Sr. Weekend and Evening Audience Editor

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a sustainable, growth-focused media and digital marketing solutions company. Through our trusted brands, including the USA TODAY NETWORK—comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations—and Newsquest in the United Kingdom, we provide essential journalism, local content, and digital experiences to audiences and businesses.

About the role

We are looking for a dynamic senior weekend and evening audience editor to play a critical role in our fast-paced, 24/7 newsroom. This editor serves as both a strategic planner and hands-on producer, leading audience efforts during nights and weekends while helping readers connect with USA TODAY's award-winning journalism across owned and distributed platforms. The role is responsible for directing USA TODAY's evening and weekend audience operations, making real-time decisions to ensure our journalism reaches the right audiences at the right moments.

This position requires a schedule primarily consisting of evenings and weekends, including both Saturdays and Sundays. The role is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming. If you live near one of our local newsrooms, you may have the option to use that as a base of operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead USA TODAY's evening and weekend audience operations and serve as the primary audience decision-maker for breaking news during many off-hours shifts.
• Craft well-rounded audience plans for major news events and tentpole coverage.
• Manage breaking news independently, making real-time decisions to maximize audience reach and impact across platforms.
• Coordinate audience plans with network editors, planners, and audience leads across the USA TODAY Network to elevate our best work, identifying opportunities for national reach and engagement.
• Coordinate and distribute network advisories for major news events and projects.
• Execute audience producer responsibilities across social media, alerts, newsletters, homepage programming, and other distribution channels.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships and communicate effectively with newsroom leaders and partners in high-pressure situations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, journalism, marketing, or related field preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5 years of newsroom experience, preferably in an audience development role at a digitally-focused media organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading audience strategy and execution for breaking news, major events, or enterprise journalism with minimal supervision.
• Solid understanding of metrics tools to discern what kind of content performs well across various platforms and how to format and deliver it.
• Proven passion and experience with storytelling via social media, search, and newsletters, with expertise in platforms such as Reddit, Discord, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and Threads.
• Must work comfortably in a fast-paced, data-driven environment shaped constantly by feedback and experimentation.
• Exceptional planning and organizational skills with the ability to multitask and excel under deadline pressure.
• Creative and strategic mindset: brings fresh ideas for engaging audiences, is willing to experiment, and sees the bigger picture, connecting daily decisions to long-term audience growth.

Skills

• Experience using Google Analytics and Parse.ly or similar tools; experience with using AI to analyze data is a plus.
• Expertise in platform-specific data tools such as Meta, TikTok, and Reddit.
• Experience with third-party distribution tools like Hootsuite, True Anthem, and Echobox is preferred.
• Strong writing and editing skills, including writing optimized headlines and an eye for accuracy.
• Familiarity with news products, journalism, media analytics, and ethics.

Pay

The annualized base salary for this role will range between $60,000 and $93,750. Base compensation is reflective of many factors, including market location, education level, skills, certifications, and experience. Note: variable compensation may also apply based on the role.

Schedule

This position requires a schedule primarily consisting of evenings and weekends, including both Saturdays and Sundays.