Vice President, Strategy and Operations - Special Collections (Storytelling)

National Geographic•Washington, DC

27d•$204,250 - $215,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President, Strategy and Operations - Special Collections ensures that the National Geographic Society’s media and library assets can support storytelling now and in the future. The role works across internal teams and external stakeholders to guide the digital asset lifecycle from creation and delivery through archiving and preservation, securing and organizing media and library assets and ensuring their availability, usability, and understandability. It is a hands-on position combining strategic and operational work. The Storytelling team expands the organization’s impact through journalism, photography, film and video, web content, mapping, asset management, and data visualization. It identifies grantmaking and fellowship opportunities with creative talent and focuses much of its programmatic work on building capacity for the next generation of diverse storytellers. The Vice President provides strategic and operational leadership across the division, leads and develops teams, oversees collections lifecycle policies and technologies, supports access to assets and research, and advises the Chief Storytelling Officer. The role has 3 or more direct reports and is categorized as Resident, with onsite attendance determined by team needs and workflow. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least 15 years of experience, including at least 7 years leading an enterprise media or digital asset management program.
At least 7 years of people management experience, including management of other people managers.
Experience designing and implementing a large-scale, multi-year strategy and associated budget.
Experience developing and leading a team through change and growth.
Ability to exercise high ethical standards, initiative, sound judgment, discretion, decision-making, and diplomacy in sensitive and high-stakes situations.
Demonstrated ability to establish strong internal and external partnerships.
Ability to interact effectively with senior business executives, talent, and other high-level internal and external partners.
Skill collaborating across departments in a complex organization and managing conflict and change.
Strong attention to detail, organization, problem-solving, follow-through, and project management skills.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Sophistication, self-confidence, self-motivation, and ability to remain calm under pressure.
Ability to manage multiple deadlines and projects.
Experience working with external and philanthropic funders.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Archival or library experience.
Proven track record managing teams of people leaders, budgets, and cross-functional initiatives at a senior level.
Experience working with executives and external partners.
Ability to translate strategic vision into action.
Collaboration and relationship-building skills across diverse teams.
Leadership presence and confidence representing senior leadership.
Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.
Experience managing grants and translating a grant budget into an operational model.
Demonstrated experience leading new process development and implementation with cross-functional partners.
Experience managing multiple collections sites and site teams.

Responsibilities

Translate high-level vision into actionable divisional priorities and performance management frameworks.
Provide strategic leadership and operational support for projects such as the Center for Human Histories and Culture, Systems Unification, and AWS integration.
Assess divisional structure, staffing, workflows, and resource allocation to improve efficiency and alignment with strategic objectives.
Monitor and report on divisional performance, budgets, talent development, and outcomes.
Lead and cultivate a high-performing team and a culture of trust and respect.
Build a team culture focused on creativity, teamwork, innovation, and service to the National Geographic mission.
Integrate the department into broader organizational goals and collaborate with the Storytelling Division, campus and experiences, and external partners, particularly The Walt Disney Company.
Define, implement, and manage the full lifecycle of media assets from acquisition to archival storage.
Oversee policies for asset creation, collection, storage, access, preservation, and lifecycle management.
Oversee and guide technology use to meet service objectives.
Work with senior NGS leadership to leverage the archive and library for mission-driven initiatives and potential fundraising opportunities.
Partner with internal and external teams to provide a self-service environment suited to organizational and external stakeholder needs.
Support internal and external teams with critical and time-sensitive digital assets and research requests.
Assess and improve media asset management and archival systems to ensure they provide value to users.
Ensure rights management compliance in collaboration with Legal and Business Affairs.
Stay current on digital asset management and archival industry best practices.
Serve as a key member of the Storytelling Leadership team.
Advise and assist the Chief Storytelling Officer with strategic and operational decisions.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Wellness program.
401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment.
Flexible paid time off, including up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated) and 10 days of sick leave.
12 paid holidays and paid winter break between December 25 and 31, with possible role-based exceptions.
Paid parental leave.
Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement.
Fertility benefits.
Learning and development opportunities.
Lifestyle Spending Account.
Pet adoption assistance and pet insurance.
Pre-tax transportation benefits with an employer subsidy.
Employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit.
National Geographic discounts and perks.