Deputy Editorial Director, Games

Mission Overview & Responsibilities: 

The New York Times is looking for a Deputy Editorial Director to support its fast-growing and expanding games subscription business. You will report to the Executive Editorial Director, and will execute the strategy to engage with solvers and constructors of our games and puzzles. This role may require weekend work. This is a remote friendly position based in New York City.

This is an opportunity to help shape products that people love. The New York Times Crossword is a unique brand, with a 76-year history and regarded as one of the pre-eminent puzzles on the planet. In the last years, we have expanded our puzzle offering into new games, building on our legacy of creating smart puzzles. 

You will work with a team of community managers, writers and editors to identify where to best reach existing and potential audiences and develop a way to communicate with them. You will work across all our games and Gameplay, our vertical for helping solvers of the crossword and Spelling Bee. We also hope to pioneer new ways to get feedback and puzzle submissions from a diverse audience. 

Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of five, including writers, editors and community managers.

• Develop, implement and oversee efficient Gameplay content production processes. 

• Help develop the Gameplay (our content vertical) strategy by:

  • Identify spaces where we should reach potential and existing audiences for our puzzles and help create a strategy

  • Continue to develop our existing social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram

  • Run production for our two flagship newsletters, Gameplay and Easy Mode

• Conduct hiring for community and gameplay vertical and participate in hiring discussions for puzzles.

• Handle top level edits and strategic editing for stories and newsletters to guide content quality.

• Ideate and assign content developed to engage our puzzle community and audience, such as our Puzzle Personality Quiz.

• Help filter feedback from audiences on social media and comments for potential action items and implement solutions. 

• Supervise and participate in moderation shifts on community forums to ensure adherence to our forum engagement strategy.

• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

• You will report to the Executive Editorial Director.

Basic Qualifications: 

• 7+ years working with social media, communications, reporting or engagement in a consumer-facing field such as entertainment, media, or games.

• Basic experience with web production, and basic knowledge of web tools and interfaces.

• Basic knowledge of journalism ethics and standards.

• Experience creating communications for online audiences.

• Proficiency with major social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

• Proficiency with social media analytics tools.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience building a branded account.

• An appreciation for word games and puzzles.

REQ-018249

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