VP, Visuals & Design, CNN

Warner Bros. Discovery•New York, NY

About The Position

CNN is seeking a Vice President of Visuals & Design, CNN to lead its Visuals & Design divisions and collaborate closely with cross-functional reporting teams across the newsroom. This leadership role is responsible for guiding visuals, shaping the visual identity of CNN’s daily news coverage, and leading the day-to-day operations of visual storytelling across breaking news, features, and enterprise reporting. It requires a mission-driven leader with a strong record of defining and executing a clear creative and strategic vision aligned with both editorial priorities and business objectives. We are looking for an innovative leader who understands the critical role visuals play in the evolving landscape of journalism; can create content that connects with audiences across platforms; leverages data and insights to amplify the impact of our journalism; and can champion CNN’s continued digital transformation, including the responsible adoption of new technologies and AI-driven tools. The ideal candidate will have a history of recruiting, developing, and inspiring top-tier talent—including data reporters, graphic artists, designers, and newsroom app developers—and will uphold the highest standards of accuracy, ethics, and rigorous reporting. They will foster collaboration across teams and lead effectively within complex, fast-moving newsroom environments. Above all, this leader will be deeply committed to advancing CNN’s mission and elevating its visual storytelling across all platforms.

Requirements

12-15+ years of experience in visual media, journalism, or digital storytelling, with a strong emphasis on digital and multi-platform work.
5+ years of senior leadership experience managing large, multi-layered editorial and creative teams in complex newsroom environments.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Journalism, Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Exceptional editorial judgment and strong news instincts, with the ability to make clear, timely decisions in high-pressure situations.
An effective, inspirational leader who understands how to build high-performing teams and scalable systems for content creation.
Strong data fluency, using analytics and audience insights to help guide decisions.
Deep fluency in graphics, programming, illustration, and design, with the ability to lead, evaluate, and partner with specialized teams, and a strong awareness of emerging technologies shaping the industry.
Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and align stakeholders at all levels.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex, interdependent, and matrixed relationships across editorial, product, technology, and business teams.
Comfort operating in a fast-paced, 24/7 news environment with a distributed workforce.

Responsibilities

Set and execute an ambitious, innovative editorial vision for Visuals Design that upholds the highest journalistic standards.
Elevate the role of visuals in CNN’s coverage across all platforms in close partnership with editorial leadership.
Ensure delivery of high-impact visual storytelling aligned with CNN’s editorial priorities, voice, and identity.
Strengthen and maintain a cohesive visual brand across platforms and products.
Lead daily operations for visuals across news, enterprise, investigative, and features coverage.
Collaborate across the newsroom to ensure visual projects are fair, transparent, accurate, and sharply framed.
Manage teams through ongoing organizational change.
Foster a collaborative, communicative culture that supports innovation and excellence.
Recruit, develop, and retain top creative and editorial talent, inspiring a diverse team to innovate and collaborate in new ways.
Provide continuous feedback, coaching, and creative direction to drive quality and innovation across teams.
Set performance metrics for visuals that support audience growth, engagement, and business goals.
Leverage audience insights and analytics to guide content strategy and maximize reach, engagement, and conversion.
Partner with Product, Editorial, Programming, Data and other teams to develop and execute a multi-platform visual content strategy aligned with business objectives.
Guide the responsible adoption of AI tools across visuals workflows and products.
Manage budgets, software tools, external partnerships, and overall resource allocation to support strategic priorities.