Deputy Editor, Audience Strategy & Newsletters

About the Role

The Minnesota Star Tribune, a 159-year-old media organization with seven Pulitzer Prizes, seeks a Deputy Editor, Audience Strategy & Newsletters, to join our team in Minneapolis, MN. This role is a critical member of the Audience Team, overseeing audience strategy and newsletter portfolio management. The ideal candidate is passionate about journalism, audience behavior, and digital platforms, with a commitment to strengthening our communities through impactful storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Audience Strategy:
  • Lead embedded audience strategy for key coverage pillars, including News & Politics, Greater MN, Business, Outdoors, Food & Culture, Sports, and Strib Varsity.
  • Partner with desk editors to identify audience opportunities, data needs, performance goals, and experimentation priorities.
  • Develop shared audience strategy frameworks to help desks set priorities, evaluate performance, and identify growth opportunities.
  • Lead audience messaging strategy across owned channels, including newsletters, push notifications, and in-app messaging.
  • Encourage experimentation across platforms to maximize reach and engagement.
• Newsletters:
  • Develop a portfolio-level newsletter strategy balancing audience growth, reader habit, subscription value, and operational sustainability.
  • Evaluate new newsletter proposals and guide lifecycle decisions.
  • Lead experimentation in newsletter subject lines, format, cadence, and segmentation.
  • Maintain quality and consistency across newsletters in partnership with newsroom editors.
  • Develop technical fluency in the email platform to troubleshoot issues and improve workflows.
• Leadership & Team Development:
  • Translate Audience Team priorities into clear systems, workflows, and expectations.
  • Coach embedded Audience Editors in strategic planning, data interpretation, and platform decision-making.
  • Build consistent planning, testing, and post-publication learning practices.
  • Improve collaboration with desks, product, data, social, homepage, and newsletter stakeholders.
  • Model strong editorial judgment, audience-first thinking, and collaborative leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in journalism or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in newsletter strategy, audience development, digital strategy, or related fields.
• Minimum 2 years of experience leading or managing teams.
• Strong understanding of audience analytics and performance metrics.
• Experience conducting audience research to guide editorial decisions.
• Experience with email service providers (Sailthru or similar preferred).
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Commitment to journalism, public service, and Minnesota’s diverse communities.
• Authorization to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a subscription-based media organization.
• Experience managing an email or audience product portfolio.
• Experience running structured testing and experimentation programs.
• Familiarity with homepage curation in a fast-paced newsroom.

Pay

The compensation range for this position is $103,500 - $125,000. Actual compensation will depend on qualifications, skills, and experience.

Benefits

• 401(K) match
• Healthcare coverage (medical, dental, vision)
• Life and disability insurance
• Paid time off and flexible holidays
• Wellness program with financial incentives
• Tuition reimbursement
• Commuting subsidy
• Pet insurance
• Flexible spending and health savings accounts

More About The Minnesota Star Tribune

We are committed to employee happiness, growth, and well-being, offering a modern downtown office with amenities, comprehensive benefits, and a focus on work-life balance. Recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Media and News (2025) and Newsweek’s Greatest Midsize Workplaces (2025), we foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.