Director of Programming

Director of Programming, Sports Illustrated

at The Arena Group (View all jobs)

United States

First Look: Director of Programming (Sports Illustrated)

SI’s digital team is seeking a Director of Programming. We are looking for a highly organized communicator who can manage our digital news desk with an audience-first approach that combines sound journalistic principles with an appreciation for analytics and a deep knowledge of how traffic moves across the internet.

The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, a master of style and an expert story editor who can identify holes in copy and help writers close them. We’re looking for an ambitious, experienced manager who will lead our news desk, manage the scheduling of editors to ensure robust coverage at the most important times and communicate our content and coverage plans across all parts of our organization (writers, editors, social, video, et al.). This editor will sit at the center of newsroom activity, coordinating copyflow and creating the programming plan for daily news coverage and tentpole events. They will also work closely with the writers and editors creating the content, ensuring that our content and programming plans are aligned, and that our content plan meets our audience’s needs.

The ideal candidate will have a clear picture of what sports audiences respond to, how to identify what’s working (or not), how to identify holes in our coverage and how to communicate our programming needs to the relevant teams. The ability to supervise/guide others while working collaboratively in a remote environment is essential.

The Arena Group’s expected annualized base salary range for this position is currently $100,000-150,000. Actual salaries will vary based on multiple factors including, but not limited to location, education, experience and other factors permitted by law. The listed salary range is but one component of The Arena Group’s total compensation and benefits available to its employees.

Please note: due to the volume of applications we receive, only applicants selected for consideration will be contacted.

What You’ll Do

• Lead digital programming strategy for Sports Illustrated digital
• Manage a team of ~10 producers who focus on editing, site programming and special projects
• Develop, implement and communicate relentlessly about SI’s short- and long-term programming calendar
• Run regular news meetings and be a key driver of content ideation
• Craft compelling headlines that drive audience engagement and traffic across various endpoints, including direct, search, social, newsletters and alerts
• Embrace innovative methods for covering news in a live environment
• Utilize analytics and social trends to identify the best types of content for each platform
• Edit stories from start to finish as needed for quality, style and grammar
• Collaborate with SI’s social and video teams for cross-platform storytelling that engages audiences and drives consumption across text, graphics, audio, video and social
• Increase audience engagement by working closely with the Audience Development team to understand and analyze audience metrics, feedback, and trends. Utilize this data to inform content decisions, improve engagement, and optimize the user experience across Sports Illustrated’s digital platforms
• Set and maintain proficiency and knowledge on effective and efficient content-creation practices, editing best practices, search/social content and audience trends, and evolving audience-consumption habits
• Recruit and develop diverse talent

What You’ll Bring

• 8-10 years’ experience working in a fast-paced digital environment
• BA/BS degree in journalism, English, or related experience
• Ability and willingness to work on deadline and handle multiple tasks at once with a precise and detail-oriented approach
• Knowledge of digital content best practices, SEO and audience development tactics
• Excellent communication, organization, leadership, and time management skills
• Demonstrated enthusiasm and acumen to effectively identify trending topics across sports and key events, that result in audience engagement across SI.com, Apple News+, social platforms, video, audio, etc.
• Collaborative and team-oriented spirit
• A positive attitude, with a mix of fun and urgency

Benefits At A Glance

• Medical, Dental and, Vision Coverage
• Retirement Savings Plan (401K), with company match
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Commuter Benefits
• Reimbursement for business cell phone use per company policy
• Employee Stock Option Plan (Publicly Traded Company – AREN)
• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• Paid Parental Leave
• 12 Paid Holidays

The Arena Group (NYSE American: AREN) is an innovative technology platform and media company with a proven cutting-edge playbook that transforms media brands. Our unified technology platform empowers creators and publishers with tools to publish and monetize their content, while also leveraging quality journalism of anchor brands like Sports Illustrated, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, and HubPages to build their businesses. The company aggregates content across a diverse portfolio of over 265 brands, reaching over 100 million users monthly. Visit us at thearenagroup.net and discover how we are revolutionizing the world of digital media.

The Arena Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.