USA TODAY Play, Vice President at Gannett in McLean, Virginia

Job Description:

USA TODAY Play, Vice President

Gannett is looking for a strategic, ambitious and creative business leader to direct USA TODAY's rapidly growing Play portfolio of online puzzles and games along with other interactive experiences that create joy in the lives of our customers.

Gannett has become a leader in digital interactive gaming, building USA TODAY's Play business with a growing, loyal audience to its popular daily crossword and other games. The right person for this job will be overflowing with new ideas to elevate the experience of our product suite and add other online interactive engagement opportunities. The aim is to innovate, expand audience, deepen engagement, and drive both ad revenue and subscriptions.

As the leader of this business unit, the Vice President of Play will craft our long-term growth strategy to optimize the interactive entertainment experience of our games, innovate and improve the current creative process, and drive revenue through multiple channels. This includes supporting growth of audience engagement with other online interactive activity such as horoscopes, digital comics and other digital leisure experience. To do this, the Vice President will have the opportunity to build a cross-functional team that will source, integrate, or add new game products.

The Play Vice President will become a member of an innovative, action-oriented Content team that is audience-led and digitally focused, reporting up through the Senior Vice President of USA TODAY. The successful candidate will work with partners in Product, Data, Content and Revenue to accelerate the development and implementation of an ever-more satisfying and craveable experience.

We are seeking someone who will have fun in this job, someone passionate about crosswords and leisure gaming and a person who knows how to create a gaming experience that delights users and encourages engagement, subscriptions, and retention.

This role is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii or based at our headquarters in Manhattan, NY or our Washington, DC office.

Responsibilities:

• Define the strategic vision, high-level milestones, and KPIs required to significantly grow the audience, as well as the subscription and advertising revenue, of the USA TODAY Play product portfolio.
• Provide insight, direction, and leadership to help the team of product, design, analytics, marketing and developers to execute the USA TODAY Play strategic vision and create the best user experience possible.
• Manage the USA TODAY Play P&L guiding the business to achieve revenue, audience, and EBITDA targets.
• Work across the organization to help Gannett sites and apps integrate the USA TODAY Play experience across multiple user journeys.
• Own and execute any build/buy/partnership decisions around what, if any, additional games are needed to expand the appeal of our USA TODAY Play experience to a broader audience.
• Create a line of sight to the goals of the Play business, ensuring that the organization and internal teams understand the roadmap, deliverables and timeline to achieving goals.
• Coordinate with Product and other teams to create the right solutions, manage expectations, and keep strategies aligned.
• Provide regular, executive level briefings on strategy, tactics and results.
• Provide input and direction to the branding and marketing of USA TODAY Play to expand the appeal of the offering.
• Collaborate closely and openly with other business owners and other internal stakeholders.
• Manage relations with third-party partners and consultants supporting USA TODAY Play and represent the business in discussions with potential partners and other stakeholders.
• Create an inclusive team culture, recruit for, and retain extraordinary talent.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience. (MBA or relevant advanced degree is a plus.)
• 3-5 years of experience in managing the P&L of a digital business ideally in the gaming space.
• 7+ years of experience in the mobile and web gaming industry (casual gaming experiences is a plus.)
• Demonstrated successes with defining and executing strategic goals.
• The ability to think critically and strategically solve complex business problems, interpret analyses, and present solutions that address business needs.
• Experience identifying, analyzing, and using data to independently test theories, confirm assumptions, and measure success via iteration and with attention to detail.
• A passion for online leisure games, especially crosswords!
• A bias towards leading others into action.
• Excellent written and verbal skills.
• Fantastic interpersonal skills.
• You are a team player, and people love to work with you.

Application Instructions

We are eager to learn more about you and how you fit this role. When you apply, don't limit your upload to a resume; show us what you've done. To do so, put together a single document file that includes the following, in this order:

Your resume - one to two pages.

A cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job.

It is important that these items be assembled into a single document and uploaded in PDF format. Completing these steps will ensure that your application receives the highest consideration.

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The annualized base salary for this role will range between $200,000 and $300,000. Variable compensation is not reflected in these figures and based on the role, may be applicable. Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, location, and union representation, if applicable.
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