Content Director

Life Sciences Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Life Sciences Recruitment is seeking a Content Director to set the strategic vision for the Content team. You will drive editorial growth, align commissioning with commercial goals, and ensure journals remain profitable and forward-looking. The role partners with the Editorial Manager to balance strategy and delivery.

Lead readership growth, use data-led insights, and stay ahead of publishing trends while collaborating with Marketing, BD, and Client Success to amplify content reach.

Qualifications

• Strong track record of profitable journals or content portfolios.
• Experience with audience growth strategies.
• Ability to turn insights into strategic actions.
• Collaborates with Marketing and Sales.
• Familiarity with publishing systems, tools, and technologies.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the long-term editorial strategy in line with company OKRs.
• Anticipate future business needs, ensuring editorial direction supports sales-led growth.
• Partner with the Editorial Manager to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery.
• Take ultimate responsibility for the profitability of each journal.
• Oversee costing models for in-house and commissioned content, ensuring revenues exceed costs.
• Monitor journal performance and make strategic adjustments to maximise margins and ensure sustainability.
• Drive journal readership growth by identifying gaps and building the member base in key subject areas.
• Use data-led commissioning insights to ensure journal content resonates with current and future audiences.
• Stay at the forefront of publishing trends, ensuring leads in content innovation.
• Ensure the department has the right tools, technologies, and systems in place to support efficient, modern, and innovative content delivery.
• Build strong partnerships with Marketing, Business Development, and Client Success.
• Drive the Marketing–Editorial axis to grow journal membership and amplify content reach.
• Ensure editorial output is aligned with wider company objectives and contributes to growth.
• Oversee the long-term development of each journal, ensuring they remain relevant, high-quality, and commercially successful.
• Provide strategic guidance to Journal Editors (via the Editorial Manager) on focus areas, commissioning priorities, and subject trends.

Skills

Commercial acumen

Editorial growth strategies

Audience development

Data-led commissioning

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Publishing technologies

Tools

Publishing systems

Job description

The Content Director sets the strategic vision and direction for the Content team, ensuring editorial output drives growth and profitability. This role focuses on building readership in priority areas, aligning editorial commissioning with commercial objectives, ensuring the financial success of journals. While the Editorial Manager is responsible for day-to-day delivery and production quality, the Content Director ensures the department’s work is strategically aligned, commercially viable, and future-focused.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Vision & Direction

• Define and implement the long-term editorial strategy in line with company OKRs.
• Anticipate future business needs, ensuring editorial direction supports sales-led growth.
• Partner with the Editorial Manager to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery.

Commercial Success

• Take ultimate responsibility for the profitability of each journal.
• Oversee costing models for in-house and commissioned content, ensuring revenues exceed costs.
• Monitor journal performance and make strategic adjustments to maximise margins and ensure sustainability.

User Growth & Database Strategy

• Drive journal readership growth by identifying gaps and building the member base in key subject areas.
• Use data-led commissioning insights to ensure journal content resonates with current and future audiences.

Innovation & Publishing Expertise

• Stay at the forefront of publishing trends, ensuring leads in content innovation.
• Ensure the department has the right tools, technologies, and systems in place to support efficient, modern, and innovative content delivery.
• Build strong partnerships with Marketing, Business Development, and Client Success.
• Drive the Marketing–Editorial axis to grow journal membership and amplify content reach.
• Ensure editorial output is aligned with wider company objectives and contributes to growth.

Journal Development

• Oversee the long-term development of each journal, ensuring they remain relevant, high-quality, and commercially successful.
• Provide strategic guidance to Journal Editors (via the Editorial Manager) on focus areas, commissioning priorities, and subject trends.

Key Requirements

• Strong commercial acumen with a track record of managing profitable journals or content portfolios.
• Demonstrated expertise in editorial growth strategies, audience development, and data-led commissioning.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate trends and turn insight into action.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, particularly with Marketing and Sales.
• Knowledge of publishing systems, tools, and technologies, with experience driving innovation.