Associate Director, Audience Relationships

Job Title

Associate Director, Audience Relationships

Job Description

About The Position 

The Associate Director, Growth Marketing & Audience Relationships serves as an in-house expert, strategist, consultant and leader for newsletter, email and browser notification programs for assigned brands. This position builds direct connections between our brands and audiences and requires a person who can thrive in a fast-paced environment, collaborate and build trust with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, and interpret data and insights into actionable and tactical strategies.

In this role, you will lead, develop, manage and optimize the strategy for your assigned brands’ newsletter and browser notifications programs to maximize and grow traffic referrals, subscriber engagement and retention, and subscriber lifetime value (LTV). You will also manage content marketers / editors responsible for developing and executing the newsletter and notification content strategy.

This role requires a strategic, forward-thinking mindset, with a strong commitment to exceeding the needs of assigned brands and stakeholders. Success depends on the ability to anticipate challenges, proactively identify new opportunities, manage responsibilities independently, and deliver exceptional support, thought partnership and execution. 

About the Team

 This role is part of our centralized Growth and Audience Relationship team, responsible for growing direct relationships between our brands and consumers, operating DDM brands' newsletter, notification and lifecycle marketing programs, and delivering best in class experiences to millions of subscribers. This role works as part of a “pod” on the Audience Relationship Team, composed of this role, an Audience Conversion Specialist and Newsletter & Notification Editor. This role serves as a quarterback when needed to ensure the pod works seamlessly together to grow active subscribers and subscriber engagement for their assigned group of brands. The role also works cross-functionally with product, data, production, and growth team counterparts, as well as brand leaders and brand editorial. 

Hybrid 3x a week- New York/DSM

In-office Expectations: This position is hybrid in-office, with the ability to work remotely for up to 2 days per week.

About The Positions Contributions:

Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable Results

• Collaboration and Partnership: Build a strong, collaborative working relationship with brand leaders and stakeholders. Be responsive, proactively anticipate their needs, offer strategic recommendations and deliver high-quality execution. Work across multiple internal teams — including Edit, Design, Data, Product and Marketing—to develop and execute newsletters, content strategy and campaigns.

• Strategic Leadership & Program Strategy: Develop, articulate and execute the vision, strategic direction and roadmap for your assigned brands’ newsletter and browser notification programs, aligned to wider brand vision and goals. 

• Team Leadership and Management: Lead and manage the Content Marketers/Editors on your team, providing coaching and fostering their growth and development. Serve in a leadership capacity within the pod, acting as a quarterback and steering cross functional deliverables or initiatives when needed. Ensure the pod delivers the best work and results for brands and subscribers. 

• Newsletter & Notification Content Strategy: Collaborate with the Newsletter Editors on your team and editors on your assigned brands, to ensure email program strategy and content is aligned with brand editorial strategy, subscriber interests and business goals.

• Program Management & Evolution: Oversee the programs and maintain a close pulse on the full lifecycle from subscriber acquisition through retention. Ensure the program and content strategy evolves as needed to grow subscriber engagement, connect with new audiences,  and deliver against brand/business goals.

• Retention Strategy: Develop and implement retention strategies, best practices, and A/B testing to increase subscriber engagement, reduce churn, and improve LTV. Develop and implement lifecycle marketing campaigns, win-back strategies, onboarding experiences, and engagement journeys.

• Program Performance: Establish program and performance growth goals. Monitor and analyze the performance of email and notification programs, providing regular reporting and insights to st