Executive Director, Lifecycle & Engagement

Hearst Magazines; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work with the Best

Grow Your Skills

Work-Life Harmony

Foster Connection & Belonging

Wellness First

Plan for Your Financial Future

Job summary

Hearst Magazines in New York City seeks an Executive Director, Lifecycle & Engagement to define the strategy transforming email and owned channels into meaningful, long-term customer relationships across its iconic portfolio.

You will lead lifecycle marketing across newsletters, partner with editorial, product, data and audience growth, and build scalable programs while guiding a team of six to deliver measurable growth.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading lifecycle marketing, CRM, and newsletter strategy.
• Proven ability to scale onboarding, engagement, retention, and personalization initiatives.
• Strong collaboration with Product, Operations, Audience Growth, Data, and Editorial.
• Experience building scalable frameworks and influencing senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define Hearst's lifecycle marketing strategy across newsletters and email marketing.
• Shape and evolve the newsletter portfolio with editorial leaders and business cases.
• Build scalable programs, best practices, and repeatable frameworks across brands.
• Partner with Product, Lifecycle Operations, Data, Analytics, Consumer Revenue, and Editorial.
• Lead and mentor a team of 6 and communicate recommendations to leadership.
• Identify opportunities, develop business cases, and influence roadmaps.

Skills

Lifecycle marketing

CRM

Newsletter strategy

Audience growth collaboration

Team leadership

Stakeholder influence

Job description

Be Part of What's Next

Help shape the future of how millions of consumers connect with Hearst Magazines. As Executive Director, Lifecycle & Engagement, you'll define the strategy that transforms email and owned channels into meaningful, long-term customer relationships—driving engagement, loyalty, and business growth across one of the world's most iconic media portfolios.

About Hearst Magazines (Why Us?)

Hearst Magazines is one of the world's largest publishers, with a portfolio of 30 brands that reach audiences across print, digital, social, video, audio, commerce, and live experiences. Our brands connect with millions of consumers through trusted storytelling, innovative products, and world-class journalism, creating meaningful experiences that inspire, inform, and entertain every day.

Key Responsibilities (What You Are Doing)

Define Hearst's lifecycle marketing strategy

• Develop the lifecycle marketing strategy across newsletters and email marketing, creating a cohesive approach to customer engagement, personalization, retention, and long-term audience value.
• Partner with Audience Growth to transition successful acquisition initiatives into scalable lifecycle programs that strengthen customer relationships over time.
• Champion innovation, identifying new opportunities to improve customer engagement through AI, personalization, experimentation, and evolving consumer behaviors.

Shape and evolve the newsletter portfolio

• Partner with Editorial leaders to identify new newsletter opportunities, develop business cases, and bring new products to market.
• Oversee the strategy and evolution of Hearst's newsletter portfolio, strengthening flagship experiences through audience insights, testing, lifecycle marketing, and personalization while continually evaluating where to invest, optimize, expand, or sunset.
• Establish a strategic roadmap for the newsletter portfolio, setting priorities for new launches, product evolution, experimentation, and long-term growth.

Build scalable programs and best practices

• Develop lifecycle frameworks that can be used across brands while allowing flexibility for different audiences, editorial voices, and business objectives.
• Establish best practices for onboarding, engagement, cross-promotion, personalization, lifecycle measurement, and newsletter growth.
• Think beyond individual campaigns to create systems and processes that make the organization smarter and more scalable over time in partnership with Operations.
• Develop repeatable frameworks for evaluating, launching, and growing newsletter products that can be applied across Hearst's portfolio.

Partner across the business

• Work closely with Product, Lifecycle Operations, Audience Growth, Data, Analytics, Consumer Revenue, and Editorial to bring lifecycle strategies to life.
• Help prioritize investments based on audience opportunity, business impact, and organizational capacity.
• Influence product roadmaps and platform capabilities by representing lifecycle marketing and newsletter needs and customer experience priorities.

Lead and develop the team

• Lead and mentor a team of 6 responsible for lifecycle marketing newsletter strategy across Hearst's portfolio.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, learning and continuous improvement.
• Communicate recommendations, performance insights, and long-term opportunities to leadership and cross-functional partners.

Qualifications (What We're Looking For)

• Significant experience leading lifecycle marketing, CRM, customer engagement, content marketing, or newsletter strategy within a consumer business.
• Deep understanding of how content builds customer relationships and how newsletters and email marketing support audience engagement and business growth.
• Experience developing lifecycle strategies at scale across onboarding, engagement, retention, personalization, and customer value.
• Demonstrated ability to identify new opportunities, build business cases, and bring new products or programs to market.
• Experience evaluating existing products and making thoughtful recommendations about where to invest, optimize, or sunset initiatives.
• Strong understanding of modern marketing technology and CRM ecosystems, with the ability to partner effectively with Product and Operations teams without needing to own technical implementation.
• Proven success building scalable programs, frameworks, and best practices across complex organizations.
• Strong commercial instincts and the ability to balance customer experience with business outcomes.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams and influencing senior stakeholders across multiple functions.
• This role is based in New York City and follows a hybrid schedule requiring in-office attendance four days per week.

Benefits (What We Offer)

• Work with the Best: Collaborate with top-tier professionals across media, advertising, tech, fashion, lifestyle, and publishing, shaping the future of these dynamic industries.
• Grow Your Skills: Unlock your potential with access to innovative training programs, immersive workshops, and exclusive industry events.
• Work-Life Harmony: Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid work, empowering you to balance professional success with personal priorities.
• Foster Connection & Belonging: Join our Employee Resource Groups and help create a welcoming workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered.
• Wellness First: Prioritize your well-being with a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance from Day 1.
• Plan for Your Financial Future: Enjoy competitive financial perks, including a 401(k) plan with a generous company match.

The base salary range for this role is $168,000-$230,000. This role is also eligible for bonus and/or commission compensation. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, qualifications, and location.

Hearst Magazines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employees and applicants are treated with respect and provided equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We believe that diverse perspectives strengthen our organization and are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive.