Head of Customer Growth

Reports to: Director of Customer Marketing

About us

The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party-political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over. We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York.

In 2024 The Independent’s portfolio of brands increased through a new licensing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc. to operate the BuzzFeed brands in the UK - BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK. The additional brands echo the existing business ethos and allow for increased audiences and a further strategic diversification of revenue streams.

Job Purpose

As the Head of Customer Growth, you will be at the forefront of scaling audiences, driving engagement and increasing revenue through innovative, data-driven marketing strategies. You will blend performance marketing, storytelling, experimentation and brand-building to create bold, customer-first campaigns that fuel subscriptions, membership, engagement and new revenue streams.

Specifically you will:

• Define and execute customer growth strategies that drive acquisition, engagement and retention
• Scale registered user and subscriber growth through innovative, audience-first marketing
• Balance long-term brand building with short-term performance and revenue delivery
• Use first- and zero-party data, personalisation and automation to create relevant customer journeys
• Lead experimentation, testing and optimisation to continually improve acquisition efficiency
• Build and lead a high-performing growth team, working closely with editorial, product, brand, data and commercial partners to align customer marketing with business strategy
• Stay ahead of industry trends and use cutting edge marketing techniques to drive awareness and loyalty

About You

You are a senior growth leader with a strong creative instinct and a proven track record of driving audience and revenue growth at scale. You thrive in fast-paced, test-and-learn environments and bring a customer-first mindset to everything you do.

You combine imaginative brand thinking with performance rigour, using data, technology and insight to inform decisions. You are confident leading teams, influencing senior stakeholders and delivering against ambitious commercial goals.

Curious, adaptable and commercially minded, you have a strong interest in how media, technology and consumer behaviour intersect. You are known as a trusted expert, acting in the best interests of the business while championing bold ideas and continuous improvement.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.

We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Data & Marketing Department

The Data & Marketing department is the intelligence powerhouse of the business, representing the customer. Our goal is to inspire, engage and grow a loyal readership by harnessing data-driven insights and innovative marketing to deliver personalised, impactful content experiences that builds lasting trust, diverse revenue streams, and a thriving future for quality journalism. The department consists of four teams: Data Science & Engineering, Data Intelligence & Monetisation, Research & Insight and Customer Marketing.

Customer Marketing

The purpose of this team is to attract, engage and retain readers whilst driving customer revenue, increasing ad revenue and enhancing brand loyalty. They do this through the effective communication of the value of our brands content and products to individual consumers and convert casual readers into loyal customers by developing personalised customer experiences at scale which build deeper, longer lasting relationships in turn driving revenue for our business.

They collaborate holistically across the business to identify new initiatives that drive data collection which feed the insight loop, develop and amplify products and services which enhance our strategic growth pillars. Their goal is to shape the future of customer engagement, leveraging data, creativity and innovation to build meaningful relationships with millions of readers worldwide.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities - what is delivered

• Own and deliver customer growth strategy across subscriptions, memberships and donations
• Identify and unlock new growth and monetisation opportunities
• Develop compelling propositions, offers and messaging strategies that resonate with diverse global audiences
• Collaborate with internal teams including Editorial, Product, Brand Marketing and Creative to ensure alignment and consistency across brand and product positioning and messaging, that resonates and engages the customer
• Lead the development of multi-channel acquisition campaigns with a strong brand narrative, utilising paid marketing, social media, partnerships and content marketing, balancing brand-building with performance outcomes
• Leverage first- and zero-party data, AI, marketing automation and personalisation to create high-impact customer journeys
• Monitor campaign performance, audience engagement and brand impact, translating insight into action
• Support A2K (anonymous to known) growth initiatives, gathering and maximising the use of first-party data
• Inspire and mentor the growth marketing team to embrace creativity, experimentation and customer-centric thinking. As well as identify skills gaps within the team and develop capability in line with budget
• Champion the department vision and strategy, raising the bar in data services delivered to internal stakeholders
• Provide timely, clear information to C-Suite colleagues as and when required
• Deliver monthly and quarterly revenue targets agreed with your line manager
• Deliver key projects on time and to budget

Skills and Experience

• Creative, customer-first, innovative mindset, constantly looking for new ways to engage audiences and drive impact
• Proven experience in a senior creative growth marketing, performance marketing or audience development role with a strong focus on brand identity, storytelling and innovative campaign development
• Expertise in customer acquisition with a strong grasp of paid, owned and earned channels with proven experience in developing personalised, high-impact, data-driven campaigns
• Proven ability in campaign planning, messaging strategy and brand positioning
• Hands-on experience with SEO, paid social, programmatic, DOOH and email marketing
• A/B testing and conversion rate optimisation expertise with a data-driven approach to scaling growth
• Ability to analyse audience data and market trends to drive strategic decisions
• Familiarity with brand-building tools, creative development processes and audience engagement metrics
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the capacity to influence stakeholders across the organisation
• Proficiency in marketing automation, audience segmentation, CRM tools (e.g Braze), on-site journey tools (e.g. Piano) and performance analytics (e.g. Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics)
• Drive and determination to deliver against business goals
• Experience leading and developing high performing teams with a passion for nurturing creative talent and fostering a culture of experimentation
• Experience and interest in emerging technologies such as AI and how these can be leveraged within our business to deliver efficiency, profitability and growth
• A deep understanding of global digital media consumption trends and marketing best practices with a keen interest in news and current affairs.
• Working in close partnership with other internal teams to optimise the customer experience and achieve desired outcomes: editorial, commercial, video, finance, product, audience.
• Familiarity with The Independent and BuzzFeed brands, websites and products on and off-platform is an advantage

Our Values – you will deliver across all our values.

• Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.
• Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.
• Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.