Associate Art Direction, Media Operations

The Community You will Join:

The Art Direction Associate will be responsible for driving quality in the Media Ops function by reviewing images against the post production quality guidelines. This role also requires offering recommendations for improving workflows and quality benchmarks by providing structured feedback to bridge any gaps.

You will work collaboratively with a creative team of post production editors and participate in and lead alignment sessions with internal and global teams to help drive adherence to the Airbnb photography standards.

The difference you will make:

You will help elevate the overall quality of Airbnb Homes, Experiences & Services through high quality photo merchandising.

A typical day:

• Inform and action ways to drive photo quality in the Media Operations unit.
• Perform a daily review of the sets delivered by the team, analyse findings and inform how quality is being delivered by evaluating images against the technical pillars of retouching (curation, cropping, color, exposure, contrast, de-duping, consistency, brushwork, manipulation, masking)
• Participate in and lead alignment sessions with internal and global teams to ensure consistency and perform root cause analysis across the team to measure and drive adherence to the Airbnb photography standards.
• Define, measure and analyze metrics that can accurately and consistently measure post production work quality - especially since creative work can often be a function of individual opinion.
• Provide recommendations to the post-production workflow, structured feedback on the tools, and solutions to mitigate any gaps identified.
• Provide assistance and training, by mentoring and in-person shadowing the new team members, to help them onboard the post-production processes and workflows.
• Demonstrate mastery of post-production style guidelines, procedures, and workflows; remain apprised of updates in a timely manner and communicate them effectively.
• Partner with operational leadership across internal and global stakeholder networks and cultivate a consistent understanding of the style guidelines and enable a coaching framework.
• Proactively surfacing any quality blockers and quality themes to global stakeholders on a regular basis

Your Expertise

• Total experience of 6+ years in a media / creative environment
• Sound understanding of the image retouching processes and Airbnb style guidelines
• Experience with delivering feedback, previous QA background would be an added advantage
• Strong Presentation, Google sheets /docs / Excel & Communication skills are required.
• Demonstrated experience with the creative requirements for editing images of portraits and experiences.
• Must inspire creativity, innovative thinking, strong visual concepts and solutions through thoughtful management and clear art direction.
• Good understanding of the Airbnb post-production processes and pertinent style guides.
• Mac proficient with expertise in Adobe Lightroom, Bridge, Figma, Google Suite, and Airtable
• Experience with receiving and delivering feedback, previous art direction background would be an added advantage.
• Creative problem solver; comes up with original and unique ideas and adds value in brainstorming settings.

• Demonstrate strong time management skills and correct use of resources;
• Ability to work with little supervision
• Detail-oriented with excellent project management and organizational skills

• Excellent internal and external communication, documentation and presentation skills with the ability to inspire creative talent and guide conversations effectively while staying open to new ideas and varied points of view
• Comfortable with graphic design principles, especially as they relate to conveying creative information through keynote or slide presentations.
• Has a sense of curiosity about photography and photo editing, and strives to find innovative ways to improve Media Operations

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment. We believe that unique perspectives drive innovation and creativity. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and join our mission to deliver exceptional quality and service.