Content Editor (6m FTC) in Reigate

Location: Reigate, UK (Hybrid working; 1 day in the office per week)

Puzzler, part of DC Thomson media company, are hiring a Content Editor on a 6-month fixed term basis in Reigate, UK. The Content Editor ensures each product drives engagement, supports revenue performance, and maintains brand distinctiveness while adapting content formats for digital growth and automation. They will use data, audience insight, and emerging AI-enabled tools to optimise content mix, production efficiency, and quality. The Content Editor also ensures consistent execution across a portfolio model by sharing best practice and contributing to scalable content standards.

The oldest puzzle brand in the UK, Puzzler has a 50-year-old heritage that creates puzzles for the newspapers under the DC Thomson Brand (Courier, Press & Journal, The Sunday Post, etc), as well as magazines (Stylist, My Weekly), and even the Beano comic books! The team also create puzzles for other publications and export their puzzles to Australia, Canada and the USA. This is an opportunity for someone who loves puzzles to generate batches of puzzles in our system, editing the output where necessary and proofreading the finished product. The Content Editor will also create new puzzles manually from scratch and write new clues.

Key responsibilities include:

• Commercial Content Delivery - Deliver each issue and digital output on time and within budget, achieving agreed revenue, circulation, and engagement targets through effective content planning and execution.
• Audience-Centred Content Optimisation - Use audience data, insights, and testing to continuously refine content mix, difficulty levels, and formats, increasing engagement, retention, and repeat usage.
• Editorial Quality and Accuracy - Maintain consistently high editorial standards, ensuring all content is accurate, error-free, and aligned to brand positioning, with measurable reduction in defects.
• Contributor and Supply Chain Performance - Build and manage a reliable network of contributors, improving quality, turnaround time, and cost efficiency while scaling output across the portfolio.
• Digital and Data Integration - Apply data analytics and AI-assisted tools to enhance content creation, workflow efficiency, and discoverability, embedding repeatable and scalable practices.
• Cross-Portfolio Collaboration and Best Practice - Actively share, adopt, and standardise editorial best practice across titles and teams, improving consistency, efficiency, and performance at portfolio level.

Requirements

• Skills:
• Excellent command of English language and grammar, both written and spoken.
• Curation - Applies editorial judgement to select, structure, and optimise content for specific audiences and channels. Ensures content relevance, quality, and engagement at scale.
• Content Authoring - Creates and edits high-quality written and puzzle-based content, maintaining accuracy, consistency, and alignment with brand standards across formats.
• Data Analysis - Interprets audience and performance data to inform content decisions, optimise output, and drive measurable improvements in engagement and commercial outcomes.
• Planning - Plans and manages editorial workflows, schedules, and resources to deliver outputs efficiently and reliably across multiple deadlines.
• Supplier Management - Manages external contributors and suppliers to agreed standards, ensuring quality, value, and performance.
• Emerging Technology Monitoring - Identifies and applies AI and automation opportunities to improve editorial workflows, scalability, and content innovation.

Experience:

• Essential:
• Tech savvy and a willingness to learn new software such as ALPH puzzle generation system.
• Knowledge of the digital and online puzzle ecosystem.
• Comfortable applying logic to creating puzzles and writing clues.
• Desirable:
• Adobe suite tools such as Illustrator and InDesign.

Behaviours that will help this role succeed:

• Being More Curious - Seeks audience insight and data before making content decisions. Tests assumptions and explores new formats and ideas.
• Experiment with Purpose - Runs structured content tests and uses results to improve performance. Applies AI and new tools where they deliver measurable value.
• Owning the Outcomes - Takes full accountability for delivery, quality, and performance. Acts quickly to resolve issues and improve results.
• Being More Collaborative - Works openly across editorial, product, and commercial teams. Shares best practice and supports consistency across the portfolio.

To apply for this role, please follow our online application process and submit a CV and cover letter. Closing date for applications: 17th July at 12:00 noon.