Director, Audience Development

. Own audience strategy for a portfolio of desks, defining priorities that drive reach, engagement, and subscriber habit.

Posted 3/31/2026full-timeNew York City • New York, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $166,603 - $309,405 per yearWebsite

Key responsibilities & impact

Own audience strategy for a portfolio of desks, defining priorities that drive reach, engagement, and subscriber habit.
Translate audience signals (quantitative and qualitative) into clear strategic direction for editorial leaders.
Ensure audience considerations are embedded in planning, commissioning, and coverage execution—not just post-publication analysis.
Identify the biggest growth opportunities (coverage gaps, format innovation, platform strategy) and align teams against them.
Guide how insights are delivered and used—elevating from reporting to decision-driving recommendations.
Partner directly with desk leadership to shape coverage plans, editorial priorities, and major moment strategies.
Oversee high-impact analyses and ensure they result in clear 'do more / do less / try next' actions across teams.
Manage and mentor a team of Audience Editors and Senior Audience Editors, elevating the quality, consistency, and impact of their work.
Act as a senior liaison between editorial, Product, Analytics, and platform teams (Off-platform, Home, Notifications, Newsletters).

What you’ll need

Strong editorial judgment and alignment with journalistic values and independence
7–10+ years of experience in digital media, audience development, content strategy, or audience insights
Proven track record of shaping editorial strategy using audience insights and delivering measurable growth
Experience leading or mentoring teams and influencing senior editorial stakeholders
Strong partnership with analytics, product, and platform teams to translate insights into action
Deep understanding of audience acquisition and engagement levers (SEO, social, home, newsletters, alerts)
Exceptional ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable recommendations

Comp & perks

ATS Keywords

✓ Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

audience strategyaudience insightseditorial strategycontent strategydata synthesisSEOsocial medianewslettersanalyticsformat innovation

Soft Skills

editorial judgmentmentoringinfluencingpartnershipcommunicationstrategic thinkingleadershipdecision-makingcollaborationproblem-solving