Chief Subscription Officer

About the Role   Slate is looking for a C-level leader to drive company growth through subscriptions. While we have strong skills around conversion and retention, growth will require a leader who can chart full-funnel strategies for finding and engaging new audiences. That means working with our editorial team to broaden Slate’s appeal, establish new subscription products and update existing ones, and then bring those new readers and listeners through the funnel to paid subscriptions.   This position reports to the Chief Executive Officer, and will work closely with the Editor in Chief and Chief Financial Officer. It will directly oversee the subscription team, paid acquisition, and acquisition-related metrics, and will work closely with editorial and product leadership. Background We're looking for someone who has strong product opinions, and has built habituation loops and mid-funnel infrastructure at scale. This could come from:   ●      Consumer subscription businesses (media, fitness, learning, gaming) ●      Product/growth roles at companies with freemium-to-paid models ●      Retention-focused roles at streaming or membership platforms   Ideal candidates will have demonstrated experience moving users from casual engagement to habitual usage before asking for money. Key Responsibilities

Set the long-term strategy for subscriptions and subscription growth across text, audio, and games, thinking on a three-to-five-year time horizon

Lead the subscription team, identifying gaps and building capabilities around paid acquisition and other opportunities

Partner with the Editor in Chief to sharpen content strategy in order to better drive subscription growth

Map and measure the entire user journey from first touch to subscription

Establish mid-funnel metrics and teach the organization how to impact them

Connect existing investment initiatives (video, games, newsletters, features) into a coherent growth strategy

Expand paid promotion to scale acquisition, leading to subscription growth

Improve retention by better understanding the causes of churn and how to combat them

Requirements

Proven experience building and optimizing mid-funnel/habituation metrics at a subscription business

Track record of transformational change

Experience establishing shared goals with creative leadership

Specific examples of moving users from casual to habitual usage

Deep knowledge of email marketing, retention loops, and habit formation

Data fluency with modern analytics tools (e.g., Amplitude)

Experience navigating a creative culture with business needs