Production Designer, Local Reporting Network

We are not currently accepting applications for this position.

ProPublica is looking for a talented production designer to be part of our expanded Local Reporting Network, our ongoing initiative to support local journalism.

You will work as part of our growing Design & Production team for one year, starting July 1, producing story packages that are exemplary pieces of journalism and forward-thinking in terms of design and execution. You will be at the epicenter of one of the most exciting journalism projects in the country. Every day you will coordinate with reporters and editors to plan story packages and collaborate with our team on art direction, production and code to expand our storytelling capabilities.

Skills we’re looking for:

  • The ability to coordinate among multiple parties to plan, schedule and execute projects
  • Experience working with photography and illustration, with an eye toward technical execution and inclusive representation
  • Familiarity with visual design tools like Photoshop, Sketch.app, etc.
  • A good working knowledge of HTML, CSS and modern web design tools like Sass and jQuery
  • Familiarity working with a modern web-based CMS like WordPress or Craft
  • A commitment to being a great colleague and respectful human being

Here’s what you’ll do:

  • Field and prioritize design and production requests from our partner newsrooms
  • Coordinate with reporters, editors and fellows at partner newsrooms and ProPublica to help us stay up to date on LRN projects
  • Commission freelance photographers and illustrators on editorial assignments
  • Look for opportunities to add thoughtful interactive elements that enhance stories
  • Format final copy for the CMS, including coordinating with reporters and editors to help move drafts and final copy through the editing process

Do you have something else you’d like to bring to this job? We’d love to hear about it. Tell us about how you see your skills amplifying what we need from this role. We know there are great candidates who won’t fit everything we’ve described above, or who have important skills we haven’t thought of. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

The ideal applicant cares deeply about editorial content and is a thoughtful, passionate advocate for the user. They are also organized and detail-oriented.

What you should send us:

Send us a link to your portfolio. If you don’t have a portfolio, please send links or screenshots of projects you’ve worked on or contributed to in some way and describe your role in detail. You don’t have to have been the lead. We want to know what worked, what might not have and how your contribution fit into the context of what was needed for the project.

We are dedicated to improving our newsroom, in part by better reflecting the people we cover. (Here is a breakdown of our own staff.) We are committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages, and we’re taking steps to meet that commitment. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.

This is a yearlong position starting in July, with benefits, and will be based in our headquarters in New York City. This is not a data journalism or reporting job, but you will interact with people doing that kind of work on a daily basis.

Fill out this form to apply. The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 5, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. We’ll start reviewing applications right after.

Have questions? Email David Sleight at [email protected] or Hannah Birch at [email protected]. David is ProPublica’s design director, and Hannah is ProPublica’s production editor. This position will coordinate with both of them.

Want to know more about openings generally at ProPublica?

If this job doesn’t sound right for you, we may have others that are. Here is where we list all of our jobs and where you can sign up to be notified when there is an opening. Here are the various fellowships we offer for promising journalists who typically have less experience.

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