The Star Tribune is the Upper Midwest’s largest news organization, with audience numbers consistently in the top five in the country amongst regional and national peers. Building on an extraordinary legacy that includes seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards, the Star Tribune is an unrivaled force for journalistic excellence in Minnesota. It is also a company under transformation – realigning its core purpose for a new age of media consumption through innovative new partnerships, technology strategies, and a refreshed strategic direction. Our company has a new vision to create the leading model for local news in America – driving innovation in media to make every Minnesotan’s life better. We’re looking for dynamic leaders to help create that model. We’re excited to work with people who care about journalism and democracy and are eager to re-invent one of our state’s most trusted companies for a completely new era of growth that embraces new technologies and strategies for excellence.

Job Summary:

The Senior Vice President, Consumer Growth is a dynamic leader who will drive our consumer growth strategy and execution, including the pricing, marketing, and modeling needed to dramatically grow profitable subscription acquisition, retention, and revenue growth. This SVP will be obsessed with consumer behavior and finding ways to deliver value and will be a thought leader on segmentation approaches and innovative ways to capture audience and paying customers. A big picture thinker who can think long term, this leader will be on top of trends in consumer growth and marketing across industry sectors, and will work cooperatively with the Star Tribune’s Product, Editorial, and Finance teams to implement programs that maximize value of our subscription segments. The position will play a key role in defining how the Star Tribune will engage and build its next generation of customers and will direct and oversee a major sprint towards substantial digital subscription growth.

A collaborative leader with the ability to work across multiple domains, the Senior Vice President, Consumer Growth will bring creative and collaborative energy to the role. A believer in data, this SVP will create a culture of experimentation and innovation within the team, as well as an eye for partnerships that accelerate our growth. Vigorously focused on the customer, the SVP will be the voice of our readers in strategic conversations about the future of our business. Importantly, the SVP will mentor, manage, and grow a high-performing team. The SVP will also serve on the Senior Leadership Team of the Star Tribune, engaging in strategic planning for the company’s future across multiple domains.

Key results/responsibilities:

· Develop and drive consumer revenue strategy. Lead development of marketing strategies for Star Tribune consumer products with an emphasis on engaging new and emerging audiences.

· Subscription marketing, analytics, and pricing. Own the consumer product pricing strategy, and work closely with Editorial and Product teams with the goal of building consumer value to maximize revenue per user.

· Develop strong partnerships effort to grow our exposure to new audiences; leverage bundling or other partnership efforts for subscriber growth.

· Develop channel strategies and business cases for paid consumer marketing, using quantitative metrics to prove return on investment.

· P&L accountability for consumer business. Continuously assess profitability of acquisition channels based on customer lifetime value.

· Lead consumer research work to ensure we understand our customer and are creating new strategies to provide value.

· Audience development strategy and planning. Using consumer insights and digital analytics, work with product management, editorial leadership, and other key stakeholders to clearly articulate opportunities for growing, retaining, and converting new audiences.

· Work with executive leadership to develop organizational structure and accountability for audience growth and engagement.

· Customer experience and service. Lead our systems to continuously measure, monitor and improve customer experience for all Star Tribune products with the goal of improving our net promoter score.

Relationships:

Immediate Supervisor: CEO/Publisher

Next Level Supervisor: Owner

Direct Reports:

VP of Consumer Marketing

Director of Circulation Systems & Reporting

Director of Circulation Finance & Business Strategy

Qualifications:

· 10+ years of experience in complex digital consumer marketing management

· Consumer acquisition and retention expertise

· Experience with a subscription-based business

· Bachelor's degree, MBA and/or technical degree a plus

· Superior verbal and written communication skills that will convey a sense of confidence in both formal and informal settings with senior executives, peers, and business partners.

· Innovative thinker who can build a culture of experimentation and optimism and isn’t afraid to iterate and try new things.

· Manage ambiguity with ease; will make decisions with speed and accuracy; champion change in a passionate, convincing manner that elicits broad support.

· Experience in developing and executing segment-based strategies to achieve customer growth and accomplish strategic objectives, ideally in a subscription-based business.

· Ability to drive change and performance in a matrixed, consensus-based organization where successful collaboration and communication are required at all levels.

· Demonstrated success in managing a complex workload with multiple priorities and tight deadlines with a focus on measuring results and improving performance.

· Self-starter with the ability to work independently and thrive under pressure.

· Ability to drive results at all levels, regardless of reporting structures.

More about the Star Tribune:

At the Star Tribune, we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. We go above and beyond to ensure their happiness, growth, and overall well-being. Here is a glimpse into the exceptional benefits we offer:

Modern downtown office with a free fitness center and rooftop patio. Commuting subsidy, medical, dental, and vision insurance. Wellness program with financial incentives. Paid time off which includes flexible holidays to honor the preferences of employees, plus one volunteer day and 2 wellness days. 401(k) with company match, parental and caregiving leaves, flexible work arrangements, employee assistance program, pet insurance, tuition reimbursement, flexible spending, and health savings accounts.

The Star Tribune also gives back to the Minnesota community. In 2020, the Star Tribune launched the Connect Grant, providing qualifying local Minnesota businesses with a total of $200,000 in advertising credits and services. The Connect Grant serves to empower the future growth of underrepresented business owners through marketing collaboration and advertising.

Selected in 2023 to Diversity MBA's inaugural list of Top 25 Outstanding Leadership and Diversity Impact Awards.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Star Tribune is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and encourages qualified applicants of all backgrounds to apply.