Executive Commerce Director, WIRED

Primary Responsibilities

• Identify and execute on business opportunities and net new consumer experiences that disrupt the current affiliate mode: checkout on site via a partner to provide an improved ecommerce experience to the WIRED reader.
• Direct-to-consumer experiences.
• Ensure all commerce content is of exceptional quality and adheres to brand voice across channels and is exceptional in consumer engagement.
• Build a direct audience for WIRED including newsletter and social, and grow revenue from these mediums.
• Direct Revenue Strategy: Build and execute strategy to drive audience directly to shop on Wired.com by building a compelling value proposition for shopping and repeat audience monetization.
• Develop a commerce proposition that is differentiated within the market and adds value for the reader, our partners, and the WIRED brand itself.
• Improve repeat engagement on commerce content.
• Drive macro-level commerce innovation by identifying, incubating, and launching entirely net-new revenue streams.
• Partner with product/audience for comprehensive content and site audits to identify friction points and execute end-to-end optimizations of the on-site ecommerce experience.
• Represent the Commerce division as the lead negotiator in high-stakes, enterprise-level discussions.
• Structure and secure deep strategic alliances, white-label partnerships, and exclusive, multiyear contracts with tier-one retailers (e.g., Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart).
• Identify the long-term strategic direction for WIRED brands. Communicate this vision and develop business plans.
• Deliver growth targets through the implementation of long-term strategic plans, as well as reacting to tactical opportunities and trade performance.
• Continue to evaluate how our current strategies align with evolving market conditions. Benchmark our brands vs. competitors and other proxy brands in the market.
• Work hand in hand with editorial teams in content strategy planning and execution to provide a unified WIRED experience to the consumer.
• Work closely with advertising teams to identify broader strategic partnership opportunities to improve revenue per page and support commercial sales pitches that can optimize commerce.
• Propose new ideas to scale our data, analytics, and product functions to optimize commerce revenue for WIRED brands.
• Synthesize broad findings into insights that inform content strategy and monetization on complex issues, leveraging executive presence to influence decisions and proactively driving solutions to high-impact strategies.
• Bring out the best in people to achieve team and organization priorities. As a manager, focus on change management and actions reflect on Condé Nast values.
• Partner with Data Insights, Product, and Editorial leadership to identify and implement action plans against headwinds and growth opportunities.
• Collaborate to maximize all go-to-market Commerce activity including newsletter, social media, paid campaigns, and events.
• Demonstrate a nuanced and deep understanding of the product recommendation ecosystem in search, social, newsletter, and video.
• Develop a deep understanding of the target audience and define best practices to reach and engage with them.
• Strategize, plan, and ensure timely execution of weekly, seasonal, and tentpole content calendar that leverages SEO opportunities and business insights.
• Collect and analyze audience analytics to make data-informed content decisions.
• Work closely and collaboratively with editorial, advertising, engineering, video, and design teams and pushing forward Commerce initiatives to top priority.
• Able to size business opportunities and clearly articulate impact to teams.
• Identify new opportunities for content category growth and assign grow categories to meet revenue goals.
• Profit management including revenue and personnel costs.
• Mentor, educate, and develop staff. Recommend effective processes and procedures to improve workflow and results.

Skills & Qualifications

• Best-in-class execution from ideation to completion with eep understanding of the WIRED
• Strong understanding of content-driven commerce
• 15 years of dedicated content and commerce experience with experience in scaling a business
• Strong people-management skills required to champion and rally the team toward an evolving media landscape
• Experience overseeing direct email marketing strategies to maximize audience engagement and lifetime value
• Experience running a direct-to-consumer business—managing first-party data and direct email marketing required
• Experience building a content commerce business off platform on social required
• Proven vendor and partner relationship management with a commercial viewpoint
• Team management and five years of leadership experience is required
• Comfortable with revenue forecasting and planning
• Experience communicating with and presenting to senior executives and translating company priorities into actionable goals for teams
• Demonstrated history of fostering and sustaining a diverse and inclusive team; expertise in mentorship and team leadership
• Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to juggle multiple priorities
• Knowledge of best-in-class SEO practices
• Able to size business opportunities and leverage data to influence everyday priorities to meet revenue goals
• Experience working in Google Sheets required

Pay

The expected base salary range for this position is from $195K to $205K. Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including but not limited to relevant skills, training, experience, and education. In addition to salary and a generous employee benefits package, successful candidates may also be eligible to receive discretionary bonus compensation.