Job Description

Company Description
We're looking for a data-driven Audience Development Specialist to join Reach, supporting our West Midlands newsrooms.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a curious, collaborative audience expert to play a pivotal role in growing and deepening engagement across our websites, newsletters, social channels and apps. You'll translate data into clear daily, weekly and long-term actions for editors, lead training in the newsroom, and set the strategy that helps our journalism reach more people, more often.
This role is home & hub linked to our Birmingham hub, so you must be located in or within a commutable distance of Birmingham.
About us
Hello, we're Reach. Every day, our trusted news, stories and content connect with millions of people where they live - whether that's on their social feed or at their neighbourhood newsstand; through their local community or their take on the hot topic of the day.
We're home to more than 120 trusted brands - from household names like the Mirror, Express, Daily Star and Daily Record, to local titles like MyLondon, BelfastLive, and the Manchester Evening News, and brands making a splash in the US like the Irish Star.
It's our ability to understand people and the things that matter to them that makes us the UK and Ireland's largest commercial news publisher. We reach 70% of the UK's online population and speak to over 100 million social followers around the world. And we're just getting started...
Your story, with Reach
As a modern media organisation, we're much more than just news. And it takes a wide range of people and skills to serve diverse audiences, customers and communities like we do.
We know everyone has their own story to tell, so we've built an environment where every background is respected and every day is a day to explore.
We'll help you build a career that works with your life, while giving you the space to create and grow
About this role
What will the role involve?
You will analyse audience behaviour across our digital ecosystem and turn it into practical insight that guides what we commission, when we publish and how we distribute. You'll partner with editors to optimise content and publishing strategies; lead training on audience engagement; and set, track and report on KPIs for growth and retention. You'll also act as the go-to expert who translates data into simple, actionable recommendations, and you'll help shape the tools and dashboards we use to make smart decisions quickly.

• Analyse audience behaviour across websites, newsletters, social and apps, surfacing daily, weekly and long-term insights that inform story selection, timing and distribution.
• Lead newsroom training on best practice for audience engagement, SEO, social optimisation, newsletters and digital growth.
• Identify trends and emerging topics early; advise on formats and channels to maximise reach and loyal engagement.
• Collaborate with editorial teams to optimise headlines, visuals, metadata and publishing strategies through data-driven recommendations.
• Help set and track KPIs for audience growth and retention; report progress weekly, monthly and quarterly to editors and Audience leaders.
• Partner with newsrooms on tailored brand strategies across the West Midlands; monitor and iterate based on performance.
• Develop and execute strategies to acquire new audiences and deepen engagement with existing ones (e.g., video views, subscriptions, newsletter sign ups, social communities, and push notifications).
• Act as the go-to expert for audience questions-translating data from central specialists into clear actions.
• Provide guidance and support for Audience Editors and Engagement Producers alongside the Audience Strategy & Engagement team.
• Commission and help create Content Insights reports and dashboards; sense-check visualisations and provide feedback to refine new and existing data.
• Play your part in building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the communities and people we serve.

Who are we looking for?
You are an experienced NCTJ or equivalent qualified journalist with exceptional media law knowledge. You will be a highly organised, collaborative operator who can translate complex data into clear, actionable guidance for non-technical colleagues and influence decisions at pace. You'll have an up-to-date grasp of digital publishing spanning SEO, social algorithms, newsletters and audience-lifecycle tactics and proven experience designing and implementing strategies to grow, engage and retain audiences across multiple platforms.
You will be comfortable leading both workshops and one-to-one coaching. You're a confident change-agent who brings people with you on new ideas and ways of working. You manage multiple priorities and stakeholders calmly, communicate brilliantly in writing and in person, and adapt quickly to shifting audience behaviour and business needs.
You'll pair this with solid newsroom credibility: proven experience in audience development or digital analytics within a news or media environment, and hands-on expertise with tools such as Chartbeat and Google Analytics (GA4). You're familiar with social analytics, newsletter platforms and A/B testing, and you're adept at turning numbers into stories everyone understands.
How we'll look after you
We take good care of our people - and that means more than just a pay packet. Whatever your role, you'll get a range of benefits. Here are our standard UK & ROI benefits - please check the specifics out for your role when you apply.

• 25 days' holiday (not including bank holidays), plus an extra day after you've been with us for three, five and ten years. We also have a scheme to help you buy extra holiday if you want to.
• An extra day's leave each year to volunteer for a cause that matters to you.
• Help saving for your retirement - we'll match your company pension contributions up to 6% and you can contribute through salary sacrifice.
• Wellbeing support - including a 24/7 assistance programme for you and your family.
• A healthcare cash plan - giving you money back for a range of medical expenses and fast access to doctor's appointments.
• Bonus scheme - you'll get a stake in our success and a chance to add to your annual earnings.
• Access to lots of discounts - including with Reach's very own online marketplace, Yimbly, where you can buy everything from homewares to beauty products.
• Supportive and progressive people policies - we're proud to have a range of policies to support people in their lives in and outside work, including enhanced family leave and policies to promote flexibility, inclusion and progression. We believe you shouldn't have to wait to join us to know what to expect from us, which is why we share

. If there's something you want to understand more about, just ask.
Additional Information
Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

Skills Required