VP, Content Products

Newsweek is transforming from a publisher optimized primarily for audience reach into a company focused on building habitual audience relationships, first-party data assets, subscriptions, and high-value commercial products.

The VP, Content Products will help drive that transformation. This role owns the end-to-end strategy, development, launch, performance, and commercial success of Newsweek's portfolio of content products, including franchises, tentpoles, appointment journalism, interactive products, and other recurring editorial products.

The is responsible for creating products – in partnership with the Publishing Leadership – that move audiences up the loyalty ladder, from Casual Readers to Super Loyal Readers, creating known users, increasing subscription opportunities, and generating meaningful commercial value.

This is neither a traditional editorial, role nor is it a traditional product-management role. We are seeking a leader capable of identifying audience opportunities, defining product concepts, building business cases, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, and driving measurable audience and commercial outcomes.

The role serves as the business owner for Newsweek's content-product portfolio and works across multiple core teams. This includes Editorial, Engineering, Sales, Audience Development, Subscriptions, Analytics, Marketing, and First-Party Data teams. This role serves as the final business owner for content-product prioritization and recommends launch, investment, scaling, and retirement decisions to the Chief Content Officer.

Key Responsibilities:

Own the Content Product Portfolio

• Develop and manage Newsweek's portfolio of recurring audience products.
• Evaluate opportunities, prioritize investments, allocate resources, and recommend which products should be launched, expanded, revised, or retired.
• Build and maintain a clear content product roadmap aligned with company strategy.
• Accountable for the audience impact, growth, and commercial performance of the portfolio, including recommendations on investment priorities, resource allocation, and product lifecycle decisions. 

Drive Audience Habit Formation

• Own the audience outcomes associated with content products.
• The primary objective of the role is to design, launch, and scale products that increase audience frequency, accelerate movement up the loyalty ladder, and create future subscribers and known users.
• Ensure every product has a clear answer to: 
  • What repeat behavior are we trying to create?
  • Why will audiences return?
  • What audience need is being met?
  • What loyalty movement should this generate?
• Work with Engineering Project Managers, Editorial, and Analytics teams to improve return frequency, engagement, and loyalty progression.
• Champion the company's audience-loyalty framework and ensure product decisions support long-term audience relationship building. 

Lead Product Marketing Strategy

• Act as the product marketer for Newsweek's audience products. Define:
  • Target audiences
  • Product positioning 
  •  Value propositions
  • Launch plans 
  • Audience segmentation 
  • Messaging strategies 
  • Growth opportunities
• Work closely with Marketing, Audience Development, Social, Editorial, and Communications teams to maximize product adoption and audience growth.
• Ensure products are packaged and promoted effectively across all owned and distributed channels.

Build the Commercial Case

• Develop business cases for new product investments. Work closely with:
  • Sales
  • Strategic Partnerships
  • Advertising teams
  • Subscription teams 

to ensure products create meaningful commercial opportunities that deliver to the sponsor’s expectations.

• Identify opportunities for:
  • Sponsorship revenue
  • Advertising revenue
  • Subscription conversion
  • Audience monetization, including the development of off-page ad products (branded social)
  • Strategic partnerships  
• Maintain ownership of product-level revenue expectations and performance objectives.
• Partner with First-Party Data teams to ensure products generate registrations, newsletter signups, topic follows, and other signals that increase the value of Newsweek's known-user base.

Lead Cross-Functional Product Development

• Serve as the business owner throughout the product-development lifecycle.
• Work directly with the above referenced core teams to move products from concept to launch and ongoing optimization.
• Define product requirements, prioritize development opportunities, and work with Engineering Project Managers to deliver products that meet audience and commercial objectives.
• Translate business objectives into clear product requirements and priorities. Ensure teams remain aligned around product goals and success metrics. 

Define Measures of Success

• Partner with Analytics, Product Operations, and Business Intelligence teams to create performance reporting frameworks.
• Monitor and improve performance across:
  • Loyalty
  • First-Party Data
  • Subscription Performance
  • Commercial Performance
• Build an organization-wide culture of testing, measurement, learning, and iteration. 

Leadership Responsibilities

• Build strong working relationships across the above referenced core teams and act as a connector across the organization.
• Resolve competing priorities and drive alignment around strategic objectives.
• Present recommendations and performance updates to executive leadership.
• Represent the voice of the audience, the market, and the business in product decisions. 

Qualifications:

Required

• 10+ years of experience in product management, product marketing, audience development, digital media, consulting, strategy, or general management roles
• Bachelor’s degree preferred 
• Experience owning products or business lines with measurable growth and revenue targets 
• Strong understanding of audience acquisition, engagement, retention, loyalty, and monetization 
• Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives 
• Demonstrated ability to build business cases and prioritize investments 
• Deep understanding of digital publishing, subscriptions, or consumer media businesses 
• Strong analytical, strategic, and commercial skills 
• Excellent communication and presentation skills

 

Salary range: $150,000 - $180,000 commensurate with experience