Director of Revenue

Defector Media is a 100-percent worker-owned and -operated media company that launched in 2020. You can read about our origin story in the New York Times, the recent state of our business in our 2025 Annual Report, and our whole deal in this 2023 Columbia Journalism Review profile. We are looking to hire a Director of Revenue.

Defector's subscription business is mature and stable, accounting for more than 80% of total company revenue. With oversight from the VP of Revenue & Operations and support from the editorial team, the Director of Revenue is primarily expected to own: (a) management of the existing subscription business, and (b) efforts to grow revenue across all our revenue streams, subscription and otherwise. 

Defector’s in-house operations team is small, as we work with an array of outside vendors to access true subject matter expertise. The Director of Revenue’s job responsibilities will be wide-ranging and diverse. To varying depths, you will be expected to:

• Use and adapt existing metrics to monitor the subscription business, and lead new strategies and initiatives to grow subscription revenue
• Perform audience research and content analysis
• Sell advertising units on our website and newsletters
• Experiment with paid marketing on advertising platforms
• Conduct ad-hoc financial modeling and scenario forecasting
• Deliver benefits for subscribers and manage CX issues
• Contribute to non-revenue operational committees and initiatives (HR, PR, social media)
• Manage Defector’s product roadmap with our third-party developers, and equivalent workflows with other outside vendors
• Communicate your quantitative work and technical insights to editorial staff
• Execute special projects

We are hoping to find someone who’s a jack of all trades and master of some. The previous person in this role came to us with a strong background in data science and product, and leaves us having become a credible financial analyst, newsletter copywriter, customer service manager, video production coordinator, and restorative justice facilitator. Perhaps you are currently a digital marketer, or ad salesperson, or audience engagement manager who is excited about broadening your skillset in operating an indie media company. There are countless little operational tasks that have to be done here, and everyone has to play utility roles enthusiastically whenever necessary.

These duties will be performed independently, involving planning, attention to detail, initiative, and follow through, requiring knowledge of the company, its interests and its subscribers, often exercising independent judgement and discretion in making decisions regarding the operations and financial health and success of the company.  

An ideal candidate would have direct experience working in digital written media. Other potentially relevant work experience could come from elsewhere in media, operational or commercially-focused teams at start-ups and/or small businesses, or consulting/banking analyst programs.

Requirements

• A college degree and 4+ years of work experience, or equivalent total work experience sufficient to complete the job duties listed in this description.
• Ability to translate many different types of data (financial, customer, product) into business insights using appropriate modeling and visualization tools.
• Experience working with customer insights and market research.
• Expertise in developing high quality presentations for different types of audiences, especially a non-technical editorial audience.
• Willingness to execute on even mundane tasks with enthusiasm and without ego.

This is a permanent, full-time, exempt position. Candidates located in the Eastern Time Zone strongly preferred, though remote candidates residing elsewhere in the United States will be considered.

Benefits

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited paid time off, with a recommended 20 days per year
• Paid parental or family leave
• Stipends for phone, home internet, and tech hardware
• Profit sharing for all employees

All-in compensation is expected to be $90,000-$100,000/year. (See our Year 1 Annual Report to understand Defector’s compensation framework.)