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Christianity Today · 3 weeks ago

Director, Member Growth & Retention

United States

Full-time

Remote

Director/Executive

7+ years exp

Christianity Today is a prominent organization focused on serving the church through thoughtful Christian journalism. They are seeking a Director of Member Growth & Retention to lead their subscription strategy, overseeing the entire lifecycle from acquisition to renewal while managing a high-impact team. The role emphasizes hands-on execution and collaboration to align membership growth initiatives with the organization's broader goals.

ContentContent CreatorsMedia and EntertainmentNewsPublishingReligion

Responsibilities

Drive Member Growth & Retention

Own the subscription growth and retention roadmap, including goal setting, prioritization, and execution across acquisition, engagement, and churn reduction for CT Magazine, CT Online, CT Pastors, and related digital offerings

Design and optimize key subscription lifecycle stages, including registration, onboarding, paywalls, checkout, renewal flows, and win-back journeys for both digital and print products

Develop and refine subscription strategies across key channels (web, app, email, internal promotion, partnerships, and paid media) to increase subscriber volume, ARPU, and lifetime value

Ensure the Membership Growth function is collectively accountable for acquisition, conversion, and renewal metrics across the subscription portfolio, with clear ownership and visibility into performance

Partner with Product and Technology teams to improve conversion funnels and subscriber experiences across CT’s digital properties and apps, including paywall experiences, landing pages, and account management tools

Work closely with senior leadership to shape pricing, packaging, offers, and discounts (e.g., annual vs. monthly, bundles, CT Pastors+, print/digital combinations, student and international pricing) grounded in data and mission priorities

Lead a structured testing program (A/B tests on pricing, offers, messaging, paywalls, user flows, and renewal experiences) with clear hypotheses, success metrics, and learning loops

Implement performance metrics and KPIs to forecast and report on subscription revenue, retention, and customer health, and to inform ongoing strategy and prioritization

Serve on relevant project teams as needed, representing subscription and retention interests in product, editorial, and technology initiatives

Partner with leadership to support subscription revenue forecasting and scenario planning

Serve as a hands-on people leader for CT’s Membership Growth team, providing day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to team members focused on legacy subscribers, pastors, and paid media

Manage and mentor a small but mighty team working on audience-specific memberships as well as paid media & ecommerce

Assist team in prioritization, production and development as leaders in their own areas

Create clarity on responsibilities and handoffs across the team, ensuring that each person understands their role in the funnel and how their work contributes to overall membership growth goals

Ensure each key audience segment (legacy subscribers, pastors and ministry leaders, and other strategic segments) has a clear strategy, funnel plan, and lifecycle approach,and that your team is equipped and supported to execute those plans well

Direct paid media in planning, executing, and optimizing performance marketing campaigns across search, social, display, and other channels in support of subscription acquisition, re-engagement, and ecommerce performance

Oversee the integration of ecommerce efforts so that store promotions, merchandising campaigns, and ecommerce initiatives support both direct revenue and subscription journeys

Identify skills gaps and development needs within the team and create opportunities for training, stretch projects, and ongoing learning

Work cross-functionally, particularly with Analytics, to define and refine channel-level targets (e.g., CAC, ROAS, LTV:CAC, engagement and retention metrics) and ensure each channel’s goals are tied to overall subscription and membership objectives

Collaborate with Customer Service to identify and address common subscriber pain points, improve cancellation and save experiences, and inform product and communication improvements

Develop deep understanding of the unique Christian audience segments and their needs, demonstrating sensitivity to diverse theological perspectives

Ensure membership strategies, offers, and communications are aligned with CT’s theological commitments, editorial voice, and ministry posture

Champion ethical practices in subscription growth and retention, including clear value propositions, honest messaging, transparent pricing, and respectful renewal and cancellation experiences

Steward subscription relationships as ministry relationships, recognizing members and subscribers as partners in CT’s mission rather than just customers

Perform additional job-related duties as assigned

Qualification

Subscription growth strategyLifecycle marketingPerformance marketingPeople managementDigital revenue strategyBudget managementChristian marketplace knowledgeCustomer empathyInnovationTheological discernmentCross-functional leadershipAdaptabilityIntegrity

Required

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Economics, Data/Analytics, Communications, or related field required

7–10+ years of experience in subscription growth, lifecycle marketing, product growth, or digital revenue strategy in a media, SaaS, or content-driven organization

Demonstrated expertise in digital subscription or recurring revenue models, including acquisition, onboarding, engagement, churn reduction, and win-back

Hands-on familiarity with performance marketing (e.g., search, social, display, programmatic, and/or affiliate), including planning, optimization, and measurement

Proven experience owning and managing budgets, including forecasting, channel allocation, and ROI analysis

Significant people management experience, including leading and developing a small team with manager- and specialist-level contributors (ideally including paid media and lifecycle roles)