Director of Circulation/Subscriptions (Experience Required)

Job description

About Us: Director of Circulation/Subscriptions (Exp Required)

We are a leading publisher with a national footprint and a loyal, diverse readership. Our titles are known for delivering bold, fast-paced news with mass appeal. As we evolve in a competitive media landscape, we are seeking a strategic, hands-on leader to oversee all aspects of circulation—focusing on optimizing print subscriptions, digital subscriptions and newsstand sales.

Position Overview:

As the Director of Circulation & Audience Development, you will be the company’s senior authority on print circulation, print & digital subscriptions, and newsstand sales. This role combines high-level strategy with operational oversight and is responsible for growing revenue, maximizing visibility, and ensuring efficient, profitable distribution across all platforms.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Set overall circulation strategy across single-copy sales, subscriptions, and digital editions.
• Lead audience development initiatives that grow total readership and revenue.
• Serve as a key voice in the executive team, contributing to product, pricing, and editorial direction based on reader demand and retail insights.

Newsstand & Retail Management:

• Oversee national newsstand distribution strategy, including draw management, retail promotions, and wholesaler partnerships.
• Analyze point-of-sale data to inform distribution decisions and improve sell-through.
• Collaborate with production and editorial teams to align issue schedules, covers, and promotions with sales goals.

Subscription Oversight:

• Develop and manage acquisition and retention programs for both print and digital subscribers.
• Work with marketing and data teams to target campaigns effectively using segmentation and LTV analysis.
• Supervise fulfillment vendors, pricing models, auto-renew strategies, and customer service performance.

Financial Accountability:

• Develop and manage the circulation budget, including forecasting, cost controls, and revenue planning.
• Regularly report performance to senior leadership and provide actionable recommendations.
• Evaluate ROI of campaigns and distribution strategies.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of circulation, subscription, or audience development experience in print publishing /consumer media.
• Proven success in managing national newsstand distribution and retail strategy.
• Strong financial acumen and experience with budgeting, forecasting, and P&L responsibility.
• Experience with fulfillment systems, customer databases, and analytics platforms.
• Strategic thinker with hands-on capability and a bias toward execution.
• Familiarity with digital circulation tools and cross-platform audience growth is a plus.