and work with external talent to meet OPB’s photography needs.
• Coordinate with all departments at OPB to meet graphics and animation needs through existing staff resources or by identifying external resources and setting up necessary relationship
10%
• Provide leadership for standardizing workflows for visual assets and related materials such as captioning, ensuring specifications and standards are set and maintained for work produced at OPB in conjunction with the Technology department
5%
• Manage staff responsible for educational media production for outside partners
5%
• Other duties as assigned
Working Conditions
This position spends the majority of time in the office or at a computer during standard business hours with evening or weekend work as circumstances require. Occasional travel is required for meetings and conferences (regionally and nationally).
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a digital or broadcast production environment
• Demonstrated ability as a producer of visual content for broadcast and/or digital platforms (short or long-form, daily or long-term production timelines)
• Five years of progressive management experience in a visual media environment such as a broadcast newsroom or video production company
• Commitment to clear and transparent communication within department and organization
• Commitment to inclusive decision-making and use of an equity lens to guide internal and external strategies
• Familiarity with both short and long form video production equipment and processes, including videography, audio and non-linear editing
• Familiarity with a variety of distribution platforms, including broadcast, social media and streaming video
• Strong grasp of journalism ethics as they relate to visual content types (including video, photos and illustrations)
• Exceptional time management, organization and interpersonal skills
• Enthusiasm for the mission of OPB.
Preferred Qualifications
• Familiarity with stories and issues in the Pacific Northwest
• Experience in a broadcast or streaming video production environment with tight deadlines
• Fluency in Spanish
Additional Information
• This position reports to the SVP, Chief Content Officer and is benefits eligible
• The probable hiring range for this exempt position is between $110,000 to $118,100 annually, depending on qualifications
• For the safety of our employees, the contractors/vendors we work with, and the public we serve, OPB has a mandatory COVID vaccination policy and all employees are required to show proof of vaccination.
How to Apply
For application instructions, please visit OPB’s careers page. You will be asked to create an account, upload your cover letter and resume and answer a few position related questions. Once you click “submit” you cannot make changes to your application.
Your application materials are due by 8:59 PM Pacific Time March 3, 2023.
OPB is an Equal Opportunity Employer.