Subscriber Engagement Manager, The Observer

What’s the job?

As Subscriber Engagement Manager, you’ll lead on subscriber engagement, lifecycle marketing and retention — making sure our readers stay informed, inspired and subscribed. With a firm grasp of best practices in CRM and churn reduction, you’ll be responsible for designing and delivering communications that guide subscribers through their journey — from onboarding and activation to renewal and loyalty.

You’ll develop data-informed strategies to reduce churn, increase satisfaction and deepen the value subscribers get from The Observer. You’ll work cross-functionally with editorial, design, customer service and data partners to build smart, human-centred touchpoints that retain subscribers and grow lifetime value.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role in a lean, entrepreneurial team — ideal for someone who can combine strategic thinking with a strong execution mindset.

Where do I work?

The Observer newsroom, London (22 Berners Street) plus some flexibility to work remotely 1 day per week.

What are we for?

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, and a commercial model to ensure that it thrives.

What’s my personal contribution?

You’ll design and execute CRM campaigns that keep subscribers active and engaged — from onboarding through renewal. You’ll understand what keeps people subscribing, and build the journeys, content and testing infrastructure to support that.

What are my responsibilities & accountabilities?

• Own lifecycle messaging across email, on-site, and push alerts — including onboarding, winback, and upgrade flows
• Analyse retention data to identify churn risks and loyalty opportunities
• Collaborate with editorial on subscriber communications and value messaging
• Build segmentation and personalisation frameworks in CRM tooling
• Set up testing, measurement and reporting on campaign performance
• Align retention strategies with product, acquisition and customer service efforts

What do I show? Essential skills and behaviours

• Experience in CRM, retention and lifecycle marketing — ideally for a subscription business
• Deep understanding of segmentation, journey design and experimentation
• Analytical and user-centric mindset
• Excellent copy instincts and content sense
• Calm under pressure, collaborative across teams, fast to act on insights

Salary and Benefits

• Competitive salary & bonus scheme
• 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private Healthcare
• Group Income Protection
• Group Life Assurance
• Pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Interest-free season ticket loans
• Free snacks and drinks in the newsroom

Working with us

We are a progressive business with a diverse, motivated team. 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.

To apply please send a covering letter and a PDF of your CV to jobs@observer.co.uk. You should include the name of the job that you are applying for in the email subject