News Director Job at Gannett Co., Inc. in Memphis

Posted Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a scalable, growth-focused media and digital marketing solutions company.

The Commercial Appeal/commercialappeal.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, is looking for a News Director to oversee its award-winning and talented news team. The right candidate loves coaching and developing journalists who reveal important news, create stories with power and clarity, and bring crucial context that helps our audience make sense of life in our city.

We want a transformational leader to help shape and implement the strategic vision for Memphis while setting and executing coverage priorities. The right candidate has a track record of guiding innovative, revelatory investigative and enterprise work and knows how to retain loyal audiences and cultivate new ones.

This senior editor will work with the MCA Editor, the South Region digital strategist, and audience team members to grow the audience in Memphis.

Responsibilities:

• Leads other editors and coaches in guiding reporters and photographers and oversees the content creation team.
• Guides the news organization in covering topics and issues most important to key audiences.
• Works with the digital strategist and audience team members to adjust content direction as data dictates.
• Oversees content strategy, aggressively using data and leveraging audience analysts.
• Directs content creation team and works collaboratively with the digital strategist and the audience team.
• Collaborates with the production team to ensure the right mix of content to maximize user experiences.
• Directs and champions investigative and First Amendment journalists.
• Monitors real-time metrics to develop a clear picture of audience needs.
• Provides excellent customer service, helping readers find answers and solutions.
• Represents the newspaper to community leaders and members of the community.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• More than five years of media management experience.
• Proven proficiency in applying analytics to content strategy.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills.
• Social-media and SEO knowledge.
• Self-motivation and self-direction.

Application Instructions: We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don’t limit your upload to a resume; show us what you’ve done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

• Your resume – one to two pages.
• A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.
• Links to 3-6 online samples of your work.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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Gannett Co., Inc. is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a diverse workforce. As such, we will consider all qualified applicants for employment