Senior Visuals Developer

Senior Visuals Developer on CNN's global Visuals team within Warner Bros. Discovery, translating complex stories into ambitious, accessible digital journalism using 3D, photogrammetry and interactive graphics for breaking news and enterprise reporting.

Location

Atlanta, GA (onsite)

Salary

USD 79,800 - 148,199 per year

Responsibilities

• Create interactive graphics, visual narratives and digital experiences for breaking news, enterprise reporting and major events.
• Partner with editors, reporters and designers early in the reporting process to identify strong storytelling approaches and determine where bespoke development adds value.
• Develop storytelling experiences using 3D models and photogrammetry, including interactive maps, explanatory models, animations and immersive formats.
• Build responsive, accessible and performant experiences that operate effectively across devices and platforms.
• Develop reusable components, templates and tools to help CNN’s Visuals team move quickly and maintain consistency across the news cycle.
• Collaborate with data and graphics editors to integrate live data feeds and automated visual analysis into interactive experiences.
• Contribute to editorial brainstorming, prototyping and exploration of emerging technologies.
• Coordinate with product, engineering and platform partners when projects require broader technical coordination.
• Review code, document workflows and share knowledge with colleagues across the Visuals team.
• Maintain high standards for accessibility, performance, reliability and overall user experience.

Requirements

• Minimum seven years of experience in interactive development, creative technology, visual journalism or a related digital storytelling environment.
• A strong portfolio of published interactive work demonstrating solid technical execution, visual judgment and audience-centered design.
• Experience with modern front-end frameworks, component-based development and Git-based workflows.
• Proven experience building 3D or spatial storytelling using WebGL, Three.js, Mapbox GL, MapLibre, deck.gl or similar; fluency in HTML, CSS and JavaScript is required; Python familiarity is a plus.
• Experience incorporating AI-assisted tools into development workflows or an interest in using AI to enhance coding, prototyping and production practices.
• Strong understanding of responsive design, accessibility, browser performance and cross-platform testing.
• Experience collaborating closely with designers, editors, reporters and data journalists from concept through publication.
• Ability to work on deadline-driven news coverage as well as more complex medium- and long-term projects.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical possibilities and tradeoffs to non-technical partners.
• Familiarity with data visualization libraries, automated data pipelines or newsroom publishing workflows is a plus.
• Experience with motion design, animation, computer graphics or creative coding is a plus.
• Experience building interactive election features, results displays or other data-driven news products, or an interest in applying development skills to elections coverage, is a plus.

Technologies

WebGL, Three.js, Mapbox GL, MapLibre, deck.gl, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Employee wellness program
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement savings plan
• Paid holidays
• Sick time
• Vacation