Director of Growth & Acquisition

The role is responsible for building scalable acquisition systems that move audiences from discovery to first-time financial support across brands, platforms, and channels. The role oversees acquisition strategy, audience conversion pathways, registration growth, and first-gift performance while partnering closely with Lifecycle & Retention to ensure acquisition quality and long-term audience value. Core Area of Focus - Audience Growth & Acquisition Build and scale a sustainable audience growth and acquisition engine that: Increase new member volume year-over-year Expands the pool of high-potential future members Improves conversion rates across engagement and donation pathways Strengthens registration and known-user growth Maintains disciplined CPA guardrails Supports long-term lifetime value growth Success Metrics New member acquisition growth Registration and known-user growth Conversion rate improvement across channelsCPA and acquisition efficiency First-year retention performance Growth of high-potential audience segments Contribution toward long-term membership revenue goals Sustainable Growth Philosophy This role is responsible for balancing acquisition scale with long-term member value, ensuring growth strategies prioritize sustainable retention, audience alignment, and relationship quality - not simply transaction volume. Success in this role will be measured not only by acquisition volume, but by the organization's ability to acquire engaged, high-quality supporters with strong long-term retention and participation potential. Strategic Responsibilities Growth Strategy & Modeling Develop acquisition strategies aligned with long-term audience and revenue goals Establish CPA and LTV frameworks to guide sustainable growth decisions Forecast acquisition performance, conversion trends, and channel contribution Identify scalable growth opportunities across paid media, audio, partnerships, and emerging platforms Partner with Product and Lifecycle teams to strengthen audience registration, engagement, and conversion pathways Experimentation & Optimization Lead acquisition testing and optimization across channels, products, and audience segments Establish testing standards, reporting frameworks, and optimization processes Analyze conversion performance, audience behavior, and messaging effectiveness to improve acquisition outcomes Translate testing insights into actionable audience, offer, and conversion strategies Build a culture of disciplined experimentation and continuous improvement Platform Growth & Expansion Lead acquisition strategy for emerging products and platforms, including new product launching in FY27Define how new platforms support audience growth, engagement, registration, and membership conversion Partner with Product and Lifecycle teams to develop audience experiences that strengthen participation, personalization, and membership value Channel & Performance Leadership Oversee acquisition performance across digital, on-air, audio, and emerging channels Lead conversion optimization across landing pages, donation flows, registration experiences, and onboarding pathways Define channel strategy, KPI governance, and attribution standards Maintain visibility into acquisition performance through reporting and dashboard oversight Narrative Integration & Audience Conversion Strategy Partner with Membership leadership to align acquisition messaging with broader audience and membership strategies Develop audience targeting, offer positioning, and conversion messaging frameworks Translate organizational narratives into high-performing acquisition campaigns Lead audience and messaging tests tied to conversion performance Cross-Functional Leadership Partner with Product, Marketing, Insights, Editorial, and Development teams to align audience growth and conversion strategies Support audience targeting, cohort analysis, attribution modeling, and performance forecasting Align acquisition strategies across brands, platforms, and audience experiences Lead recurring cross-functional growth and performance discussions Team & Operational Leadership Manage and mentor Growth & Acquisition team members Establish acquisition KPIs, reporting standards, and accountability frameworks Oversee vendor and agency relationships Support acquisition planning, budgeting, and resource prioritization

CompensationThe expected pay range for this position is $118,000 - $147,000 per ANNUM.Chicago Public Media provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the organization reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographical location, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Working at Chicago Public MediaAt Chicago Public Media, we care deeply about our employees as we know attracting, developing, and growing talent is key to our success and enhancing our impact. Our culture is one where collaboration, diversity of ideas, and innovation are encouraged. We value colleagues who will enhance our culture by bringing new ideas, divergent experiences, and talents to our dynamic workplace. At Chicago Public Media we believe dedication to a great workplace includes supporting our employees and their families. As a result, we provide a broad and generous benefits package for employees at hire and in the years to come. Our benefits include a competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan. Chicago Public Media is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we actively seek and welcome people from all backgrounds, orientations, and life experiences to join our team. The essential functions described above are not all-inclusive and are not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. Chicago Public Media may change the content or format of this job at any time in its sole and exclusive discretion without notice.