Managing Director, Writing, Marketing

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

About the role

The Managing Director of Writing is a critical leader on our in‑house marketing team and central to that effort. You will set the creative vision and drive conceptual thinking for a team of 10+ writers and managers, defining a consistent, distinctive New York Times tone of voice that brings our brand to life across marketing, product, and emerging platforms. You will lead the team through its next chapter, shaping our product writing practice, and continuing experiments with new technologies like Generative A.I. to enhance our creative capabilities.

This is a leadership role for someone excited to manage an exceptional team, including three direct reports (two of whom are people managers). You will champion the importance of writing and voice across the organization, working collaboratively to design processes that deliver benchmark‑quality, creativity, and impact at scale. We will look to you to bring unexpected, yet deeply resonant, thinking about how to communicate that our journalism is worth doing and worth supporting.

This is a hybrid role based in our New York City headquarters and requires regular in‑office attendance each week, per your departmental guidance. You will report to the VP, Creative Marketing.

Responsibilities

• Establish a clear creative vision for the entire marketing writing team, elevating its output from excellent copy to campaign‑defining creative concepts and inspiring and guiding writers toward achieving organizational goals and maximizing the team’s impact across all business lines.
• Set the strategic direction and empower team execution by providing clear context, objectives, business metrics, and rationale. Foster a culture where results, accountability, and creative thinking are valued.
• Consistently develop talent by proactively coaching, delivering direct feedback, and setting clear expectations. Identify team members’ potential and shape development plans to support the team’s and the business’s future needs.
• Lead the strategy for the team’s flexible workforce, building and maintaining a high‑quality talent pipeline of part‑time and temporary writers to ensure the team can scale effectively for key initiatives. Transform the functional vision into actionable roadmaps that align cross‑functional teams. Lead high‑visibility programs, ensuring consistent quality while navigating competing priorities.
• Define and lead the writing team’s strategy for Generative A.I., establishing ethical guidelines and best practices while guiding writers on the application of tools to enhance creativity, productivity, and impact.
• Lead the development and implementation of comprehensive content strategies across marketing, brand, and product (UX), acting as the primary steward for our brand voice to ensure its cohesive and consistent application across all internal teams and third‑party partners.
• Establish trusted relationships with senior leaders across marketing, product, the newsroom, brand messaging and strategy teams. Create compelling narratives that convince decision‑makers and advance critical organizational priorities.
• Act as a key enterprise influencer and an ambassador for the marketing creative team, clearly articulating the team's strategic role and impact across the organization.
• 8+ years managing writing teams, including experience managing managers.
• Experience establishing strategic direction, driving enterprise‑level impact, and leading teams through strategic shifts in a dynamic environment.
• Exceptional conceptual thinking and editorial judgment, with impeccable writing and editing skills that can shape a brand’s voice across a range of surfaces, including brand marketing, growth marketing, and user experience (UX) writing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep understanding of trends in advertising and media, coupled with thought leadership on the intersection of AI and creativity. You bring a strategic perspective on how to apply new technologies responsibly and effectively in a creative process.
• A passion for building and coaching teams, with proven success in developing talent and identifying future leaders.
• A track record of informing and influencing senior stakeholders, building strong partnerships, and navigating a complex organization to drive results.
• A core belief in the value of journalism to people and society. We hope you enjoy reading, watching, and listening to journalism, and that you have a deep curiosity about our work and company.

The annual base pay range for this role is between $200,000 – $225,000 USD.

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.

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