Digital Managing Editor at Wine Enthusiast

June 15, 2022
Valhalla, NY (Remote)

Wine Enthusiast Companies is the ultimate source of innovation and information around wine. Our mission is to facilitate delicious moments around the wine lifestyle. The company is comprised of:

Wine Enthusiast Commerce (WineEnthusiast.com) the premiere online destination for wine storage products and accessories.

Wine Enthusiast Media (Winemag.com) the world’s leading print publication and online destination for wine and food content, with over 25,000 wines rated and reviewed per year.

WineExpress.com (WineExpress.com), a curated wine sales retail site featuring wines from around the globe.

All three groups combined are a driving force in the wine/spirits industry and B to B/B to C marketplaces.

Our products and content excite, satisfy, enrich, entertain and inspire wine lovers of all levels, from novice to expert.

We have a unique opportunity for a motivated and entrepreneurial professional to join our team. Come grow with us!

Digital Managing Editor

Wine Enthusiast is looking to hire a digital managing editor to oversee the day-to-day execution of the editorial content strategy, helping to lead the digital edit team to grow the site’s reach and diversify our storytelling. This person will work closely with the Vice President of Content to manage the team of editors and contributors and help ensure the website is hitting specific monthly and yearly goals. The person in this role must have a passion for both digital content strategy and journalism, specifically in the drinks space. They must have familiarity planning editorial lineups with strategic key performance indicators (KPIs) in mind and be comfortable pivoting content direction based on data and overall brand needs.

Responsibilities include:

  • Managing a team of staff editors and freelance contributors; adding new writers to the mix
  • Planning the digital editorial lineup weekly, monthly, and yearly around specific targets (affiliate revenue, social content, newsletter, search, sales, etc.)
  • Working closely with digital sales leads to develop and support special editorial packages as needed
  • Reporting and reviewing digital traffic data weekly with editorial team
  • Developing new editorial columns and franchises to help achieve brand goals
  • Assigning, editing and producing content; determining what and how magazine content is converted for our digital audience; writing as needed/desired
  • Assisting with the Wine Enthusiast podcast production and content lineup
  • Helping the team to learn and implement best SEO practices
  • Leading weekly editorial pitch meetings along with the print managing editor
  • Working closely with the print managing editor to ensure both departments stay unified as one editorial team
  • Working with the VP of content to ensure all additional content stakeholders across the company are on the same page including: commerce, video, and social leads
  • Shaping and owning the content production process from pitch to publish, improving systems and processes that scale the team’s output while pushing the bounds creatively
  • Keeping a pulse on the competitive landscape to identify trends and opportunities in the space

Reports To: Vice President of Content

Education: Bachelor's Degree preferred

Professional Experience: 7+ years experience in digital media

Required Skills:

  • Positive and hard-working attitude
  • Results-driven
  • Solid understanding of SEO tactics and best practices as it applies to content creation and optimization
  • Writing, reporting, and editing with examples to show
  • The ability to proactively prioritize, manage and complete multiple projects simultaneously
  • Experience studying traffic trends and optimizing content for growth
  • Experience using digital strategy tools such as Semrush, SimilarWeb, Google Analytics, and Crowdtangle
  • Experience managing content lineups and teams
  • Passion for storytelling and familiarity with digital media in all its forms: articles, video, audio and more
  • Proactive, flexible team player with a sense of humor and entrepreneurial energy, able to roll with the punches and take ownership in a fluid and fast-moving environment
  • Strong headline writer, capable of writing engaging, lively headlines and blurbs
  • Experienced with editing and managing a large, fast-moving content pipeline

Technical Skills:

  • Google Analytics
  • SEMRush or similar seo planning tool
  • Wordpress (or similar content management system)
  • Microsoft Office Suite

Preferred Skills:

  • Bonus points for wine certification (WSET, SWE, CSW, ISG, WSG, or IMW)

Location/Remote Work: Remote work is available 

Other Information: Includes full medical, dental and vision benefits, 401K match, employee discount, optional weekly gym classes and optional wine tasting class participation. 

The position is 40 hours per week at our beautiful Valhalla, NY headquarters which has onsite covered parking, a cafeteria and a gym for employees

Wine Enthusiast Corporate Core Values:

  • Respect, Trust, Support, Growth
    • We have faith in our employees’ abilities and our leaders offer clear and consistent paths to success via education and mentorship.
    • We believe that opinions at all levels have merit and importance.
  • Innovation and Open-Mindedness
    • We value and reward those who “think outside the box” to elevate the company.
    • We are not afraid to learn from mistakes. We celebrate change, recognizing that a nimble culture attracts talent and retains the kind of employees who push the envelope and build our business for the future.
  • Empathy and Inclusion
    • We support our employees in their best and worst times with patience and understanding, recognizing that work hours represent a substantial percentage of one’s time.
    • We encourage diverse mindset that help us better reflect the evolving wine culture.
  • Joy and Family
    • We recognize that our business is not just about numbers, but also about people.
    • As a family business, we honor the importance of our employees’ home lives including a strong sense of community and family within our company as well.
    • We encourage fun, discovery, adventure, and health for our teams.
  • Communication and Transparency
    • We speak openly about our achievements and challenges, talking honestly about how each of us can grow.
    • We are proud of who we are but also self-aware, constantly looking for ways to improve our business and the culture of our organization.

About Us:

The concept of making the wine lifestyle, and everything it represents, accessible to everyone is what Wine Enthusiast Companies is all about. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum— newlyweds who launched a wine accessories business out of the attic in their home —40 years later, Wine Enthusiast is a nationally-recognized leader in the wine media space and a prominent multi-channel marketer with a full-breadth line of wine-related products.

For more information, or to apply, click here.