Senior Associate, Videographer & Photography

About the role

Success Academy in New York seeks a Senior Associate, Videographer & Photography to lead visual storytelling for a fast-growing public charter school network.

Every role in this field shares a few habits: clear communication, structured thinking, and steady follow through. Teams hold regular meetings, review progress, and adjust plans. Success usually depends on how well you work with others, not just how hard you try. Successful professionals in any field share a few habits: they take notes, keep commitments, and communicate in writing. Teams value people who make their work easy to review and build on.

Key facts

Requirements

5-7+ years of experience as a Director of Photography, Cinematographer, Senior Videographer, or similar production leadership role.

Proven experience shooting across formats, including interviews, documentary, narrative, studio, commercial, and branded content.

Demonstrated experience capturing both professional photography and video productions.

Expertise in DSLR, mirrorless, and large-format cinema camera systems, lighting design, audio capture, and production workflows.

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, including Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, and After Effects, with working knowledge of editing, color correction, and finishing workflows.

Experience managing production media, file organization, transcript workflows, and post-production handoffs.

Experience leveraging AI-powered creative and production tools to improve production efficiency and creative workflows.

Ability to manage multiple concurrent productions from pre-production through final delivery while meeting tight deadlines.

Strong problem-solving skills to work independently and proactively recommend solutions.

Collaborative mindset with the ability to mentor and guide peers across departments.

Confidence presenting creative ideas and production plans to executive leadership and facilitating conversations with cross-functional stakeholders.

Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to visual consistency, organization, and production excellence.

Bachelor's degree in Film, Media Production, Communications, or a related field preferred.

Passion for education, social impact, and Success Academy's mission.

Practical notes

This role is based in New York and does not include bonus eligibility.

Typical interview steps

Hiring processes usually combine a screening conversation with one or more interview rounds. Candidates can expect questions about their experience, a scenario or case, and a chance to ask their own questions. Preparation and specific examples from past work carry the most weight. Whatever the role, preparation is visible. Reviewing the company's product, the job description, and your own past work before the conversation is the strongest step.

Good to know

The role involves both photography and videography production leadership across education and branded content.

You will work with diverse formats including interviews, documentary, narrative, studio, and commercial shoots.

Success Academy operates a network of public charter schools focused on a whole-child approach to education.

Expect collaboration with cross-functional teams including creative, editorial, producers, and post-production staff.

The position emphasizes maintaining visual consistency while using emerging tools to improve efficiency.

Equipment management, media organization, and technical troubleshooting are core responsibilities.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.

Career growth

Careers in this field grow through a mix of experience, responsibility, and demonstrated results. Early years build skills; later years build ownership. Many professionals switch focus areas or companies to keep growing. Growth in any career comes from scope, results, and reputation. Take on work that is slightly uncomfortable, and make sure others can see the outcomes.