Director, Marketing Strategy

OVERVIEW

A thriving, mission-driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award-winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The NPR audience values information, creativity, curiosity, and social responsibility – and our employees do too. We are innovators and leaders in diverse fields, from journalism and digital media to IT and development. Every day, our employees and member stations touch the lives of millions worldwide. 

Across our organization, we’re building a workplace where collaboration is essential, diverse voices are heard, and inclusion is the key to our success. We are committed to doing the right thing in our journalism and in every role at NPR. This means that integrity, adherence to our ethical standards, and compliance with legal obligations are fundamental responsibilities for every employee at NPR.

Intro to Position

The Director of Marketing Strategy leads how NPR grows and engages audiences across all shows and products. This role ensures our marketing is clear, audience-focused, and effective, helping us reach more people and build lasting relationships. A core part of the role is using data to guide decisions. From major campaigns to daily promotion, this person ensures we are learning, improving, and driving measurable results.

Application Deadline: June 5th, 2026

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead and develop a team of four Marketing Strategists, growing audiences across a complex portfolio of shows, products, and platforms. Coach and mentor the team to strengthen skills in audience growth, competitor analysis, white-space identification, campaign planning, and performance optimization.
• Audience Growth & Engagement: Strengthen NPR’s relationships with audiences, from initial discovery through ongoing engagement with newsletters, the app, NPR+, and other products
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Apply a rigorous, data-driven approach to strategy, utilizing audience insights and performance metrics to guide all marketing efforts.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with Audience Insights, Brand, Content, Product, and Fundraising teams to align goals and ensure seamless campaign execution.
• Performance Optimization: Define success metrics and lead real-time optimization of campaigns based on A/B testing and performance insights.
• Campaign Management: Guide the lifecycle of marketing plans from launch through optimization and detailed performance recaps. Ensure insights are consistently used to improve future strategy and performance.
• Mentorship & Culture: Foster a high-performing, collaborative team environment focused on both creative excellence and measurable results.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills. Other duties may be assigned, and this job description can be modified at any time.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in marketing strategy, audience development, or growth marketing.
• 3+ years of people management experience with a focus on coaching and developing high-performing teams.
• Proven experience driving tune-in and engagement across audio/podcasting, text stories/web, video, and social media.
• Deep expertise in managing the full audience lifecycle, turning casual consumers into loyal users or subscribers. Hands-on experience driving growth for digital products (e.g., mobile apps) and subscription or membership-based models.
• Demonstrated success in executing data-driven marketing campaigns with measurable retention and engagement results.
• Expertise in establishing KPIs and conducting post-campaign analyses in partnership with analytics teams.
• Experience managing complex stakeholder environments and building consensus across diverse departments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven success in driving engagement through owned channels (email, in-app messaging).
• Experience working within a non-profit, mission-driven, or public media environment.
• Advanced degree in Marketing, Audience Analytics, or a related field.

Required Skills/Competencies

1. Omnichannel Strategy: Expert understanding of user journeys across audio, video, web, and social platforms.
2. Product Growth: Deep competency in digital product marketing and subscription conversion strategies.
3. Data Literacy: Proficient in interpreting performance metrics and market trends to shape actionable strategies.
4. Collaborative Leadership: Exceptional ability to partner across Editorial, Product, Brand, and Communications.
5. Agility: A strong "test-and-learn" mindset with the ability to pivot based on real-time data.

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent work experience

Work Location & Requirements

• NPR Remote-Permitted: This is a remote-permitted role. This role is based out of our Washington, D.C. office, but the employee may choose to work on a remote basis from a location that NPR approves. You will have the option of working (a) remotely from a location of your choosing within the United States that is supported by NPR; (b) on-site at an NPR facility, based on the availability of desks and approval from NPR; or (c) a combination of both. Regardless of where you choose to work from, you may be expected to travel to other locations from time to time to perform the duties of your position.

Job Type

• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Compensation

Salary Range: The U.S.-based anticipated salary range for this opportunity is $147,000-$170,000  plus benefits. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salaries NPR expects to provide for new hires for the position across all US locations.

NPR Benefits: NPR provides comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents. Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options. Benefits include access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being. Plan options include medical, dental, vision, life/ accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings to all eligible NPR employees. 

Does this sound like you? If so, we want to hear from you.

#LI-REMOTE

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NPR is committed to being an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse and unique perspectives, all working toward the same goal – to create a more informed public. Qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, transgender status, gender non-conforming status, intersex status, sexual stereotypes, nationality, citizenship status, personal appearance, marital status, family status, family responsibilities, military status, veteran status, mental and physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, genetic characteristics of yourself or a family member, political views and affiliation, unemployment status, protective order status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or any other basis prohibited under applicable law.

If you are a person with a disability needing assistance with the application process, please reach out to employeerelations@npr.org.

You may read NPR’s privacy policy to learn about how NPR may handle information you submit with any application.

Want more NPR? Explore the stories behind the stories on our NPR Extra blog. Get social with NPR Extra on Facebook and Instagram. Find more career opportunities at NPR.org/careers.