Title: Campus Photographer - Charlotte

Position Type: Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week: Monday - Friday

Hours Per Week: 40

VP Area: University Communications

Department: University Communications

Location: Queens Campus - Charlotte

Position Summary

The Campus Photographer plans, creates, edits and archives high-quality photographic work that captures the full range of activities across Elon University’s Charlotte locations, including the Queens campus and South End-based programs, and reflects the university’s visual identity. In addition to photography, this position may provide occasional support for short-form video and multimedia storytelling projects. The role supports a wide range of marketing and communications efforts to advance institutional priorities and promote visual storytelling throughout the university.

Benefits of Working at Elon

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

Minimum of five years of experience in photography or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience in higher education, an in-house marketing team or a creative agency preferred. A strong portfolio demonstrating excellence in photography, visual storytelling and content creation across digital and print platforms is required.

Preferred Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree – Field of study: Communications, journalism or photography

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, including photo editing, color correction and image optimization for print and digital platforms.
• Experience using Photo Mechanic or similar software for photo ingestion, captioning and metadata management, as well as PhotoShelter or a comparable digital asset management system.
  
• Experience organizing and maintaining large image libraries, including the application of metadata, keywording and archival best practices.
  
• Experience with professional photography equipment, including cameras, lenses, studio lighting and location lighting setups.
  
• Ability to plan and execute a variety of photographic assignments, including event coverage, portraits, storytelling features and marketing photography.
  
• Strong organizational, communication and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple assignments and priorities simultaneously.
  
• Experience using project management and collaboration tools, such as Trello, Asana or similar platforms, is preferred.
  
• Basic video capture and editing experience for digital storytelling and social media applications is preferred.

Job Duties

• Produce High-Quality Photography
  • Produce high-quality photography for a wide range of print and digital publications that reflect the university’s visual identity.
  • Create digital assets for use across university websites, including photography for institutional news and storytelling platforms, and contribute images to university social media accounts when needed.
  • Plan and produce photography for key events and initiatives across Elon’s Charlotte locations, providing images for departments and offices as appropriate.
  • Participate in planning for publications and consult with designers and project managers on the use of photography.
  • Support priority-driven requests from admissions, academic programs and administrative units in Charlotte, in alignment with University Communications goals and available resources.
  • Collaborate with University Communications colleagues to prioritize photography assignments using established workflows and institutional priorities to ensure effective use of resources.
  • Provide photography support for select institutional priorities and events on the main Elon campus as needed, in coordination with University Communications.
  • Capture short-form video content when appropriate to support integrated digital storytelling efforts.
• Digital Asset Management
  • Maintain a common directory of graphic images and photographs on the University Communications digital asset management system.
  • Oversee the cataloging of digital visual elements in the digital asset management system.]
  • Maintain and ensure the use of the established keywording system so that all assets are easily searchable and retrievable.
  • Assist in the identification of archival visual assets for use by the university. - (Essential)
• Portrait Photography
  • Coordinate and hold photo sessions to ensure faculty and staff across Charlotte locations have current portraits for use in the online directory and other university publications.
  • Maintain the use of portraits in the university directory.
• Equipment & Technical Management
  • Maintain an inventory of photography equipment owned by the Office of University Communications.
  • Keep up to date with digital imaging technology and recommend changes and upgrades to ensure that the university remains current in its photographic services.
• Collaboration & Brand Alignment
  • Work in collaboration with University Communications colleagues (design, content and marketing) to ensure photography supports integrated communications and marketing efforts.
  • Coordinate with colleagues across campuses to align visual storytelling priorities and ensure efficient use of resources.
  • Ensure all photography aligns with Elon’s visual identity and brand standards. - (Essential)
• Inclusive Community Building Community is foundational to Elon and a shared responsibility within our residential campus. All who work at Elon should demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with Elon’s foundational commitment to relationships, mentoring and collaboration in a close-knit residential community. We embrace the shared responsibility to foster inclusive excellence within a strong residential community. Accordingly, employees are expected to join together and build connections in activities that foster an active and engaged campus environment and engage in professional development to support the shared responsibility of enriching diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful relationships and mentoring at Elon. Employees are encouraged to, for example, attend or participate in campus activities such as College Coffee, Numen Lumen, campus cultural events, athletic events, continuing education, professional development opportunities and trainings, employee resource groups and other university-sponsored activities to demonstrate an active commitment to the Elon community.

Special Instructions to Applicants: A cover letter, resume and link to professional portfolio is required for consideration. Please provide examples of your work.