Deputy Director of Newsletters, State

Deputy Director of Newsletters, State

Who We Are

COURIER Newsroom is committed to building an inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives and lived experiences. We strongly encourage women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ candidates, and those from all backgrounds to apply. As an equal opportunity employer, we strive to break down barriers and ensure every team member feels seen, heard, and supported. 

At COURIER, we empower individuals and communities through local reporting that helps people understand and affect the issues impacting their lives. We believe that by investing in the work of local journalists across the country we can positively impact civic participation and build a healthier democracy from the ground up. Through original reporting and human-focused storytelling, we highlight the issues and forces that shape our lives while calling attention to the impacts of policy-making and political action at the local level. We are a rapidly growing team with new ideas on how to change the landscape of this world.

Job Description

COURIER is currently seeking a strategic and metrics-oriented Deputy Director of Newsletters for our state network to help support our growing roster of community-centered email products in 10 state-based newsrooms. This person will serve as the right hand to the VP of Newsletters, State. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of editorial vision, audience insight, and product development—and who is eager to pilot, build, and scale impactful newsletter products that grow civic engagement across the country.

As Deputy Director of Newsletters, you'll drive experimentation across our network of 10 state-based newsletters, using KPIs and real-time analytics to refine products, surface insights, and scale what works. You’ll partner with newsletter editors, product teams, and creators to continuously evolve our suite of email offerings—prioritizing engagement, innovation, and impact.

The Deputy Director of Newsletters will be responsible for:

1. Partnering with the VP of Newsletters to shape and execute a product roadmap that aligns with departmental KPIs and audience goals
2. Identifying and lead product pilots—running experiments, tracking metrics, and iterating quickly based on performance and reader behavior
3. Editing content, including newsletter editions, stories, and social content, to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to journalistic standards and best practices 

The ideal candidate is a strong manager who has a track record of executing similar audience-focused newsletter products that drive revenue. They know that a successful email product is more than great content—it also requires thinking about audience growth, developing a marketing strategy, and using audience insights to better serve readers. This position reports to the VP of Newsletters, State.

We’re a fully remote team that operates on EST business hours.

Duties include but are not limited to: 

• Collaborate closely with newsletter editors to enhance the product strategy behind each edition—including format, cadence, testing plans, and audience segmentation
• Mentor and manage editors with a focus on product mindset, performance measurement, and continuous learning
• Edit newsletter editions, reported features, and social content produced by the newsletter team, with special attention to ensuring the work centers the target audience and strives to inspire readers to take action
• Support audience development initiatives (like surveys, polls, or on-site engagement tools) to deepen loyalty and trust
• Monitor newsletter KPIs (open rates, CTR, retention, conversions, etc.), and translate those insights into actionable strategies across the team
• Stay ahead of industry trends and innovation in the email space, and bring forward ideas that keep COURIER’s newsletters at the cutting edge
• Occasionally writing and producing newsletter editions when editors are out
• Working with the social and product teams to help editors optimize their content for engagement, growth, and retention
• Taking the lead on new initiatives and experiments that help drive organic audience growth
• Supporting the pitch and launch of new email products, from conceptualization to execution, to ensure they’re aligned with our mission and meet the departmental KPIs set by executive leadership

The ideal candidate will have the following:

• 5-8+ years of editorial experience in newsletter strategy, digital journalism, or audience development
• 3+ years of newsroom leadership / management experience
• Strong editing skills and attention to detail under tight deadlines. Spanish editing experience is a huge plus
• Experience launching and optimizing digital products, preferably in email
• Experience in increasing open rates and building a loyal subscriber base
• Experience in leveraging data and analytics to measure the performance of email products and related content
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Passion for audience-first journalism and building trust with diverse communities
• Experience with email platforms and analytics tools (e.g., Sailthru, Mailchimp, Substack, etc.)

COURIER Newsroom offers the following benefits: 

• The annual salary for this role will be between $80,000 - $105,000 depending on background and experience
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), 11 paid holidays a year
• Full suite of health benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• $500 home office reimbursement

Compensation$80k - $105k