Director, Homepage Programming

CNN; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

CNN is seeking a Director of Digital Programming to lead the editorial team in London, focusing on optimizing the digital content experience across web, mobile, and apps for a global news organization. This hybrid role involves managing a team and executing strategic programming during a 4-day work week, including weekends. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in digital journalism and team leadership within a fast-paced environment, alongside strong editorial judgment and analytics skills.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in digital journalism or editorial operations in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing teams in a 24/7 publishing operation.
• Demonstrated ability to balance real-time instincts with strategic thinking.
• Deep understanding of audience engagement and digital consumption.
• Experience collaborating with product/design teams to enhance storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team programming digital experiences across platforms.
• Guide programming strategy ensuring content optimization.
• Exercise judgment during high-pressure breaking news situations.
• Frame stories with clarity and impact.
• Monitor analytics to inform programming decisions.
• Manage and mentor a distributed editorial team.

Skills

Digital journalism

Audience programming

Editorial operations

Team management

Real-time editorial instincts

Cross-platform storytelling

Analytical decision-making

Job description

Your New Role

We’re seeking a Director of Digital Programming, Weekend to report into the VP of Programming and lead the editorial team responsible for curating and optimising the content experience across our core digital surfaces — web, mobile web, and mobile apps — for a 24/7 global news organisation.

This role is at the intersection of journalism, audience behaviour, and product innovation. The ideal candidate brings sharp editorial judgment, strong people leadership, and a strategic mindset grounded in data. You ensure our digital front doors consistently reflect the urgency, depth, and breadth of our journalism — and that they serve the evolving needs of our audiences around the clock.

The Weekend Director will play a critical role helping to develop and lead execution of the weekend homepage strategy. The role is based out of our London newsroom, working a 4‑day week inclusive of Saturday and Sunday.

Your Role Accountabilities

• Lead a team of editors programming the organisation’s home and front‑door digital experiences (web, mobile web, and app)
• Guide programming strategy across formats — including live video, text, audio, and visuals — ensuring each is optimised
• Exercise strong editorial judgment in real‑time, particularly during high‑pressure breaking news and questions of content hierarchy, timing and rotation
• Ensure content selection aligns with core editorial values while meeting the needs of users (Catch me up, Take me deeper, Entertain me)
• Frame stories with clarity, accuracy and impact, including writing or approving high‑quality headlines, teases, and promotional language
• Demonstrate ability to make sophisticated editorial decisions and seamlessly curate across live, text, visual and video formats
• Monitor real‑time analytics to inform programming decisions and adjust content placement dynamically, partnering with the Audience, Data, and Research teams to deepen understanding of audience segments and consumption habits
• Manage and mentor a distributed editorial team, providing direction, feedback, and growth opportunities

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive experience in digital journalism, audience programming, or editorial operations within a fast‑paced news or media environment
• Experience managing teams in a 24/7 publishing operation, ideally with global coordination
• Demonstrated ability to balance real‑time editorial instincts with long‑term strategic thinking
• Deep understanding of audience engagement, digital consumption behaviours, and cross‑platform storytelling (text, video, audio)
• Experience working with product and design teams to enhance digital storytelling or homepage surfaces

Hybrid Working

This role is advertised as a Hybrid work model, that combines remote and in‑office work, following our current company policy and to be agreed with your Line Manager. Subject to any applicable laws, WBD / your Line Manager reserves the right to change this working agreement where this is essential to business needs and upon reasonable notice to you.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.