Supporter editor

Guardian News and Media Limited; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Employee assistance program (EAP)

Paid volunteer leave

Diversity and inclusion groups & Recon

Guardian digital subscription

Job summary

Guardian Australia is seeking a supporter editor to join our editorial team in Sydney on a full-time 12-month fixed-term contract. This senior role will write and oversee supporter fundraising messages across channels, and collaborate with UK and US reader revenue teams.

You will edit fundraising copy, maintain Guardian voice, create weekly supporter newsletter, test messaging, and drive revenue while balancing journalism integrity.

Qualifications

• At least five years of newsroom or editorial experience, ideally with a background in audience development, membership models, or not-for-profit fundraising/campaigning.
• Familiarity with the Guardian's mission, positioning, history, business model, tone of voice, and points of difference.
• Proven experience in designing and executing cross-platform message testing and optimisation programs is an advantage.
• Expert knowledge of the trends and threats shaping the digital media and the Guardian's role within it.
• Experience working in a cross-functional capacity, and demonstrated experience managing projects and hitting deadlines.
• Exceptional knowledge of the Australian media and political environment
• Strong understanding of journalism business models, growth strategy, reader revenue and audience engagement.
• Knowledge of how a busy newsroom operates; experience dealing with senior figures across an organisation.
• Awareness of fundraising / campaign tactics and messaging.

Responsibilities

• Write compelling subscriber/supporter fundraising messages across our on and off-platform digital channels that connect to the news cycle and the Guardian's mission and values.
• Oversee Guardian Australia's email fundraising efforts.
• Commission and edit fundraising and supporter engagement copy from Guardian reporters, editors and columnists.
• Review copy produced by marketing teams to ensure it reflects the Guardian's voice and values.
• Proactively identify news-driven and reactive opportunities to motivate reader support around breaking news or major editorial projects.
• Help conceive of and run a steady cadence of dedicated support campaigns, with a particular focus on the year-end fundraising campaign.
• Collaborate closely with UK and US reader revenue teams to leverage global learnings, campaigns, and messaging frameworks for the Australian market.
• Oversee and craft message testing and optimisation programs.
• Author a consistent, weekly supporter-focused newsletter under your own name to build long-term trust and loyalty.
• Commission and edit pieces highlighting our journalism, and share details of particular journalistic projects and roles in the newsroom with supporters to help them feel closer to our journalism.
• Oversee and craft a messaging testing program across digital channels, and analyse conversion metrics which point to patterns in what is driving support.
• Maintain the Guardian's tone of voice on all audience-facing messaging in collaboration with marketing and reader revenue teams.
• Work with editorial colleagues to deliver journalism which will help build and sustain our supporter strategy.
• Collaborate with digital teams, marketing, UX, design, commercial, research and data and insight as the lead editorial voice to drive supporter revenue across platforms.
• Identify new opportunities to connect with our supporters around the stories we cover, marrying editorial insight with metrics to make data-driven decisions.
• Develop new ways of interacting with our audience and new formats for doing so.

Skills

Editorial experience

Audience development

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Performance accountability

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism or communications

Job description

Guardian Australia is part of Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com. As a leading global media organisation, we are renowned for our pioneering independent journalism and our award-winning digital products.

We are seeking a supporter editor to join our editorial team. This is a senior newsroom role for a writer and strategist who will help execute our Australian supporter revenue program. The aim is to deepen our relationship with our Australian audience and grow our base of paying supporters. This is a proactive, hands-on role with strong accountability for performance. It will suit a journalist who is adept at working cross-functionally and with a strong understanding of relevant metrics.

This role is being offered on a full-time 12 month fixed-term contract, with early starts or late finishes. This role is open to candidates based in Sydney only.

