Each yearbook team will look a little different depending on the people and the skills they bring. When building your yearbook team, it is important to keep in mind the roles that need to be filled. Each of the following roles has a list of tasks that may be assigned to a student but is not required to.

Once you decide which roles you need on your yearbook team, select a few of the responsibilities under their title to create a job description.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Editor(s) in Chief
• Responsible for the publication’s content and quality; provides spreads for production deadlines; and manages a staff of peers.
• Responsible for creating a theme and a plan for using the theme after consulting with the staff.
• Designs or oversees design of the cover, end-sheets, and any theme-related spreads, including opening, closing, and dividers.
• Conducts weekly staff meetings to review deadlines, and upcoming photo and copy coverage.
• Plans celebration days, holiday activities, birthday parties, etc. to keep staff motivated and engaged.
• Checks and prepares all spreads for submission to the plant.
• Establishes all deadlines, including mini deadlines.
• Is actively involved in creating a book sales campaign.

Managing Editor(s)
• Responsible for the publication’s content and quality; provides spreads for production deadlines; and manages a staff of peers.
• Helps the editor finalize a theme and a plan for using the theme throughout the book.
• Assists the editor in the design of the cover, end-sheets, and any theme-related spreads, including opening, closing, and dividers.
• Assists in the ladder development.
• Plans morale-raising activities.
• Is actively involved in creating a book sales campaign.

Section Editors
• Responsible for compiling the section content and submitting a partial page ladder to the editorial board for consideration
• Helps select photos to be used within the section, with the assistance of the photo editor or photographer
• Assists general staffers with getting story, photos, captions, headlines, and secondary coverage on the spread by the deadline.
• Copy edits/proofreads one other section editor’s spreads for content, readability, and errors before deadline.
• Involved in creating a book sales campaign

Portrait Section Editor
• Organizes and manages picture day and distribution of all picture packets and student/
teacher ID’s.
• Collects graduating student information to be used in the yearbook.
• Schedules a make-up day with the school photographer and makes sure the grad and his/her parents are aware of this final chance.
• Makes every effort to ensure that those students without a portrait have a candid published somewhere else in the yearbook so they will be represented.

Clubs/Organizations Editor
• Arrange all club photos to be taken for inclusion in the yearbook.
• Gets names for all group shots and ensures that they are typed in and edited.
• Helps determine coverage plan that guarantees all active clubs and organizations are included in an interesting way.

Sports Section Editor
• Keeps scores for all games or collects them from the teams on a weekly basis.
• Collects player statistics
• Encourages and maintains a positive working relationship with coaches, their assistants, and the athletic director.
• Organizes sports group photos and identifies all participants on the team.

Photography Editor
• Responsible for the coverage and quality of photos used in the yearbook.
• Makes photo assignments for all photographers
• Keeps track of all camera equipment and alerts the advisor if theft has occurred or repairs need to be made.
• Always carries a camera with him/her and accepts photo assignments
• Assists in the selection of all photos used in the yearbook.
• Uploads and oversees uploading of photos to the appropriate program.

Photographers
• Always carries a camera at school.
• Shoots all assignments or plans for all assignments to be covered.
• Collects caption information on photos.
• Deletes poor pictures from camera.
• Initiate the public upload process.

Business Manager
• Is responsible for all business transactions, including the sale of yearbooks, selling of advertisements, and paying bills.
• Sends a copy of the ad for approval before the deadline. Keeps the approval or changes on file.
• Organizes and advertises the book’s sales campaign.
• Keeps a list of all yearbooks ordered.
• Works with the school treasurer on all deposits and withdrawals used for yearbook purposes.
• Frequently checks the yearbook publication’s financial balance with the school treasurer.
• Organizes any fund-raising campaigns to fund the yearbook or to allow students to travel to conventions.

Advertising Manager
• Organizes the ad sales campaigns.
• Sells advertisements.
• Designs all ads while paying attention to contract terms and trying to create student-friendly designs.
• Assigns student photos to be taken for the ads.
• Writes feature stories or designs infographics for use on each advertising page.

Copy Editor
• Reads and edits all stories.
• Proofreads the stories and captions after they are placed on the page.
• Checks the spelling of all names.
• Checks the tone and accuracy of all headlines

Social Media Editor
• Determine and create appropriate content to post regularly on social media.
• Adds and removes pictures to social media regularly.
• Post videos that can’t be put in the yearbook.
• Post anecdotes and quotes from students

General Staff
• Works with section editor on specific spreads.
• Interviews and gets quotes and background for the story or to include in captions if there is no story.
• Notes the number of photos needed and their orientation.
• Writes complete captions. On dominant and action, reaction, and emotion photos; gets a quote to go with the caption.