Director, Newsletter Strategy

Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

Boston Globe Media has a rich portfolio of newsletter products across multiple newsrooms, in particular Boston.com, Boston Magazine, Globe Opinion, and STAT. This newly created role will lead the vision, strategy, and optimize performance of these brands’ newsletter portfolio in partnership with editorial leads. The role sets portfolio strategy, establishes data-driven operating norms, and leads cross functional thinking to launch, grow, optimize newsletters across brands. For The Boston Globe, this leader will provide targeted support and cross functional assistance, ensuring that the Globe newsletter team is well connected to other BGMP brands, and equally supported by teams outside the newsroom that are responsible for newsletter growth across brands.

This is a leadership role focused on direction, standards, growth and accountability. There is a focus on advising and strategizing, to provide direction and consultancy to internal editorial groups sending newsletter products, and troubleshooting when needed.

Responsibilities

1) Portfolio Strategy & Growth

• Define portfolio vision, segmentation, positioning, cadence, and metrics for brands.
• Work with newsroom teams to set newsletter strategy and business models by title (commercial revenue, subscription, hybrid) and revise based on data.
• Establish measurable goals, and shared KPIs across brands; establish portfolio governance and decision frameworks.
• Establish data based decision criteria go/no-go and sunset/merge criteria
• Create BGMP newsletter playbook(s) that can be used by multiple brands to target, launch, roll out and promote newsletters; work towards a standard approach to increase efficiency and improve results across engagement and retention.
• Liaise with advertising sales on growth strategies, inclusion in client proposals, driving revenue

2) Audience Growth & Acquisition

• Work with newsroom and marketing partners to set list-growth targets, and recommend channel mix for list growth (on-site, cross-promo, paid social/search, partnerships, referral).
• Approve quarterly test plans and kill rules; ensure rapid test-and-learn with weekly readouts.
• Drive strategy of how to leverage database contacts to regularly segment audiences and target them with specific content based on their profile

3) Measurement & Experimentation

• Leading the KPI framework and shaping and read out of quarterly dashboards
• Make recommendations on product or audience using metrics against business and editorial goals
• Working closely with product and editorial, approve A/B and multivariate test designs, sample sizes, and success criteria.
• Establish a cadence and framework for quarterly business reviews.

4) Cross-Functional Leadership and Partnership

• Align Editorial, Marketing, Product, Audience, Ad Sales, and Analytics on priorities, inventory, and reader experience.
• Make prioritization and resourcing calls; unblock dependencies with Product/Engineering and Ad Ops.
• Own annual budget for any vendor expenses. Evaluate current state and set multi year ESP strategy; lead RFPs,vendor management, analysis in partnership with Technology
• Provide goals, priorities and strategic guidance to marketing and platforms department to direct spending to drive list growth

5) Provide targeted support for The Boston Globe

• Help connect the Globe to BGMP’s broader mission.
• Liaise with the team to ensure that best practices are shared among all brands
• Partner with the Globe on regular business reviews and cross functional alignment.
• Provide support and guidance needed to ensure that we are maximizing partnership between the Globe and other brands to maximize revenue.
• Be a sounding board for new initiatives and experiments, providing insight from best practices elsewhere.
• Regularly meet and present to the Globe’s senior director of newsletters in order to partner on key initiatives
• Collaborate with the Globe’s senior director of newsletters to surface high-level reporting on success metrics for leadership

Qualifications

• 6+ years in newsletters, lifecycle/email marketing, audience development, or growth
• Track record scaling products with measurable gains in list size, engagement, and revenue.
• Proficiency with ESPs (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Beehiiv), CRM/CDP, and analytics
• Deliverability expertise and privacy/regulatory fluency.
• Strong collaboration and cross-functional leadership, prioritization, and communication skills
• A willingness to adapt and be audience focused, with a curious mindset and a commitment to creating an inclusive work environment

The BGMP office is located in downtown Boston, near Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, and is easily accessible by MBTA and commuter rail lines. This position is based in Boston, and candidates should be based in the area or willing to move.

The annual salary for this role is $120,000 - $135,000.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

EEO Statement: At Boston Globe Media, our mission is to empower, connect, and convene our communities with independent, trusted journalism and storytelling. We know a critical part of achieving this is by having a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. Boston Globe Media is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes candidates and colleagues of all backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and skills.