About the Company:

The Venetoulis Institute is a high-profile, well-funded startup that is supported by some of the top names in the media industry. Solely focused on the Baltimore area, they are creating a new paradigm for digital-first, cross-channel local media. The Baltimore Banner will extend across web, mobile (app), radio (terrestrial and satellite), and video (TV and digital). Their vision is to be the leading provider of news and lifestyle content in the Baltimore area.

About the Job:

The Baltimore Banner is hiring an Audience Director who will lead our efforts to understand, listen to, and reach our audiences. The director will develop a solid social media strategy to attract readers to our stories and other content and supervise an Audience Engagement Editor who implements the social media strategy.

The director will gather and distill information about audiences’ needs and interests from analytics, audience research, user interviews, advisory groups, and the audience listening. They will work with colleagues in product, analytics and marketing to help our whole enterprise operate based on the shared knowledge of our readers and customers. The director will identify and implement the best social media, SEO, and audience engagement practices and stay on top of the latest social media trends.

The audience director should be able to direct a strategy of both qualitative and quantitative methods of understanding audience needs and interests and help devise content and services that meet those needs.The ideal candidates are collaborative, ambitious, and willing to experiment with storytelling in multiple forms on many platforms.

We are a mission-driven organization focused on local news and improving the community. We expect all candidates to believe sincerely in that mission and work collaboratively as a team. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive newsroom with positive morale and culture.

Responsibilities:

Create a social media strategy that best promotes daily coverage, enterprise stories, and long-term projects and helps us interact with and engage with our readers

Manage a small team of audience editors

Manage an audience engagement editor who will work across social media platforms to help readers engage with our content

Help editors and reporters apply insights from audience research and user interviews to news strategies

Oversee ongoing efforts to actively and openly listen to people in the community, increase our empathy and understanding of their needs, and identify story ideas and services that will meet their needs.

Generate new ideas for audience growth and be open to new ways of reaching readers

Represent The Banner in the community as needed — in person or on television or radio appearances

Use and understand newsroom analytics to hone and identify the coverage that serves readers

Develop reports for newsroom teams and provide regular feedback and analysis

Train the newsroom in best social media practices

Stay up to date on the latest platforms and experiment on those platforms

Requirements:

A minimum of 5 years of experience in journalism

An understanding of audience data and analytics and a track record for using data for social media strategy

Experience with qualitative audience research and listening methods, such as user interviews, focus groups, advisory groups, or others

Proficiency with analytics tools such as Parse.ly and Google Analytics

Ability to work across many different platforms – photos, video, graphics, and words

Strong knowledge of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Apple News, Microsoft News, Tik Tok, Instagram, Pocket, Flipboard, SmartNews, Reddit, Google News, YouTube, Clubhouse, and newsletters

Comfortable in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Enthusiasm for news and content that will resonate with readers

Teamwork and willingness to collaborate with others

Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to give and receive constructive feedback

Willingness to work some nights and weekends as news dictates

A commitment to upholding journalistic values and ethics