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Deep South Today (DST) is seeking a Director of Audience Engagement to lead our audience strategy and craft and execute initiatives aimed at building lasting relationships with the communities we serve to help us realize our mission of rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities throughout the deep south, ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

This key role, reporting to our Director of Product and Operations, will work closely with our Director of Marketing and Growth, Director of Public Programs, and other DST senior leadership while leading a team of Audience Editors at our local newsrooms.

The primary goal of this role will be to work collaboratively across the organization and with our local newsrooms to create meaningful connections with our audience, drive audience growth, and increase loyalty and retention across all of our digital channels and products.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and optimization of audience engagement strategies, including newsletters, social media, and texting programs.
• Working collaboratively with our Director of Public Programs, drive community engagement efforts, including in-person events, collaborations, and partnerships with local and grassroots organizations.
• Cultivate relationships with influencers, content creators, and external partners to amplify reach and drive engagement.
• In collaboration with our Director of Marketing and Growth, conduct audience research to gather insights on audience preferences and behaviors, using these insights to inform engagement strategies.
• Collaborate with the editorial teams at our local newsrooms to ensure audience needs and feedback are reflected in our editorial strategy.
• Analyze and report on audience engagement metrics and retention, adjusting strategies as needed.
• In partnership with visual journalists at our local newsrooms, lead the creation and management of social video and multimedia content to drive engagement.
• Working collaboratively with our Director of Technology, Director of Marketing and Growth, and the Managing Editors in our local newsrooms, create and implement SEO strategies to ensure content is discoverable and relevant to our audience.
• With our Director of Product and Operations and Director of Technology, ensure audience needs are reflected in our overall product strategy and roadmap.
• Provide training, develop documentation, and communicate audience development best practices and growth strategies throughout the organization.
• Lead and develop a team of Audience Editors at our local newsrooms, ensuring consistent execution of audience and engagement strategies across all relevant platforms.

Key Qualifications:

• 5-8+ years progressive experience leading audience growth and engagement efforts, preferably at a media company.
• An expert knowledge of social media platforms, newsletter strategies, and use of SMS to grow audience and engagement.
• Proven ability to use audience research and engagement metrics to develop and optimize audience engagement strategies.
• Knowledge of SEO best-practices and experience working with editorial teams to drive implementation.
• Previous experience with CMS (WordPress), email marketing (Mailchimp), text messaging (Subtext), Analytics (Google Analytics and Looker Studio), and similar technologies.
• Proven ability to develop training and resources, and to communicate and lead adoption of audience best practices throughout the organization.
• Experience developing, managing, and mentoring distributed audience teams.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Excellent project management skills; demonstrated ability and willingness to work collaboratively with a variety of editorial and business stakeholders.

Nice to have:

• Background in nonprofit or mission-driven media.
• Experience with grassroots organizing or community initiatives.
• Experience developing influencer and creator collaborations.
• Previous experience with visual storytelling and multimedia production (particularly social video).
• Multilingual or culturally responsive engagement experience.
• Understanding of product strategy, design, and development processes.

Deep South Today is seeking an individual who is:

• Passionate about audience engagement and community building.
• Mission-driven with a commitment to deeply understanding the communities we serve.
• A leader who is able to balance strategy and execution.
• An excellent problem-solver with keen attention to detail.
• A strong communicator committed to openness with a willingness to document, share, and talk about their work.
• A disciplined self-starter who is able to work independently.
• A collaborator who is willing and able to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Always learning; adaptable and willing to change approach as needed.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a salaried, full-time position with an anticipated annual salary range of $80,000-100,000 commensurate with experience. This is a remote position and can be located anywhere in the United States.

All DST employees are eligible for our benefits package, which includes:

• 29 days of paid time off (PTO accrual).
• 3 paid community service days.
• 1 day paid birthday leave.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
• Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

To Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive organization that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people who are differently abled.

Please provide brief answers to a couple of application questions and upload your resume here: