Visual Editor, Washington D.C

Overview

Job Title: Visual Editor

Department: Editorial

Reports To: Managing Editor

FLSA Status: Exempt

Job Band: 6

Location: Washington, DC | Hybrid

Schedule: Full-Time

Who We Are

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with editorial and operational bureaus in Taipei, Bangkok, and Seoul. A congressionally funded grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), RFA operates with full editorial independence.

Our mission is to provide accurate, uncensored news and information to people living in countries where a free press does not exist. We broadcast in nine languages and dialects — Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Burmese, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, and Korean — reaching audiences across China, North Korea, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and beyond via shortwave, satellite, and the internet. Our journalists work in some of the world’s most difficult media environments, often at considerable personal risk, filling a critical gap in access to truthful, timely news for millions of people who would otherwise have very little of it. That reality shapes everything about how we work and who we hire to lead this organization.

Job Summary The Visual Editor makes the visual layer of that work strong and consistent across desks — photography, video, graphics, maps, and forensic visuals — so that complex, closed-country stories land with audiences across web, social, and video.

The role spans both daily coverage and longer investigative and explanatory projects, working closely with the visuals capacity that sits within Production & Assets.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Follow and uphold RFA’s visual standards across all desks: accuracy, sourcing, captioning, and ethical use of imagery, including AI-disclosure where relevant.

Evaluate incoming photo and video for authenticity, quality, and relevance — a critical function in an environment of deepfakes, recycled footage, and state-aligned manipulation.

Commission, assign, and edit visual coverage for daily news and for projects, partnering with desks and freelancers.

Collaborate with OSINT and Data journalists to produce forensic visuals, satellite-imagery analysis, maps, and data graphics.

Shape visual storytelling for distribution across platforms, optimizing format for each channel.

Coordinate with Production & Assets on DAM workflows, rights management, and production training.

Coach desk staff and contributors on visual storytelling and verification.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Photojournalism, Visual Communication,Graphic Design , Film, or a related field required; equivalent demonstrated professional experience considered in lieu of degree

Minimum 10 years of professional experience in visual journalism : photo editing, video editing, or visual production in a newsroom or equivalent editorial environment, with a portfolio of published work required.

Experience working across multiple visual formats and platforms : still photography, video, graphics, and social-native formats ,in a multi-platform publishing environment

Strong visual news judgment , the ability to evaluate imagery for accuracy, sourcing integrity, newsworthiness, and ethical appropriateness.

Excellent proficiency with industry-standard visual editing tools including Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for still imagery; Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro for video

Working proficiency in visual verification techniques: reverse image search, geolocation, chronolocation.

Working knowledge of digital asset management systems and multi-platform publishing workflows,

Understanding of visual ethics in sensitive coverage contexts, including imagery of victims, at-risk subjects, and events in closed or conflict environments

Experience managing freelance visual contributors, including, editing, and rights negotiation

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with data visualization, motion graphics, or interactive storytelling.

Familiarity with RFA’s coverage regions and one or more broadcast languages.

Prior experience in international news or in coverage of politically sensitive, conflict, or human rights subjects strongly preferred

Demonstrated ability to work across multilingual, multicultural desk teams, providing visual editorial guidance without direct line authority over desk staff

Fluency in one of RFA languages

Application Instruction: Please submit your portfolio along with your application.

Physical Requirements / Working Conditions

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Washington, DC. Some flexibility in work hours required to accommodate international time zones. The role follows a hybrid schedule, with 3 days in office and 2 days in remote.

Salary Range: $87,500-118,500/Year. Final salary is commensurate with experiences and skills that are compatible with the requirements of the role.

This position is ineligible for sponsorship by the company for any work authorization, applicant must possess existing work authorization to be considered for the position.