Growth Manager

National Observer•Vancouver, BC

54d•Hybrid

About The Position

Canada's National Observer is an independent digital news outlet founded in 2015, publishing reporting and analysis on climate, energy, politics, and social issues. We have built a loyal audience of more than 4.5 million annual readers, 45,000 newsletter subscribers, and more than 400,000 institutional subscribers from universities, government bodies, and civil society organizations across Canada and abroad. We made history as the first digital-only publication to win a National Newspaper Award, and our investigations have set the agenda and brought about change in both the public and private sectors. We are a deeply experienced team doing outsized work — and we need the right person to help us grow. CNO is seeking a high-energy, self-motivated Growth Manager to join our senior leadership team. We are looking for a driven operator — someone who thrives on execution, translates strategy into action, and builds scalable systems that grow subscription revenue and audience month over month. CNO's Publisher sets the company's strategic direction. Your job is to own the execution of it on the business side — taking a clear mission and making it work in the market. You will lead our subscription growth and crowdfunding efforts with a builder's mindset and a collaborative spirit: Execute & Pivot: You envision and create systems for revenue and marketing; when they work, you scale them. When they don't, you pivot with speed and data-driven insight. You will forge new strategies — and bring the Publisher into decisions that shift direction. Think Creatively: You aren't afraid to challenge conventional approaches to digital media paywalls or audience development, and you bring fresh ideas to the table for leadership to consider. Operational Ownership: You manage the product budget and direct external contractors within approved parameters, and you are the lead executor on the business side of our digital assets. You are CNO's lead on marketing — owning the strategy and execution across all channels, from email campaigns to crowdfunding drives to podcast and program launches to subscription conversion. Revenue Accountability: You will help shape CNO's annual revenue targets in collaboration with the Publisher, then own the execution required to meet them. This is not a support role — it is a performance role, and results matter.

Requirements

Genuinely Excited: You are looking for an organization worth working hard for. CNO's journalism — on climate, politics, and the forces shaping Canada's future — genuinely moves you. That enthusiasm isn't a nice-to-have; it's the spark that will ignite our revenue generation machine. What can we make happen? How can we go further together? Those questions drive you. You love a challenge and relish hitting goals.
High Energy & Self-Directed You don't wait for instructions on execution. You see a gap in the funnel and you build a bridge to close it — then you report back on what you learned.
Strong Writer and Communicator You can speak and write fluently about politics, journalism, and society's challenges. You can learn to connect the dots between CNO's editorial mission and its audience's reasons to subscribe and give.
Systems Thinker You love creating workflows that make the company run smoother and more profitably, and you document what you build so it scales. You always keep ROI front of mind and take pride in bringing in new business.
Collaborative by Nature: You want to be a significant contributor in a company that values creative thinking — and you understand that great execution requires trust built through communication, not just results.
Comfortable in the Middle You translate between the language of business goals and the language of design and technology without losing either side. You hold context across teams and keep projects moving.
AI-Fluent You use AI tools to move faster and think bigger — drafting, researching, analyzing, automating the repetitive so you can focus on the strategic. You're not looking for AI to replace your judgment; you're looking for it to extend your reach. You use AI to teach yourself how to use other systems — treating it as your always-available onboarding partner for new tools, platforms, and workflows.
Experienced 8+ years in growth, product, communications, or business development. Media background is a plus, but a builder's mindset, genuine respect for journalism's role in society, and a desire to support CNO's mission are the priorities.
Comfortable managing people — setting expectations, giving feedback, and holding contractors and staff accountable to deadlines and quality standards. Comfortable working in Mailchimp, DonorBox, Drupal CMS, and Asana — or able to get up to speed quickly on tools like these.

Nice To Haves

Media background is a plus

Responsibilities

Daily Immersion: You are expected to read, watch, and listen to CNO content every day. This is not optional. You will regularly audit the user journey — identifying friction, spotting opportunities, and bringing recommendations to the Publisher. You cannot write compelling CTAs or build effective funnels without understanding what our journalism means to our audience.
Revenue Systems: The core measure of success in this role is straightforward: subscription revenue must grow month over month against the prior year. You will build on an established program with proven momentum, inherit systems that work, and your mandate is to accelerate them. Work closely with our Technology Lead and design team to optimize the end-to-end subscriber journey and crowdfunding funnels across all CNO platforms — the website, newsletters, podcasts, and video. Manage advertising placement directly or through contractors of your selection. During fundraising campaigns, manage and direct campaign contractors to maintain momentum and quality.
Project Management & Creative Liaison: Serve as the bridge between the business side and our design and technology teams — translating revenue goals into briefs, managing timelines, and ensuring high-quality output from internal leads and external contractors. Write value-driven CTAs that speak to CNO's mission and embed them seamlessly in the user experience. Leverage AI tools to accelerate content production, analyze funnel performance, and streamline communication across teams.
Strategic Budgeting: Participate in CNO's leadership budget meetings alongside the Publisher and senior team, bringing data-driven proposals for resource allocation. Within the approved budget, allocate resources where they will have the highest ROI for audience growth and retention, and bring proposals for significant shifts to the Publisher.
Team Alignment: Chair the weekly business sprint to review KPIs, identify bottlenecks, and adjust the roadmap in real-time, keeping the Publisher informed of progress and obstacles.