Job Description

The Data and Analytics department drives strategic and operational decisions for The Washington Post.  This highly visible team applies analytics and insights to support strategic initiatives and day-to-day operational support company-wide and is currently seeking a Principal Data Analyst. 

As our Principal Data Analyst focusing on acquisition, you will lead data initiatives to drive subscriber growth. Your expertise will shape strategies, optimize acquisition campaigns, and deliver actionable insights to maximize customer acquisition efficiency and lifetime value.

You’ll work in close collaboration with the marketing, newsroom, product, engineering, advertising and finance departments on a diverse range of projects that have a critical and strategic impact on all aspects of the company.  You will regularly interact with various stakeholders in these departments, understand needs, build reports, conduct data analysis, and make actionable recommendations. You will love solving open-ended problems by taking mountains of data, transforming it into meaningful analysis aimed at identifying solutions and opportunities. 

Motivation

• You want to help shape strategy for different products and teams by turning ambiguous questions into actionable answers

• You enjoy the balance of both technical data-wrangling (writing queries, code) and engaging presentations (summarizing takeaways, visualizing data)

• You have a knack for synthesizing different aspects of the business (finance, advertising, engineering, content) to make the more relevant recommendations to various teams

• You find value in educating coworkers about different metrics, KPIs, and analytics tools

• You think about the full picture of data, from tracking requirements to efficient processing to digestible reporting

• You can say you enjoy working on multiple projects at one time

• You are energized by working on complex problems and sharing your results with others

• You find meaning in supporting teammates and leading through example

Responsibilities

• Data Strategy & Insights

  • Define and execute data-driven strategies to optimize customer acquisition

  • Analyze subscription funnel performance, acquisition costs, and campaign ROI

  • Develop models to predict customer acquisition trends and LTV

  • Prepare and present analysis and presentations to various stakeholders including executives

• Data Analysis & Visualization

  • Design and build dashboards to track acquisition KPIs (e.g., CAC, conversion rates)

  • Extract actionable insights from large datasets using advanced analytics

  • Partner with marketing and product teams to experiment, measure, and refine campaigns

• Collaboration & Leadership

  • Serve as a thought leader for data analytics in acquisition strategies

  • Mentor junior analysts and provide expertise in statistical methodologies

  • Collaborate cross-functionally with growth marketing, finance, and engineering teams

• Tools & Technologies

  • Leverage tools like SQL, Python, R, Tableau, and other BI platforms

  • Work with marketing automation and CRM platforms for data integration and reporting

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s in data science, Statistics, Business Analytics, or related field

• 5+ years of experience in data analytics, with a focus on subscription businesses or acquisition

• Strong expertise in subscription analytics metrics (e.g., CAC, LTV, ARPU)

• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)

• Expertise in relational Database Systems, Advanced SQL and Microsoft Excel.  Experience with MySQL on cloud or AWS Redshift

• Excellent communication and storytelling skills with the ability to translate data into business strategies

• Collect and manage project ideas, charters, project priorities, and project benefit. Ability to multitask, prioritize projects, and meet deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with c