Head of Content / Editorial

Relocation from certain countries to the UK is available for this role subject to visa approvals.

Reports to: Managing Director

Key Stakeholders: Board, Managing Director, Social & Editorial, Partnerships

The Context

Gay Times has been a leading voice in LGBTQ+ media for over 40 years, a legacy built on cultivating conversation and amplifying community voices. Continually adapting to the shifting media landscape, Gay Times pivoted to a social and digital-first strategy in the early 2020s, becoming the first LGBTQ+ media brand to surpass 1M followers on Instagram. Today, we command a global reach in the tens of millions. However, as the market evolves, so does our strategy. Over the next 24 months, our ambition is clear: to become the world’s leading LGBTQ+ journalism brand with the largest number of subscribers of any LGBTQ+ media company. With the roadmap set and the groundwork laid, the brand is primed to scale its subscription product, building deeper audience affinity and long-term loyalty through robust editorial output.

The Role

Gay Times is seeking a formidable Head of Content to spearhead the editorial of our subscription output. You are someone who pairs deep journalistic integrity with a data-driven approach to audience growth. You are strategic and commercially savvy. You will be the architect of our content strategy across our subscription platform and our social platforms - that drive to our platform. Your primary focus will be spearheading our content offering to scale our subscription product and deepen audience engagement in our core markets. As Head of Content, you will be driven by powerful LGBTQ+ editorial, whilst skillfully connecting it with business performance. You should be someone who lives in the news; deeply connected to the latest in politics, social and cultural stories. Beyond your editorial capacity, you are a product thinker who understands how to craft engaging content and analyse its performance to drive subscriber acquisition and retention. Your responsibilities will also include supporting the success of Gay Times Partnerships by providing the Advertising and Partner team with insights, concepts, and editorial thinking that reflects the voice of Gay Times and our audience’s interests, whilst addressing brand stakeholder objectives.

The Opportunity

This is a rare chance to shape the future of one of the world’s preeminent and longest-running LGBTQ+ media brands. You will have the autonomy to build a modern media product that serves a global community, underpinned by a sustainable, subscriber-first business model.

Core Responsibilities

• Editorial Leadership & Strategy

• Omnichannel Oversight: Lead the daily content output for Gay Times with a primary focus on the subscription product, whilst strategically integrating social media and other top-of-funnel channels to accelerate subscriber conversion.
• Global Perspective: Tailor content from a global lens, particularly to resonate with our core markets (USA and UK) across politics, culture, justice, community and more.
• Direct Contribution: Research and write compelling editorial, maintaining a strong brand voice that’s authoritative and intersectional.
• Content Curation: Curate and commission content across a wide range of topics from editorial contributors and submissions, optimising for audience engagement and impact by refining the output to align with readers’ behaviour and interest.

• Product-Market Fit: Working alongside the Product lead, constantly test and iterate with content, formats and new offerings to identify what drives conversion and builds long-term loyalty.
• Subscriber Value: Develop and execute a vision for subscriber content, ensuring subscribers feel a unique and tangible value from their membership.
• Audience Insights: Use performance data (traffic, dwell time, churn rates) to inform the editorial calendar and commissioning.

• Strategic Ideation: Collaborate with the Partnerships team to develop strategy and creative concepts for brand briefs that feel authentic to the community.
• Insights-Led Pitching: Support the Partnerships team with audience and community insights to help secure high-value partnerships to power our growth.
• Ecosystem Balance: Ensure that sponsored content and editorial integrity coexist across the ecosystem.

• Internal Leadership: Manage a core team of internal reports across editorial and social, fostering a high-performance, subscriber-driven culture.
• Freelancer Network: Maintain and expand a global network of external LGBTQ+ contributors and specialists to power specific projects and diverse storytelling.

The Ideal Candidate

• Editorial Background: Proven experience in a senior editorial role, ideally within a digital-first media brand.
• Subscription Expert: You have a track record of working with paywalls, memberships, or subscription platforms and understand the "funnel" from casual reader to loyal member.
• Data-Obsessed: You live in analytics. You can translate raw numbers into actionable content pivots.
• Community-Minded: A profound understanding of LGBTQ+ rights and advocacy is non-negotiable. You understand the nuances of the community and the importance of intersectional representation.
• Commercially Savvy: You understand that great journalism requires a healthy business model. You are comfortable talking about revenue, ROI, and brand alignment.
• US/UK Fluency: Whichever side of the pond you are based, you possess a "world-view" and can navigate the cultural and political landscapes across the globe with ease.

How to Apply

To apply — send a cover note and three links to relevant existing work to careers@gaytimes.com. Applicants will be invited to a 20 minute pre-screening interview to assess eligibility. Following this, successful candidates will be invited to a 60-90 minute interview with members of the Board. You will be asked to prepare some materials before this interview. After this, you will have a final interview with the leadership team.