Art Director, Opinion
About the Role:
The New York Times is looking for a creative and collaborative Art Director to join our award-winning Opinion Design team. Partnering closely with Opinion Print Editors, you will reimagine our daily pages to establish a distinct visual identity separate from the newsroom. You will demonstrate your talent to organize complex information and create engaging designs. As a story-first editorial partner, you will combine sophisticated typography, photography, data visualization, and commissioned artwork, or create real-time illustration when needed, to push the boundaries of print layouts. You are passionate about print and interested in generating innovative ways to present and adapt digital-first content. You will bring advanced editorial design experience, strong project management skills to support daily deadline pressure, a deep passion for journalism, and a portfolio demonstrating versatile, high-impact narrative storytelling.
This is an in-office position based in New York and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance.
Responsibilities:
Conceptualize and execute design solutions from initial concept through publication across print and digital platforms
Partner with editors, photo editors, and key stakeholders to align visual vision, define story approach, and translate complex interactive/video journalism into print formats
Commission and art direct illustrations, growing a deep network of creative talent to elevate storytelling
Push layout boundaries through sophisticated art placement, structure, and illustration integration
Craft display copy and edit text independently to improve layout flow
Manage full project lifecycles within proprietary publishing systems, meeting tight daily deadlines in a fast-paced constantly evolving news environment
Provide flexible coverage for the Sunday section when schedules require
Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world
You will report to the Design Director, Opinion.
Basic Qualifications:
5+ years of print and digital design experience leading editorial projects, product launches, and redesigns alongside senior leadership
Proven art direction and visual editing skills, including commissioning talent, curating photo assets, and illustrating directly under tight timelines
Mastery of design tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, pagination software) and pre-press production, including color correction and print-ready prep
Preferred Qualifications:
Strong communicator capable of managing a high-intensity, news-driven schedule, including nights and weekends
Experience in a newsroom or media environment with a strong visual judgment of illustration and photography trends
Passion for off-platform visual storytelling and strong knowledge of domestic and international competitors
Experience optimizing design workflows to support editorial deadlines and team efficiency managing multiple stakeholder feedback
#LI-Hybrid
This position is represented by the NewsGuild of NY.
REQ-020579
Additional Compensation and Benefits
For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.
For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.
The annual base pay range for this role is between:
$124,979.94—$141,000 USD