Deputy Head of Social Media, Economist

The Audience team is at the heart of The Economist’s digital strategy. It distributes our journalism via posts on social-media sites including Instagram, X, Linked In, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Whats App, Tik Tok and You Tube; through nearly 30 newsletters, almost all of which are exclusive to our subscribers; by sending notifications to multiple apps and Apple News; by publishing to emerging platforms such as Substack and Google Showcase;

and by ensuring that search engines and large language models can locate and recommend our work. Our strategies help to build the next generation of our readers and deepen relationships with our existing subscribers, while remaining true to our 183-year-old brand.

Audience journalists collaborate with our 300-strong global newsroom to accurately, responsibly and speedily promote our articles, podcasts, videos and special projects. They are innovative, unstoppable newshOUNDS with a deep interest in, and knowledge of, geopolitics, business and finance, as well as how the publishing industry is changing and new forms of distribution for digital news. Their writing is crisp and concise;

their attention to detail is superb; and they can quickly master and recall our style guide. They understand how The Economist’s coverage differs from that of other publishers, and the risks to our reputation should even a single word be misconstrued.

We are hiring a Deputy Head of Social Media on a permanent contract in London.

Please note:

all applicants must be based in the United Kingdom to take up the role. They must already be in possession of residency, citizenship or a visa that allows them to live and work in London on a permanent basis, without the need for any additional immigration-related process. This is non-negotiable. We cannot sponsor candidates or wait for any immigration-related decisions: it is not enough to say that they intend to secure a visa in the future or are eligible to apply for one.

The Deputy will report to the Head of Social Media in London and work closely with our other Deputy, who is based in New York. They will be expected to organise, mentor and inspire an award-winning team of around a dozen largely early-career journalists, and to be present in our newsroom in the Adelphi Building to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of our near-24/7 digital operation.

This will include deputising for the Head of Social Media and, where appropriate, the Head of Audience, on matters such as the running of the Social team and the attendance of meetings with editors or other senior colleagues.

The Deputy will work across the full range of our social platforms, as well as producing and publishing newsletters, sending alerts and ensuring we fulfil our commitments to the range of digital platforms above. They will coordinate, check and enhance the work of Audience editors and fellows; devise digital-storytelling materials such as graphics, carousels, polls and quizzes that encourage not only visits to our apps and website but also registrations and subscriptions;

liaise closely with senior and section editors from across our newsroom; and act as an ambassador for our department, both internally and externally. They will deploy their deep knowledge and understanding of platforms, and the latest developments on them, to devise and contribute to our wider Social and Audience strategies and to identify opportunities to experiment on new and emerging outlets.

They will ensure we turn articles, podcasts and other media in every area we cover—from business, finance and geopolitics and science, technology and culture—into punchy, succinct social-media posts that are customised by platform. They will monitor analytics and use these data to inform,…