Community & Partnerships Lead, The Christian Science Monitor

The First Church of Christ, Scientist•Boston, MA

31d•$114,112 - $148,347•Hybrid

About The Position

The Christian Science Monitor is seeking a Community & Partnerships Lead to join their mission-driven international news organization during a period of strategic renewal. This role is an opportunity to help the organization deepen its relationship with readers and expand its reach through trusted communities and partnerships. The Lead will work with various teams, including the newsroom, audience, product, and promotions, to develop and execute strategies that enhance engagement with Monitor journalism. A key aspect of the role involves building and activating relationships with the Christian Science field, highly engaged readers, and aligned communities to drive advocacy, audience growth, and revenue. The position also focuses on fostering direct relationships with audiences, identifying engagement opportunities, and translating audience feedback into actionable insights for editorial and product decisions. This is a hands-on role requiring both strategic thinking and direct execution, involving initiatives like listening sessions, community programs, and partnerships to build trust, expand reach, and create sustainable audience growth pathways. The ideal candidate will approach this work with curiosity, open-mindedness, and a deep respect for diverse perspectives, understanding that success is not solely defined by numbers, but by a commitment to "injure no man, but to bless all mankind."

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in journalism, communications, or related field preferred.
7–10+ years of experience building and activating communities, networks, or partnerships—such as in journalism, advocacy, organizing, membership-based organizations, or mission-driven institutions preferred.
Demonstrated experience mobilizing audiences or stakeholders around a shared purpose—turning interest or affinity into active engagement, participation, or advocacy.
Experience working in or with mission-driven organizations, media organizations, or communities with strong values alignment preferred.
Strong ability to build trust and relationships with a wide range of audiences, including highly engaged and values-driven communities.
Demonstrated ability to activate and mobilize communities—turning audience interest into participation, advocacy, and sustained engagement.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing community engagement or partnership strategies that drive meaningful outcomes.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to represent the Monitor effectively with external audiences, partners, and community members.
Strong instincts for identifying opportunities to connect people to the Monitor’s journalism in ways that feel meaningful, authentic, and aligned with its mission and voice.
Ability to translate audience feedback and engagement into clear, actionable insights that inform editorial, product, or growth decisions.
Ability to design and lead initiatives such as listening sessions, partnerships, or community programs, and to move them from concept to execution.
Comfort working across teams and influencing without direct authority.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Persistence, attention to detail, and proactiveness.
Thoughtful understanding of how trust, credibility, and long-term relationships are built—and how those relationships can translate into advocacy and growth.
Familiarity with tools and platforms used to gather and manage audience feedback (e.g., surveys, forms, community platforms, or CRM systems).
Experience using audience insights and engagement tools to identify patterns, surface themes, and inform decisions.
Comfort using communication and engagement tools (e.g., email platforms, virtual event tools, or community forums) to connect with and activate audiences.
Ability to organize and synthesize qualitative feedback at scale, and translate it into clear insights for internal teams.
Comfort working with collaboration and project management tools (e.g., Google Workspace or similar).
Uses AI tools to support research, synthesis of feedback, and communication workflows, with a willingness to experiment and adapt as tools evolve.
Membership in The Mother Church required, Primary Class instruction highly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in journalism, communications, or related field preferred.
7–10+ years of experience building and activating communities, networks, or partnerships—such as in journalism, advocacy, organizing, membership-based organizations, or mission-driven institutions preferred.
Experience working in or with mission-driven organizations, media organizations, or communities with strong values alignment preferred.

Responsibilities

Strengthens and activates relationships with the Christian Science field, developing approaches that enable members to more actively engage with, support, and advocate for the Monitor and its journalism.
Builds and deepens relationships with other highly engaged readers and aligned communities, identifying opportunities to translate those relationships into advocacy and support.
Designs and leads, in collaboration with the User Research team, community engagement initiatives such as listening sessions, reader forums, and advisory groups that foster trust and ongoing dialogue with audiences – and synthesizes that feedback into actionable recommendations.
Identifies and develops partnerships with aligned organizations, institutions (e.g., universities), and communities that expand reach and introduce new audiences to the Monitor, with a focus on sustained audience growth and engagement.
Works across the newsroom to connect reporters and editors with audiences in meaningful ways, including facilitating conversations, events, and other forms of direct engagement.
Collaborates with the Audience Growth Lead, Strategic Initiatives Lead, and product and promotions teams to ensure community and partnership efforts align with broader growth and engagement priorities.