Executive Director, Audience Development & Content Strategy

Location:

WIRED is looking for an experienced, creative, relentless newsroom leader to oversee audience development and content strategy for its editions around the world. 

Reporting directly to the Global Editorial Director, this role is a senior leadership position within WIRED. It requires someone with fast-paced, digital news and reporting experience who can both shape how we package and promote editorial content, as well as provide insights that will inform our big-picture storytelling strategies and daily newsroom decisions. The ideal candidate for this role will have experience working with teams around the world, and expertise in both on and off-platform editorial strategy: How to build and cultivate loyal audiences on Wired’s website and other owned products, like podcasts and newsletters, as well as how to craft engaging journalism that reaches audiences on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. 

This role will oversee audience development, social, and analytics functions for WIRED editions worldwide, and partner closely with our social video production units to ensure that their work is informed by insights and maps to our overall strategies for social platforms. The right candidate should be comfortable setting high-level audience growth strategies and disseminating KPIs; equally important is their desire to get into the weeds on everything from story packaging to pushing out a blockbuster scoop. They should thrive in the chaos of a fast-paced news environment, and be solutions-oriented about audience challenges and the rapidly transforming digital publishing landscape: finding new and novel ways to reach and engage audiences is a must, as is growing our community of loyal WIRED subscribers.

Although this role is primarily focused on newsroom and audience outcomes across WIRED markets, it also requires someone who can collaborate with other members of WIRED’s leadership team and Conde Nast stakeholders on revenue imperatives. The ability to connect the dots between audience strategy and brand revenue opportunity is vital; the right candidate for this role will be an eager and engaged partner with Conde Nast’s commerce, consumer revenue, and commercial organizations to maximize the revenue potential of WIRED’s journalism.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead audience development and social promotion efforts in a fast-paced, digital newsroom publishing dozens of stories daily, in addition to bespoke newsletters, podcasts, and vertical video products. 

• Provide high-level audience development strategies and guidance for WIRED across owned platforms and products, and off-platform destinations like TikTok and Instagram. Consistently iterate on these strategies to ensure that WIRED meets its KPIs across global editions.

• Work with WIRED’s social media leads to develop enterprising social media strategies, emphasizing a mix of O&O referral and bespoke platform brand identity as appropriate. Get in the weeds with editors on packaging, visuals, and more, to ensure that WIRED is maximizing its audience reach and impact on every single story.

• Work with WIRED’s analytics team members to identify new content opportunities for brand growth and deliver meaningful, unvarnished feedback to editorial teams, in both day-to-day ways and bigger picture ones. 

• In collaboration with WIRED’s editorial leadership, develop and oversee newsletter strategy and newsletter products, and work with WIRED’s editorial team on testing and optimization on a rolling basis.

• Provide ongoing and iterative guidance to WIRED’s audience development, social, and editorial teams around SEO best practices, including trainings; constantly evaluate the search and online landscapes to future-proof WIRED vis-a-vis AI and other related impacts to O&O traffic and audience reach.

• Hire, onboard, and develop top talent who are suited to a fast-paced news environment. Clearly articulate roles and expectations, and maintain clear processes and communication channels across the team across time zones and markets.

• Manage a global and diverse team of around ~12-15 people, including analysts, audience development, and social media professionals. Understanding and appreciating the regional nuances, priorities, and best practices for the WIRED brand is a must. Represent WIRED as a leader both internally and externally, as appropriate.

• Deepen relationships with WIRED’s editorial and video leadership, and collaborate on a daily basis to ensure that WIRED is putting its best foot forward in everything we do.

• Work closely with WIRED and Conde Nast stakeholders across commerce, consumer revenue, and commercial revenue. Prioritize based on WIRED’s revenue needs and opportunities, and engage with stakeholders to ensure they’re getting what they need from WIRED’s audience development org in a timely manner.

• Collaborate with editorial and video leadership to ensure that sponsored editorial opportunities are executed effectively by WIRED’s social teams and that products like social extensions and bespoke newsletters drive ad revenue for WIRED. 

• Support global expansion efforts and hiring in new markets as-needed.

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in fast-paced digital news publishing; the ideal candidate has worked as a reporter or editor in addition to audience development functions

• Professional experience in working with stakeholders to optimize for different kinds of revenue, including subscriptions, commerce, and sponsored editorial.

• Experience creating and optimizing content for SEO, social platforms, and newsletters; this content should be both existing content that WIRED wants to promote, and content that’s bespoke for a given platform.

• Professional experience with publishing and analytics tools including SocialFlow, CrowdTangle, Facebook Insights, Parse.ly, and Google Analytics.

• Experience working with product/engineering teams to make changes that improve traffic, retention, and revenue opportunities.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal; the ability to clearly deliver difficult feedback and insights to writers, editors, and producers, with diplomacy and finesse.

• A desire to get in the weeds whenever necessary.

• A love of news and a sense of urgency to get high-impact stories in front of an audience; the ability to instill those qualities in a global team.

• Experience managing teams and training people; given the changing landscape of audience development and social media, specific experience helping employees navigate shifting priorities and imperatives is also a must.

The expected base salary range for this position is from $190,000-$218,000. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education.

In addition to salary and a generous employee benefits package, successful candidates may also be eligible to receive discretionary bonus compensation.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply below, and we will review your application as soon as possible. You can update your resume or upload a cover letter at any time by accessing your candidate profile.

Condé Nast is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status and other legally protected characteristics.