The Athletic
sports media
HeadofSocial&OffPlatformGrowth
“Head of Social & Off-Platform Growth at The Athletic. Skills: Audience growth, Social media strategy, Creator partnerships, P&L ownership. Lead audience expansion across social video, YouTube, podcasting, and creator content. Own audience growth strategy and targets”
What You'll Achieve.
clear KPIs for follower growth, reach, views, and engagement; clear accountability for growth targets
Industry & Context.
data-driven; analytical rigor; use data to make decisions; know when instinct and creative judgment matter more
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
7–12 years of experience in digital media, Proven track record of scaling social media audiences and YouTube channels at significant scale, Deep platform fluency across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), and podcast platforms, Experience managing or overseeing creator relationships and talent-driven social content, Comfort owning a P&L and making budget decisions in a growth context, analytical skills, Exceptional communicator, A genuine passion for sports, sports media, and the creator economy
Nice to Have
ideally within sports, entertainment, or news media
What You'll Do.
Lead audience expansion across social video
Own audience growth strategy and targets
Manage P&L tied to channels
Develop content to grow followers and brand awareness
Lead a team of growth leads and social media managers
Set vision and hold bar for creative excellence
Drive audience growth goals across YouTube
Develop platform-specific growth strategies
Identify whitespace opportunities
Monitor audience analytics and platform signals
Lead a creator strategy
Champion an off-platform voice
Push creative boundaries for content formats
Develop social video content strategies
Develop strategies to grow YouTube and podcasting audiences
Stay current on platform trends and creator strategies
Build and grow creator ecosystem
Develop programming strategies
Own P&L for social handles and creator channels
revenue opportunities
Develop social-to-platform conversion strategies
Report regularly to senior leadership
Build a high-performance team culture
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Partner closely with creative leads across podcasting and social video; Work with marketing, editorial, and product to develop social-to-platform conversion strategies; Align stakeholders; Inspire a team; Present clearly to leadership
Communication Scope
Exceptional communicator who can align stakeholders, inspire a team, and present clearly to leadership
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