Vice President Strategy and Operations – Special Collections (Storytelling), National Geographic, (Washington, DC)

Posted October 26, 2026

Job Description

The Storytelling team works to expand the organization’s impact through journalism, photography, film/video, web content, mapping, asset management, and data visualization. As one of the largest funders to individual storytellers in this work, it also identifies key grantmaking, and fellowship opportunities with creative talent. Much of the team’s programmatic activity is focused on identifying and building capacity for the next generation of diverse storytellers.

The Vice President, Strategy and Operations – Special Collections ensures that the Society’s media and library assets can be leveraged to support storytelling, now and into the future. You will work across internal teams and external stakeholders to guide the digital asset lifecycle from creation to asset delivery, through archiving and preservation. You will secure and organize National Geographic Society’s media and library assets and ensure their availability, usability, and understandability to the organization and to key external stakeholders. This is a hands-on role responsible for strategic and operational work.

Position Duties

Strategic and Operational Leadership

Provide strategic leadership and operational support, including projects such as the Center for Human Histories and Culture, Systems Unification, AWS integration, and others.
Lead efforts to enhance divisional efficiencies and effectiveness, continuously assessing divisional structure, staffing, operational workflows, and resource allocation to ensure alignment with strategic objectives.
Monitor and report on division performance, budgets, talent development and outcomes across the division – ensuring accountability and measurable progress.

Team Development

Build a strong team culture, focused on creativity, teamwork, innovation, and service of the overall National Geographic mission.
Ensure the department is integrated into the broader organizational goals, including collaboration with internal divisions including the Storytelling Division overall and campus & experiences, and external partners, particularly the Walt Disney Company.

Collections Expertise

Lead the process of defining, implementing, and managing the full lifecycle for media assets from acquisition to archival storage. Oversee the development and implementation of creation, collection, storage, access, preservation, and other lifecycle management policies. Oversee and guide use of technologies to meet service objectives. Work with senior leadership across NGS to leverage the archive and library for mission-driven initiatives and potential fundraising opportunities.
Ensure rights management compliance through collaboration with Legal and Business Affairs.
Stay up to date on the newest digital asset management and archival industry best practices.

Storytelling Leadership

Serve as a key member of the Storytelling Leadership team.
Advise and help the Chief Storytelling Officer with strategic and operational decision making.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree preferred.
15+ years of experience with 7+ years leading an enterprise media/digital asset management program
7+ years of people management experience, including management of other people managers.
Archival or library experience preferred.
Experience in designing and implementing a large-scale multi-year strategy and associated budget.
Experience developing and leading a team, specifically through a season of change and growth.
Ability to exercise the highest degree of ethical standards, initiative, sound judgment, discretion, decision-making, and diplomacy in sensitive and high-stakes situations.
Presents a high degree of sophistication, self-confidence, and self-motivation – ability to keep calm under pressure.

Hours & Compensation

This is a Full Time position.

Salary range: $204,250.00 – $215,000.00

How to Apply:

To learn more about this position and to apply, please visit the official job posting, linked here.