Job Description

Guardian Australia is part of Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com. As a leading global media organisation, we are renowned for our pioneering independent journalism and our award-winning digital products.

We are seeking a graphics editor to join our Editorial team, to lead the creation and delivery of reactive visual journalism in Guardian Australia’s office. Working across breaking news, data-driven reporting and explanatory journalism, this role commissions, produces and edits graphics that are accurate, engaging and visually compelling. As a key part of a global graphics operation, this role collaborates with editors, reporters, visual, data and interactive teams across Guardian Australia and the global Guardian to ensure high-quality visual coverage of both international and Australian news, while helping to shape workflows, standards and innovation within the team.

This role is being offered on a full-time permanent basis, and involves occasional weekend work. This role is open to candidates based in Sydney.

In this role you will…

• To monitor the news cycle and anticipate reactive news graphics that will add value to international and Australian breaking news stories.
• To work with Australia editors, the Sydney international desk and the global graphics team to plan medium turn-around visual stories, collaborating closely with reporters and correspondents to source graphics and integrate them with written news or analysis, balancing this against breaking news demands.
• To work as part of a global, 24/7 graphics team, taking ownership of major breaking and developing globally significant stories during Australia hours and providing clear handovers to colleagues in other locations to support continuous coverage.
• To source reliable and trustworthy data from reputable and reliable sources.
• To source, clean and analyse data, and where possible to obtain meaningful satellite imagery and other materials for the creation of news graphics.
• To digest and interpret material from scientific publications and other sources that can be used to build explainer diagrams, annotated images and other diverse forms of visual storytelling.
• To translate newsroom requests into well-sourced and visually striking graphics, using technical and data visual expertise to ensure accuracy and visual excellence.
• To produce and edit a range of graphics, from simple charts using in-house tools through to complex data visualisation and detailed mapping exercises, using various software.
• To pitch graphics to the newsroom, manage the work of the Australian graphics team, prioritise stories in order of impact and importance, and to handle team comms with local and international stakeholders.
• To ensure styles and principles for graphics are upheld, ensuring rigorous standards of journalistic integrity and usability.
• To ensure a mobile-first mindset for the production of visual journalism.
• To engage with ways to elevate the team’s skill set and evolve workflows.

You’ll bring….

Knowledge and experience

• Deep knowledge of visual journalism, with a portfolio demonstrating the ability to create effective data-driven graphics for digital platforms and experience with the tools, techniques and workflows required.
• Significant experience (7-8+ years) working at pace for a busy news organisation, ideally within a breaking news environment.
• Deep knowledge of the use (and misuse) of graphics.
• The ability to give feedback to senior stakeholders and to collaborate and build relationships within a newsroom setting.
• Extensive knowledge of geography and cartographic best practice.
• Good understanding of media law.
• A strong understanding of data sourcing, cleaning and analysing.
• Knowledge of how to find trustworthy and reputable data sets, photos and other information that can be the source for visual assignments.
• A knowledge of key accessibility checks, and the challenges of designing inclusive graphics
• A good understanding of cartography e.g.: appropriate projection use and choropleth classifications
• Discernment and strong judgement around the use of OSINT.
• Ideally, you’ll have a demonstrable ability to bring a diverse perspective to this role. We actively encourage applications from candidates who are traditionally underrepresented in the media.

Skills / behaviours

• A passion for independent journalism and an understanding of our editorial code and values
• A sophisticated understanding of data visualisation best practice including the relative effectiveness of visual encodings and the choosing of, for instance, appropriate colour ramps.
• Essential to be skilled with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel/Google Sheets and in working with geodata in QGIS, or equivalents.
• The ability to write to-the-point headlines and incisive chart annotations.
• A keen eye for typography.
• Passion for news: environmental, domestic, international, and financial
• Thrives on quick turnaround deadlines and enjoys navigating newsroom dynamics.
• Excellent time management and interpersonal skills, and ability to give concise feedback to the graphics reporter.
• Excellent communicator, flexible and creative problem-solver, able to manage comms across the newsroom and with other times on the other side of the world.
• Collaborative, open and inclusive in approach.
• Enthusiastic about experimenting with new formats and ways of reaching audiences.
• Understanding of audience needs and behaviour across different platforms.
• Comfortable engaging with analytics to take a data-informed approach to decision-making.
• Open to learning new skills and adaptable in applying your existing expertise in new ways and sharing skills and expertise with others.
• Keen to innovate and experiment in your daily work, seeing every outcome as a chance to learn and improve.
• Flexible, able to work on own initiative and adapt to frequently changing news priorities.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Open to feedback and correction.
• Our values - honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community.

About working at Guardian Australia…

• Hybrid working
• Employee assistance program (EAP) to support employee wellbeing
• Paid volunteer leave
• Dedicated diversity and inclusion employee groups, action plans (including our Reconciliation Action Plan) and cultural competency training
• Guardian digital subscription

For more information please view the full job description here

This role is being offered on a full-time permanent basis, and involves occasional weekend work. This role is open to candidates based in Sydney.

To apply for this position, please apply online and upload your résumé (maximum three pages) plus covering letter. In your covering letter please outline your motivation for applying for the role and why you think you are suitable.

Closing date for applications Sunday 16 August 2026

If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email australia.hr@theguardian.com

GNM Australia Limited (Guardian Australia) is proud to be a fair and ethical employer. Australian editorial minimum rates of pay by band and grade are outlined in theJournalists (GNM Australia Pty Ltd) Enterprise Agreement 2024 for roles that fall under its coverage.

We believe that our role in the Australian media is to give a voice to the most marginalised people in society and value and respect all differences in all people — including people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from different social classes, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, and people with disabilities (seen and unseen). We believe that these communities must be centred in the work we do, bringing a new perspective and a diversity of thought. We also encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees feel respected.