Director of Audience

Hearst•Dallas, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Dallas Morning News is looking for a transformative leader to power the strategy and growth of our audience team as the newsroom strives to deepen its engagement with the community. The Director of Audience will play a key role in The Dallas Morning News’ efforts to innovate and experiment with new ways to attract readers and drive digital subscriptions. This leader also will develop strategies for democratizing audience analytics in the newsroom and for providing regular training to our journalists. The Director of Audience will help set and manage audience goals for every team in the newsroom and work closely with Hearst Newspapers’ editorial leadership. This person should be a natural collaborator and a strong partner to other senior leaders on projects and initiatives. A significant track record in growing audience and developing innovative strategies is a must, as is the ability to draw out the best in people you work with. Strong change management skills are essential. We are seeking a leader who is cool under pressure, comfortable with continuous deadlines, organized, enthusiastic, compassionate and creative. As part of the newsroom’s senior leadership team, this leader will be central to executing newsroom priorities as well as developing key strategic efforts.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field
5 years or more of audience engagement experience
Ability to turn audience data into actionable strategies for driving subscriptions and expanding our reach
Deep understanding of SEO, audience analytics and social media
Ability to innovate and quickly iterate as we seek to develop new strategies for engaging audiences
Strong news judgment and a commitment to accuracy
Track record of adapting quickly and moving at the speed of news
Strong communication and collaboration skills

Responsibilities

Develop and implement core strategies and goals for audience engagement
Democratize audience analytics across the newsroom using training, coaching and mentoring
Lead efforts to analyze the performance of our journalism, understand our audience and improve engagement
Help set and manage audience goals for newsroom teams
Take a hands-on approach to breaking news across digital platforms
Build strong relationships with staffers and foster their growth and development
Display exceptional news judgment with the ability to recognize the digital potential of stories that will resonate with our audience
Work with editors to shape coverage that deepens engagement with our digital audience
Provide day-to-day leadership and supervision to assigned staff, ensuring operational goals and objectives are met effectively and efficiently
Handle all aspects of employee management, including recruitment, interviewing, selection, onboarding and retention
Conduct regular performance evaluations; provides constructive feedback and coaching to support employee development and accountability
Administer progressive discipline and counseling as needed, in alignment with company policies and procedures
Oversee scheduling, workload distribution, and delegation of responsibilities to ensure balanced team performance and productivity