Associate Director, Audience Development

WHO WE ARE Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to a fair and just marketplace for all. CR is known for our rigorous testing and trusted ratings on thousands of products and services. We report extensively on consumer trends and challenges, and survey millions of people in the U.S. each year. We leverage our evidence-based approach to advocate for consumer rights, working with policymakers and companies to find solutions for safer products and fair practices. Our mission starts with you. We offer medical benefits that start on your first day as a CR employee that include behavioral health coverage, family planning and a generous 401K match. Learn more about how CR advocates on behalf of our employees. OVERVIEW Our Audience Development team operationalizes Consumer Reports’ mission to create a safer, fairer, and more transparent marketplace, ensuring our trusted, independent guidance is highly visible wherever people make decisions—across traditional search, answer engines, newsletters, CR’s app, alerts, and social and emerging platforms. In a time of information overload, misinformation, and peak distrust, this is more important than ever. We’re looking for an experienced data detective, diplomat, and leader—the Associate Director, Audience Development will help drive audience strategy, activating and nurturing discoverability, engagement, and conversion across onsite and offsite channels, organic and paid, working collaboratively, cross-functionally, or independently, as needed. Reporting to CR’s Executive Managing Editor, you will act as the primary liaison for audience priorities and strategic alignment across CR divisions, spanning product management, marketing, and editorial, among others. This hybrid position with in-office collaboration (Yonkers and/or NYC) just once per month provides excellent flexibility. This position is not eligible for sponsorship or relocation assistance. How You'll Make An Impact As Associate Director, Audience Development you will create and continually optimize organizational standards that will help CR’s digital presence evolve in parallel with consumer needs and the technical marketplace, helping humans, agents, and everything in between find and rely on our insights at critical conversion and connection moments. Drive CR’s audience strategy, evolving the integration of our discoverability strategy across all channels and platforms and in collaboration with all relevant divisions, Oversee the Audience Development team, establishing technical, digital, and editorial best practices for excellence in both search results, answer engines, and nascent technologies Develop and maintain growth and optimization strategies across owned and distributed surfaces (web, app, Apple News, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, Newsletters, etc.) in close collaboration with cross-functional teams, namely Marketing and Content Advise the Executive Managing Editor on defining and evolving audience KPI frameworks and roadmaps to measure short-term and long-term success Translate data into action: Help inform product roadmaps and editorial planning with specific and directional insights Establish cross-functional partnerships with Content, Product, Marketing, Analytics, Testing, Leadership, and other relevant teams to align on and elevate distribution, engagement, and optimization Advocate for brand visibility in AI ecosystems, ensuring attribution and authority signaling across generative engines Build, manage, and mentor an evolving audience team, comprising both full-time staff and project-based freelancers ABOUT YOU You’ll Be Highly Rated If: You have the experience: 10 years in audience strategy and insights, content strategy, growth strategy for a digital publisher, tech nonprofit, or mission-driven brand. You’ve managed teams in highly matrixed environments : 6+ years managing and mentoring teams, as well as cross-functional initiatives. You have experience in a non-profit environment.…