Editor, Audience - News, CNN Digital Products & Services

We are CNN—the world's most essential and engaging source of digital news. We are in the midst of rapid transformation and need our next generation of innovators, makers, and dreamers who will lead and drive our growth. We aim to make the world a better, more connected place.

About the role

The Audience Editor is the embedded, desk-specific partner to Audience Strategy & Insights, translating audience signals into clear editorial choices. You will supply the desk with essential performance learnings; shape framing, formats, and distribution to meet audience demand; and collaborate across Search, Social, Home, Newsletters, and Product to maximize reach, habit, and engagement (including among subscribers). This role sits at the intersection of editorial judgment and evidence—collaborative, rigorous in approach, and focused on measurable outcomes. You will work closely within our Audience Strategy & Insights operating model and in partnership with DART (Data, Analytics, Research & Testing) to turn insights into action and build repeatable practices the desk can rely on.

Responsibilities

• Deliver concise, actionable daily/weekly/monthly insights that guide coverage decisions and follow-ups.
• Suggest stories, angles, and formats grounded in search intent, off-platform behavior, competitive patterns, and audience demand.
• Interpret quantitative and qualitative signals to shape framing and presentation on platform (site/app, home, article packaging, recirculation) and off platform (search, social, alerts, newsletters).
• Partner with Product and platform teams (Search, Social, Home, Newsletters) to identify opportunities in modules, templates, topic hubs, and alerting.
• Drive reach, engagement, and habit by aligning desk plans to audience goals and capturing learnings in structured retros and playbooks.
• Coordinate packaging and distribution across Off-Platform, Distribution, Community, Programming, and Newsletter teams.
• Contribute to daily, weekly, and monthly audience updates, synthesizing insights into desk and section reviews.
• Evaluate the desk’s presence and strategy across platforms; identify growth opportunities in formats and account strategy.
• Coach the desk on best practices for social, search, and packaging; lead quick tests and document learnings.
• Optimize for discoverability via trend identification, audience demand research, evergreen refinement, and intent matching—partnering with Search on best practices.
• Uphold CNN’s journalistic mission by using data to inform editorial decisions.

Requirements

• 3+ years in digital journalism, audience or content strategy, or analytics.
• Strong ability to spot coverage, framing, and format opportunities that drive reach and engagement.
• Skilled at interpreting data and partnering with analytics to shape on- and off-platform presentation.
• Experience working with Search, Social, Home, Community, Notifications, and Newsletter teams.
• Clear, action-oriented communicator who contributes regularly to audience performance updates.
• Ability to write and coach platform-native social copy.
• Committed to journalistic independence and mission-aligned decisions.
• Fluent in search trends, intent shifts, and misinformation dynamics.
• Deep social platform expertise with strong tone and brand stewardship.
• Strong writing/editing instincts for headlines, display, and framing.
• Comfortable with testing, iteration, and directional reads.
• Skilled at bridging editorial, product, analytics, design, and research.
• Strong understanding of competitive landscape and attention patterns.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Employee wellness program
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement savings plan
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards

Pay

Base pay range: $77,000.00 - $143,000.00 salary per year.