Global Editorial Director, GQ

Condé Nast is seeking a visionary Global Editorial Director (GED) for GQ across all global markets. This senior, public-facing role involves shaping GQ's values, sensibility, and aesthetic, overseeing editorial direction, brand strategy, audience development, operations, and content extensions. The GED will drive editorial excellence, audience growth, and revenue, with extensive experience across digital, video, print, audio, and social platforms. The role also includes leading Pitchfork's music coverage, which was integrated into GQ's lifestyle content in 2024. The GED will partner with various divisions to execute business strategies and reports to the Global Chief Content Officer.

Must Have

• Grow and guide the success of GQ globally
• Define and implement an editorial strategy for cultural relevance
• Ensure consistency of the title globally
• Create content for a diverse and highly engaged audience
• Understand the evolving global media landscape
• Build on GQ’s tent poles (Men of the Year, The GQ Bowl)
• Ensure highest quality journalism across all markets and platforms
• Practice adherence to journalistic, compliance, and legal standards
• Understand cultural sensibilities of individual markets
• Partner with Operations and local Leaders for content adaptation and schedule management
• Establish strategies and assets for third-party platforms
• Lead a team of highly skilled editors, writers, creatives, and managers
• Prioritise diversity and inclusivity in all people practices
• Foster an environment of collaboration and innovation
• Collaborate effectively with Finance, People, and other business partners on budgets and plans
• Strengthen collaboration across departments and markets
• Partner with Revenue teams on strategy, opportunities, and events
• Leverage digital tools to drive business objectives
• Develop relationships with external talent internationally
• Work with Communications and Marketing teams for press and marketing strategies

Since 1957, GQ has inspired its readers with unparalleled coverage of style, fashion, culture, news, politics, and more. From award-winning journalism and feature writing to unforgettable photography, videos and live events, GQ creates cultural conversations around the world.

Job Description

Location: New York, NY

Global Editorial Director, GQ

Condé Nast is seeking a highly experienced Global Editorial Director (GED) to lead GQ across all global markets. We’re looking for a visionary leader who will be responsible for shaping the values, sensibility, and aesthetic of the GQ title. The role will oversee the editorial direction, brand strategy, audience development, operations, and all content and brand extensions. The position develops strategies to drive editorial excellence, audience growth, and revenue.

The GED is a senior and public-facing role, and the successful candidate will play a crucial part in representing the title both within the company and externally to the industry. The position will demand extensive experience across all platforms, including digital, video, print, audio, and social. Opportunities to work with Condé Nast’s TV & Film division are included in responsibilities, and the position will require experience in building and leading teams. In 2024, the influential music title, Pitchfork, was integrated into GQ's broader lifestyle content. In addition to leading GQ, the GED will also lead Pitchfork’s music coverage.

The GED will partner with colleagues in Commercial, Consumer, Marketing, Finance, and other divisions to develop and execute a robust business strategy.

This role reports to Condé Nast’s Global Chief Content Officer.

Responsibilities:

Editorial Strategy & Growth

• Grow and guide the success of GQ globally (as measured by GQ’s reputation, point of distinction, audience engagement, revenue, profitability, etc.)
• Define and implement an editorial strategy and direction for cultural relevance while maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage to meet agreed-upon KPIs, operating, and creative budgets.
• Ensure consistency of the title globally, while also delivering sufficient volume of local content to maintain distinctiveness and quality.
• Create content that speaks to a diverse and highly engaged audience and drives global audience growth.
• Understand the evolving global media landscape and ensure the title responds appropriately to meet changing consumer behaviors.
• Build on GQ’s tent poles, particularly Men of the Year and The GQ Bowl, to cultivate excitement, cultural relevance, sponsorship, and audience growth, and ensure that programming and content are distributed across all global channels.

Content Delivery

• Ensure the highest quality journalism is executed across all markets and platforms, meeting Condé Nast editorial standards and expectations.
• Practice adherence to journalistic, compliance, and legal standards, adjudicate editorial disagreements, and remove barriers to execution.
• Understand the cultural sensibilities and content opportunities of individual markets to target content mix and set programming.
• Partner with Operations and local Leaders to oversee the adaptation of global stories, ideation of local content, and schedule management to ensure work remains on time and on budget.
• Establish strategies and assets for third-party platforms as a marketing and distribution tool.

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead a team of highly skilled editors, writers, creatives, and managers.
• Leading by example in inspiring, developing, motivating, and uniting the team across markets.
• Prioritise diversity and inclusivity in all people practices, including hiring, management, employee development, performance management, and team culture.
• Foster an environment of collaboration and innovation to overcome creative challenges while simultaneously meeting business objectives.
• Collaborate effectively with Finance, People, and other business partners on annual budgets, brand P&L, and hiring/staffing plans.
• Strengthen collaboration across departments and markets to ensure cohesive messaging and strategy execution.

Business Development

• Partner with Revenue teams on strategy, opportunities, and events that are aligned with the GQ vision and standards.
• Leverage the use of digital tools and best practices to drive business objectives (e.g., audience engagement and growth, subscription conversion, commerce revenue)
• Develop relationships with external talent internationally and represent the title at events.
• Work with the Communications and Marketing teams to develop press and marketing strategies for GQ, with an emphasis on growing the title’s recognition and affinity.

Skills & Qualifications:

• 10-15+ years of experience in a senior editorial role, leading teams across platforms.
• Strong business sense, excellent editing skills, networking and interpersonal skills, and the ability to guide a team towards content and business goals.
• A flair for storytelling and a proven track record of driving culture and identifying trends and topics to cover - and determining the platforms on which they should run.
• An entrepreneurial mindset, with a focus on new opportunities for audience growth.
• Proven history of delivering exceptional content in a multi-channel environment, with a modern approach to using digital tools.
• Demonstrated experience in building a culture of trust and inclusion and leading through organisational and cultural change.
• Experienced leader with an ability to empower and mentor teams. Ability to build and maintain a culture of trust and inclusion.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues in a global matrix organisation, across departments and at differing levels of seniority.
• Confident and experienced public speaker.
• Well-established network within the fashion, entertainment, and sports industries, with a keen interest in all aspects of culture.

What happens next?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply below, and we will review your application as soon as possible. You can update your resume or upload a cover letter at any time by accessing your candidate profile.

Condé Nast is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status and other legally protected characteristics.