The Observer, London

Hybrid - 1 day a WFH

Who are we?

The Observer’s promise is in the name. The Observer bears witness; the best of journalism being curious minds at work. It loves the arts and ideas, both for their own sake and because they can change lives. It’s proudly progressive, but has no party allegiance. It’s open to different arguments and its editorial independence is non-negotiable. We are building a new Observer across print, audio and digital. We’re here to build journalism that lasts.

About the role

• As Growth Marketing Manager, Acquisitions (Subscriptions), you’ll be responsible for driving subscriber growth for The Observer’s new suite of digital and print subscriptions.

• Using performance marketing, partnerships, social, SEO and other marketing and organic levers, you’ll help build a repeatable, scalable acquisition engine for The Observer’s new subscription business, enabling us to reach customers and build a sustainable revenue foundation to support our award-winning newsroom.

Key responsibilities

• Own and allocate the paid media budget across performance campaigns.

• Develop and execute multi-channel paid acquisition strategies to drive consumer growth, with a focus on Meta and Google.

• Identify and test new and emerging platforms that align with audience and subscription goals.

• Set goals and KPIs aligned with broader consumer strategy; oversee budget pacing and work to meet forecast requirements.

• Maintain lift study infrastructure in collaboration with the Analytics team.

• Liaise with the Editorial team on collaborations to create compelling messaging around The Observer’s subscription

Campaign Execution & Optimisation

• Lead development, launch, and optimisation of paid campaigns from end to end, including creative briefing, targeting strategy, bidding, and performance tracking.

• Run structured A/B and multivariate tests across creatives, messaging, and platforms to improve efficiency and engagement.

• Translate insights into actionable recommendations to improve CAC, ROAS, and LTV.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with creative and newsroom teams to produce high-performing assets tailored for each channel.

• Work with analytics teams to monitor performance and support attribution analysis.
  Collaborate with Product and Technology to ensure appropriate pixel and tracking implementations.

Platform Management

• Build strong relationships with platform partners (e.g., Meta, Google) to pilot new features and gain insights.

• This is a cross-functional, high-impact role for a strategic marketer who knows how to go deep into the data and wide across teams. You’ll turn insights into campaigns, experiments into scaled initiatives, and ideas into results.
  

Requirements

• 4–6+ years of experience in paid/performance marketing, preferably within subscription, publishing, or ecommerce environments.

• Strong technical understanding of pixel implementation, tracking infrastructure, and tools such as Meta's Conversions API and Google Tag Manager; able to partner effectively with engineering or analytics teams on measurement setup and troubleshooting.

• Proven track record of managing large paid budgets and achieving consumer acquisition or revenue goals.

• Strong analytical acumen with familiarity in tools like Chartbeat, Looker, GA4, Piano, or similar.

• Experience managing or working closely with media agencies and creative teams.

• Excellent communication, organisational, and leadership skills.

• Comfort working in a fast-paced, collaborative, and data-driven environment

Working with us

We are a progressive business with a diverse, motivated team; a mix of veterans and young people starting out in their careers. We are committed to equal opportunities and creating an inclusive environment for all our employees, and we welcome applicants regardless of ethnic origin, national origin, gender, race, colour, religious beliefs, disability, sexual orientation or age.

Salary & Benefits

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays

• Private healthcare

• Group income protection & life assurance

• Pension

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Interest-free season ticket loan

• Free snacks and drinks in the newsroom

• Hybrid working (London newsroom + 1 day remote flexibility)

Our Process

We aim to run our interview process at pace and with clarity at every stage, recognising how challenging it can be to balance alongside other commitments or interviews. The number of stages will vary depending on the nature and level of the role, but we see this as a two-way process and hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet a range of potential future colleagues.