Head of Social & Off-Platform Growth (Remote)

The Athletic Media Company

55d•$200,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Athletic is seeking an entrepreneurial, data-driven, and creatively ambitious Head of Social & Off-Platform Growth to lead audience expansion across social video, YouTube, podcasting, and creator-driven content. This senior leadership role requires someone who understands audience movement, engagement drivers, and how to build a distinctive social voice. The position owns audience growth strategy and targets across social, video, and creator platforms, managing a P&L for these channels. The role involves partnering with creative leads to develop content that grows followers, enhances brand awareness, and converts social audiences into subscribers. The Head of Social & Off-Platform Growth will lead a team, setting the vision and maintaining high standards for creative excellence and performance. This is a hybrid role based in either the United States or United Kingdom.

Requirements

7–12 years of experience in digital media.
Proven track record of scaling social media audiences and YouTube channels at significant scale, ideally within sports, entertainment, or news media.
Deep platform fluency across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), and podcast platforms, with a strong understanding of how algorithms, formats, and monetization work on each.
Experience managing or overseeing creator relationships and talent-driven social content.
Comfort owning a P&L and making budget decisions in a growth context.
Strong analytical skills – using data to make decisions while also valuing instinct and creative judgment.
Exceptional communicator who can align stakeholders, inspire a team, and present clearly to leadership.
A genuine passion for sports, sports media, and the creator economy.
Greater New York City metropolitan area-based candidates preferred.

Responsibilities

Own and drive audience growth goals across YouTube, podcasting, and social media platforms with clear KPIs for follower growth, reach, views, and engagement.
Develop and execute platform-specific growth strategies that capitalize on algorithmic opportunities, cultural moments, and creator trends.
Identify whitespace opportunities in the sports media landscape and build plans to exploit them.
Monitor audience analytics and platform signals to continuously refine strategy and stay ahead of shifts in social consumption behavior.
Lead a creator strategy, identifying talent and ideal partnership models.
Champion a distinct, ownable off-platform voice for The Athletic that is authoritative, entertaining, and recognizable.
Push creative boundaries to develop content formats that differentiate from competitors.
Partner with the Head Of Video to develop social video content strategies designed to scale audiences while reinforcing the brand.
Partner with the Head Of Series and Specials to develop strategies to grow audiences on YouTube and podcasting channels.
Stay current on platform trends, creator strategies, and cultural conversations to inform content ideation.
Build and grow The Athletic's creator ecosystem by identifying, developing, and managing relationships with external creators.
Develop programming strategies that create pathways to The Athletic's owned platforms.
Own the P&L associated with The Athletic's social handles and creator channels, managing budgets, revenue opportunities, and ROI.
Work with marketing, editorial, and product to develop social-to-platform conversion strategies that drive subscriber acquisition and retention.
Report regularly to senior leadership on performance, strategy, and resource needs with clear accountability for growth targets.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of two Growth Leads, with potential to expand.
Build a high-performance team culture grounded in creative ambition, analytical rigor, and a bias toward experimentation.
Define clear roles, workflows, and success metrics across the team to drive accountability and output quality.