Fellow, Opinion Design

Join the 2026 New York Times Fellowship class as a digital designer in the Opinion section in New York.

As an Opinion design fellow, you will support our editorial and creative teams in producing digital Opinion journalism that helps readers understand, navigate and engage with society's important conversations. This will include assisting design leads in shaping stories and creating visuals to help ideas connect with audiences on site and across social media platforms. You will also have the opportunity to work with art directors on creating and commissioning illustrations for articles.

You should be interested in news (social, cultural and political) and can collaborate with a range of teams, including editors, writers and photographers. We are assessing portfolio submissions for a strong design foundation, keen storytelling instincts and working knowledge of motion graphics.

The Opinion department is separate from the newsroom. This is an in-office position and includes regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance. You may be required to work some nights, weekends and holidays as needed.

Responsibilities: 

• Conceptualize, design and produce visual assets for third-party platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, working within predefined brand guidelines and systems
• Contribute to the creative ideation and art direction of Times Opinion journalism
• Contribute to expanding audience reach for Opinion journalism through video, audio and immersive digital design
• Participate in training and social programs designed for the fellowship
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Opinion section
• 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

Basic Qualifications:

• No more than five years of full-time, professional journalism experience, excluding internships
• A design portfolio with an eye toward storytelling
• Proficiency in motion design and After Effects
• Proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite
• Can work within pre-existing brand guidelines and systems
• An interest in news (social, cultural and political) and the ability to collaborate with a range of editors, writers and photographers

Preferred Qualifications:

• Record of multiple journalism internships, or equivalent experience
• 3+ years of digital design experience
• Previous art direction experience
• Portfolio demonstrating conceptual illustration and collage

To apply, upload a résumé and cover letter. You should also include a link to a portfolio of your work. The application will prompt you when to upload materials and ask you for the link to your portfolio. Applications that fail to include any of these materials or follow these instructions will not be considered.

You must be authorized to work in the United States. We will not sponsor work visas for the fellowship, but we will consider applicants with valid work authorization or a valid student visa that can be extended with Optional Practical Training.

You may apply to only one fellowship position per year. For instance, if you apply as a digital designer in Opinion, you should not apply for any other positions in the fellowship. Duplicate applications will be discarded.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 19. 

The Times Fellowship generates a high level of interest, so we cannot acknowledge the status of applications upon receipt or during the vetting process, which can take eight weeks or more. We cannot accept applications that are mailed or emailed to us. We will contact you for interviews as needed.

The fellowship program will begin on or about June 1, 2026, and end on May 21, 2027, subject to satisfactory performance. There is no guarantee of a full-time position upon completion of the program.

For more information about the Times Fellowship, visit here.

This position is represented by the NewsGuild of New York.

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.

The Company encourages those with criminal histories to apply, and will consider their applications in a manner consistent with applicable "Fair Chance" laws, including but not limited to the NYC Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act.

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