Assistant Editor, Fine Arts

thenewyorktimes

New York, NY · New York · United States

Posted Jun 18, 2026

Freelance
Hybrid
Editing

Job description

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

The New York Times Culture desk covers the arts and culture to help people understand the world. Through our reporting, criticism and service journalism, we provide trusted guidance to help people live fuller, more considered lives.

We are seeking an Assistant Editor, Fine Arts to help shape and elevate our coverage of visual art, architecture and design; museums and other art institutions; and auctions, with an eye toward ambitious, distinctive journalism that reaches a broad, curious audience. You should have expertise that will produce stories that lead readers into the boardrooms and the studios of today's cultural influencers and will also develop stories about the intersection of art and new media, including artificial intelligence.

You will work closely with the art discipline editor, critics and reporters to determine coverage, assign, edit and second edit news, features, reviews and visual story forms.

You'll also manage a critic and assign and oversee the work of freelancers. You should have a deep understanding of fine arts and art institutions, strong editing skills across formats and platforms and a track record of guiding world-class journalism.

This is a hybrid position, based in New York City, and includes regular attendance in the office at least four days each week.

Responsibilities:

Help identify and prioritize key fine-arts storylines, from breaking news to longer-term investigations, profiles and criticism that illuminate how the arts intersect with politics, power and the broader culture
Assign, shape and edit daily art stories, including news, features, criticism, service pieces, visual pieces and enterprise projects
Assign and edit news of institutions, including museums, art galleries, auction houses and non-profits, throughout the U.S. and Europe
Respond to news events in the art world by assigning and editing timely stories, explainers and off-the-news pieces that give readers essential context and insight
Plan and assign advance obituary coverage of notables in art
Coordinate with our European cultural editor on coverage of major events including biennales and museum openings
Manage and direct the work of at least one critic
Assign, schedule and edit freelance reviews for Weekend Arts, including the weekly Galleries section
Identify and shape features and profiles for the weekly Arts & Leisure page
Collaborate with photo, design, visual and video editors on stories across a variety of formats
Help foster a collaborative, inclusive culture on the desk, modeling clear communication, constructive feedback and high editorial standards
Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world
You will report to the Art Editor

Basic Qualifications:

7–10 years of editing experience, ideally as an editor in a newsroom
Knowledge of and curiosity about visual art
A track record of editing a variety of story forms and formats
Ability to meet deadlines, juggle multiple stories at once and make sound editorial decisions under pressure
Excellent communication and organizational skills, including the ability to manage complex workflows and coordinate across multiple teams

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience supervising or mentoring journalists, including guiding reporters from pitch through publication
Experience working closely with visual, audio and video teams on digital storytelling, and a willingness to experiment with new formats
Familiarity with Times style, standards and journalistic independence, and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world
A demonstrated ability to collaborate across desks and disciplines, building strong working relationships in a large, complex newsroom
A passion for expanding the audience for arts coverage and making our journalism accessible, surprising and indispensable to a global readership

REQ-020255

Additional Compensation and Benefits

For roles in the U.S., dependent on your role, you may be eligible for variable pay, such as an annual bonus and restricted stock. Benefits may include medical, dental and vision benefits, Flexible Spending Accounts (F.S.A.s), a company-matching 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation, paid sick days, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and professional development programs.

For roles outside of the U.S., information on benefits will be provided during the interview process.

The annual base pay range for this role is between:

$150,000—$175,000 USD

Candidate Use of GenAI Tools:

We’re excited to learn more about you and your experience. To keep our hiring process as fair and authentic as possible, we ask that you submit your own work and not use GenAI tools to generate substantive content during the application and interview process.

If you’re an engineering candidate, we’ll let you know what specific GenAI tools you are permitted to use for your technical assessment.

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email reasonable.accommodations@nytimes.com. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

For information about The New York Times' privacy practices for job applicants, click here.

Please beware of fraudulent job postings. Scammers may post fraudulent job opportunities, and they may even make fraudulent employment offers. This is done by bad actors to collect personal information and money from victims. All legitimate job opportunities from The New York Times will be accessible through The New York Times careers site. The New York Times will not ask job applicants for financial information or for payment, and will not refer you to a third party to do so. You should never send money to anyone who suggests they can provide employment with The New York Times.

If you see a fake or fraudulent job posting, or if you suspect you have received a fraudulent offer, you can report it to The New York Times at NYTapplicants@nytimes.com. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission or your state attorney general.