In this role you will…

• Write compelling subscriber/supporter fundraising messages across our on and off-platform digital channels that connect to the news cycle and the Guardian's mission and values.
• Oversee Guardian Australia's email fundraising efforts.
• Commission and edit fundraising and supporter engagement copy from Guardian reporters, editors and columnists.
• Review copy produced by marketing teams to ensure it reflects the Guardian's voice and values.
• Proactively identify news-driven and reactive opportunities to motivate reader support around breaking news or major editorial projects.
• Help conceive of and run a steady cadence of dedicated support campaigns, with a particular focus on the year-end fundraising campaign.
• Collaborate closely with UK and US reader revenue teams to leverage global learnings, campaigns, and messaging frameworks for the Australian market.
• Oversee and craft message testing and optimisation programs.
• Author a consistent, weekly supporter-focused newsletter under your own name to build long-term trust and loyalty.
• Commission and edit pieces highlighting our journalism, and share details of particular journalistic projects and roles in the newsroom with supporters to help them feel closer to our journalism.
• Oversee and craft a messaging testing program across digital channels, and analyse conversion metrics which point to patterns in what is driving support.
• Maintain the Guardian's tone of voice on all audience-facing messaging in collaboration with marketing and reader revenue teams.
• Work with editorial colleagues to deliver journalism which will help build and sustain our supporter strategy.
• Collaborate with digital teams, marketing, UX, design, commercial, research and data and insight as the lead editorial voice to drive supporter revenue across platforms.
• Identify new opportunities to connect with our supporters around the stories we cover, marrying editorial insight with metrics to make data-driven decisions.
• Develop new ways of interacting with our audience and new formats for doing so.

Knowledge and experience

• At least five years of newsroom or editorial experience, ideally with a background in audience development, membership models, or not-for-profit fundraising/campaigning.
• Familiarity with the Guardian's mission, positioning, history, business model, tone of voice, and points of difference.
• Proven experience in designing and executing cross-platform message testing and optimisation programs is an advantage.
• Expert knowledge of the trends and threats shaping the digital media and the Guardian's role within it.
• Experience working in a cross-functional capacity, and demonstrated experience managing projects and hitting deadlines.
• Exceptional knowledge of the Australian media and political environment
• Strong understanding of journalism business models, growth strategy, reader revenue and audience engagement.
• Knowledge of how a busy newsroom operates; experience dealing with senior figures across an organisation.
• Awareness of fundraising / campaign tactics and messaging.

Skills and Behaviours

• Ability to write brilliant eye-catching copy for multiple editorial purposes as well as for revenue-generation.
• Strong strategic judgment with the ability to balance data-informed decision-making with high-standard journalistic integrity.
• Data driven, familiar with user testing frameworks, and an interest in data and trends, and how they can be used to help shape reader revenue messaging.
• A warm, accessible, and distinctive storytelling voice, backed by sharp news judgment.
• A highly collaborative editor with exceptional communication skills, and the ability to hit deadlines and work across geographies, disciplines and departments.
• Strong cross-departmental diplomacy, with comfort balancing the Guardian mission and journalistic integrity against commercial goals.
• A reactive thinker who can identify editorial and commercial opportunities as well as potential issues.
• A creative thinker with the ability to generate innovative ideas to connect with readers and grow our support base.
• Willingness to experiment with new ideas and formats.
• Comfort with strong performance accountability.
• Good understanding of Guardian values: honesty, integrity, courage, fairness, and a sense of duty to the reader and the community.
• Open to challenge and correction.
• A passion for independent journalism and an understanding of our editorial code and values

About working at Guardian Australia…

• Hybrid working
• Employee assistance program (EAP) to support employee wellbeing
• Paid volunteer leave
• Dedicated diversity and inclusion employee groups, action plans (including our Reconciliation Action Plan) and cultural competency training
• Guardian digital subscription

Closing date for applications

Thursday, 22 October 2026

If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email [e-mail]

GNM Australia Limited (Guardian Australia) is proud to be a fair and ethical employer. Australian editorial minimum rates of pay by band and grade are outlined in the Journalists (GNM Australia Pty Ltd) Enterprise Agreement 2024 for roles that fall under its coverage.

We believe that our role in the Australian media is to give a voice to the most marginalised people in society and value and respect all differences in all people — including people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from different social classes, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, and people with disabilities (seen and unseen). We believe that these communities must be centred in the work we do, bringing a new perspective and a diversity of thought. We also encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees feel respected.