Director, DTC Marketing (Temporary Assignment)

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) and paid leave

Job summary

Versant Media is seeking a Director, DTC Marketing for a temporary assignment from October 2026 through May 2027. The role leads a five-person DTC team and owns subscriber growth across acquisition, engagement, retention, lifecycle marketing, and conversion optimization in a fast-moving subscription business.

Hybrid position with three days in the NYC office. The ideal candidate balances strategic leadership with hands-on execution and collaboration across Brand Marketing, Product, Analytics and

Qualifications

• 6+ years of subscriber growth, lifecycle marketing or DTC marketing experience.
• Proven ability to own full-funnel acquisition, engagement, retention, and conversion initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of five DTC marketing professionals with clear priorities and performance expectations.
• Own day-to-day DTC marketing strategy across paid and owned channels (social, SEM/SEO, email, web, in-app, newsletters).
• Manage lifecycle programs to boost engagement, retention, loyalty, and customer lifetime value.
• Maintain a testing and optimization roadmap using analytics to guide decisions.
• Plan demand-generation with calendars, channel strategy, targeting, creative needs, and measurement.
• Collaborate with Brand Marketing and Creative to run awareness and conversion campaigns.

Skills

Subscriber growth

Lifecycle marketing

Performance marketing

Direct-to-consumer marketing

Team leadership

Analytics

A/B testing

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Director, DTC Marketing (Temporary Assignment)

• Full-time
• Business Segment: MS NOW
• Compensation: USD 145,000 - USD 180,000 - yearly

VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.

MS NOW is seeking an experienced, data-driven growth marketer to lead direct-to-consumer marketing for a parental leave coverage position from October 2026 through May 2027. This leader will own the ongoing subscriber-growth engine across acquisition, engagement, retention, lifecycle marketing, and conversion optimization.

The Director will manage an established team of five and report to the SVP, Marketing, MS NOW. The role will work closely with the DTC team, Brand Marketing, Product, Analytics, Creative, Finance, Customer Care, and the broader MS NOW marketing organization.

The Director will also collaborate with the Brand Marketing team on select priority initiatives during the VP of Brand's leave. This may include supporting campaign planning, creative briefs, and cross-functional coordination as needed. DTC growth and the leadership of the DTC team remain the role's primary focus.

The ideal candidate is customer-obsessed, analytically rigorous, and comfortable balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-moving subscription business.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of five DTC marketing professionals, setting clear priorities, operating rhythms, and performance expectations.
• Own day-to-day DTC marketing strategy and execution across paid and owned channels, including paid social, SEM, SEO, web, email, in-app messaging, newsletters, and other relevant channels.
• Manage and continuously improve established lifecycle programs to increase engagement, retention, loyalty, and customer lifetime value.
• Maintain a robust testing and optimization roadmap across acquisition, conversion, lifecycle, and retention; use analytics to identify opportunities and make data-informed decisions.
• Lead demand-generation planning, including campaign calendars, channel strategy, targeting, creative needs, and measurement plans.
• Partner with MS NOW Brand Marketing and Creative teams to develop awareness-driving brand campaigns and conversion-driving performance campaigns.
• Support select Brand Marketing priorities during the VP of Brand's leave, including campaign planning, creative briefs, and cross-functional coordination as needed.
• Help maintain visibility into shared Brand and DTC priorities; surface conflicts, risks, and decisions for the SVP, Marketing.
• Partner with Product, Analytics, and web teams to inform the customer journey, product roadmap, web experience, and conversion strategy through the lens of subscriber growth.
• Work with Finance and leadership to inform growth forecasts, performance reporting, subscriber-health KPIs, and action plans.
• Ensure effective use of customer-management systems and support tools in partnership with Customer Care and operational teams.
• Communicate performance, risks, priorities, and recommendations clearly to Marketing leadership and cross-functional partners.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in subscriber growth, lifecycle marketing, audience development, performance marketing, or DTC marketing within a subscription, media, or e-commerce business.
• Experience managing and developing a high-performing marketing team.
• Strong track record of owning full-funnel acquisition, engagement, retention, and conversion initiatives.
• Deep understanding of marketing analytics, attribution, experimentation, and A/B or multivariate testing.
• Demonstrated experience managing and improving lifecycle marketing programs and customer-engagement platforms; experience with Sailthru or a comparable ESP is a plus.
• Experience partnering with brand, creative, and integrated-marketing teams to bring campaigns to market.
• Strong strategic judgment paired with a willingness to work hands-on when needed.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership, communication, and project-management skills.
• Experience scaling a DTC subscription product is strongly preferred.

Additional Requirements:

• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.
• Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the NYC office a minimum of three days per week.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Salary range: $145,000-$180,000

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [e-mail] .

VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.

VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.