"Executive Director of Video and Photography"

Executive Director of Video and Photography

Company: The University of Arizona

Job Location: Tucson, 85724

Category: Broadcasting, Radio, and Television

Type: Full-Time

Posting Number: req25225

Department: Chief Marketing Communications

Location: Tucson Campus

Address: Tucson, AZ USA

Position Highlights

The Executive Director of Video and Photography will lead multimedia production and content development in support of the University of Arizona's marketing, communications, and brand-building efforts. Reporting to the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer and a member of the division's leadership team, this position will lead a team of videographers, photographers, and producers and collaborate with colleagues across the Marketing and Communications division and the campus. This position will lead the development and curation of powerful storytelling and marketing assets across a variety of styles and formats that will advance the U of A brand, inspire its audiences, perform effectively across channels, and support the university's Strategic Imperatives. In close collaboration with colleagues across the division, this position also will guide operational planning for the creation of video and photography assets and help lead digital management of these resources. In alignment with the division's working manager model, the executive director will also participate in the creation, curation, and/or the coordination of multimedia content development while establishing and refining workflows, standards, and processes that support effective content production and asset use.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Duties & Responsibilities

Staff Leadership and Management:

• Lead and manage performance of staff members, student workers, and freelance partners to ensure high-quality work, timely delivery, and alignment with university priorities.
• Support the growth and professional development of staff through coaching, professional development, and performance management, while reinforcing alignment with deadlines, policies, and best practices.
• Manage relationships with freelance video and photography partners to ensure adherence to project expectations and institutional requirements.
• Allocate resources and assign work across staff, students, and freelance partners to balance workloads, meet production demands, and maintain a collaborative, high-performing team.

Content Production:

• Participate directly in the planning, creation, and execution of video and/or photo content, major production projects (e.g. brand shoots, Commencement, etc.), and day-to-day multimedia resource acquisition.
• Lead or support end-to-end production workflows, including pre-production coordination, on-site production, and post-production review and delivery.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders and external partners to scope production requirements, develop concepts, manage timelines, and align deliverables with project goals.

Operations:

• Oversee planning and production, editing and review processes, equipment inventory, project workflows, and staff operations.
• Manage and maintain multimedia equipment and technology inventories, ensuring assets are functional, properly tracked, and aligned with current and future production needs.
• Coordinate staff operations, including assigning resources, managing workloads, and supporting day-to-day production needs across projects.

Digital Asset Management and Content Distribution:

• Ensure that photo and video assets are appropriately documented, ingested, archived, and catalogued in the university's digital asset management library in accordance with established standards.
• Verify that all required usage rights, permissions, and talent or location releases are properly secured and documented for published visual assets prior to distribution or reuse.
• Help maintain asset metadata, taxonomy, and governance practices to support efficient search, retrieval, compliance, and long-term asset stewardship.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications partners to plan, coordinate, and assess video and photo content performance across channels and adapt distribution strategies and asset usage to improve reach, engagement, and effectiveness across platforms.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• High levels of proficiency with industry standard tools and platforms, including but not limited to Adobe Creative Cloud, DSLR or mirrorless camera systems, professional lighting setups, color grading, audio, post production tools, and media servers.
• Proven ability to engage collaborative teams and deliver high quality work on time and within budget.
• Knowledge of current trends, best practices, and technologies in digital media, multimedia production, and visual storytelling.
• Ability to lead teams, projects, programs, or functional initiatives and drive results.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required. Master's preferred.
• Minimum of 9 years of related work experience, including 5 years of managerial experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Experience leading a team, project, program, or function is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a large, matrixed organization.
• Participation in livestreaming or online events.
• Demonstrated experience in brand storytelling, news content, advertising, or multimedia content development for a large organization.
• Experience producing content for distribution on social media and digital platforms (Instagram, YouTube, etc.).
• Experience with media asset management (MAM) and/or digital asset management (DAM) systems and best practices.

FLSA: Exempt

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week: 40

Job FTE: 1.0

Work Calendar: Fiscal

Job Category: Communication and Marketing

Benefits Eligible: Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay: $117,883 - $153,248

Compensation Type: salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade: 13

Career Stream and Level: M4

Job Family: Multimedia

Job Function: Communications & Marketing

Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Open Until Filled: Yes

Documents Needed to Apply: Resume and Cover Letter

Special Instructions to Applicant: Candidates who advance to the interview stage may be asked to provide a link to a portfolio of original work.