JOB: Head of digital, The Cricketer

An exciting role has opened up for a digital strategist with a background in digital publishing and digital subscriptions to oversee the company’s online products

The Cricketer is looking for an ambitious, experienced and creative head of digital to drive the next stage of the business's online evolution. 

Formed in 1921, The Cricketer is the world's best cricket magazine and, over recent years, has invested in establishing itself within the realm of digital journalism.

An exciting role has now opened up for a digital strategist with a background in digital publishing and digital subscriptions to oversee the company's online products: thecricketer.com and associated shop, The Cricketer app, and The Cricketer's various social media channels. 

Reporting to the managing director, the head of digital will be ultimately responsible for The Cricketer's direction of travel online. 

The role is a managerial position, overseeing a six-person digital team, and will be responsible for maintaining relationships with third-party developers and consultants. The successful candidate will be diligent and decisive; have a natural ability to manage time efficiently and effectively; lead with clarity and conviction; and exhibit a flare for creativity in the digital space. 

Duties will include but not be limited to:

- Website maintenance: optimising thecricketer.com for the best possible digital performance, while maintaining an eye-catching design and pushing our original journalism; monitoring website and app performance and troubleshooting performance issues

- Digital development: working with developers to continue improving The Cricketer's digital platforms, including thecricketer.com and The Cricketer App

- Subscriptions: working with the digital subscriptions manager and external consultants to improve subscription conversion and enhance the user journey for prospective subscribers

- SEO: ensuring thecricketer.com maintains rank for keywords and phrases, ensuring where possible the website follows Google best practice

- Editorial strategy: assessing the traffic to thecricketer.com, The Cricketer app and The Cricketer's social media channels, and establishing an editorial strategy which will ensure the continued growth of the platforms, as well as improving subscription conversions and reaching a wider audience

- Audience analytics 

- Commercial: the role will work closely with the commercial department, and includes the conception, implementation and maintenance of commercial products, and some commercial account management

- Marketing: the role will work closely with the marketing manager to develop campaigns that put The Cricketer's digital products in front of the right people as often as possible 

- Rota-ing and forward planning to ensure breadth and depth of coverage  

Candidates will have:

- At least five years' experience in a managerial or senior role within digital publishing 

- Experience of managing a team, and a demonstrable ability to forward plan and rota a team to cover a busy diary

- A strong and demonstrable understanding of audience analytics

- A strong and demonstrable understanding of SEO, and Google's best practices

- Experience of digital subscriptions strategy, from conception to implementation, and a track record of success in the sector

- Experience managing digital development projects, ideally including app development, and working with developers to deliver projects to deadline

- Experience in website management and site design, as well as CMS management 

Candidates will ideally have:

- Experience in sports journalism, sports publishing or the sports entertainment sector

- An appreciation of and enthusiasm for cricket

- Experience using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe Audition, and be comfortable with graphic design, video editing and audio editing

- An understanding of CSS and HTML

- An understanding of the commercial sector in sports, and how brands reach audiences

Salary: Circa £50,000 per annum, depending on experience

This full-time, hybrid role will be nominally based in The Cricketer’s head office near Loughborough, with the opportunity for flexible and remote working, depending on the needs of the successful candidate.

To apply, send a cover letter and CV to sam.morshead@thecricketer.com.

The Cricketer welcomes applications from the BAME community, women and the LBGTQ+ community.

Applications close on Sunday, October 22.