About us
The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future. The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.
Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.
We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York. In 2024 The Independent’s portfolio of brands increased through a new licencing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc. to operate the BuzzFeed brands in the UK – BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK. The additional brands echo the existing business ethos and allow for increased audiences and a further strategic diversification of revenue streams.
Job purpose
Working closely with the Head of Content Partnerships, you will manage a portfolio of key content licensing and syndication partners across the across The Independent’s multimedia content portfolio, which includes The Independent, Indy100, IndyBest. Independent en Espanol, and The Standard, delivering against agreed revenue targets and KPIs.
The role combines strategic account management, business development and partnership growth. You will be responsible for maintaining senior-level relationships with existing partners, identifying new opportunities across content licensing, syndication, AI and off-platform distribution, and ensuring partnerships deliver maximum audience reach and revenue across The Independent’s multimedia content portfolio.
Partners include news aggregators, publishers, social platforms, content marketplaces and emerging AI businesses. You will work cross-functionally with editorial, audience, data, commercial, legal and product teams to launch, optimise and grow partnerships while contributing to the ongoing development of The Independent’s content partnership strategy.
Licensing & Syndication Partnerships:
The Independent has a strong legacy of syndicating its editorial content to international publishers, corporations, and third-party partner platforms above and beyond the news cycle. This licensing activity is increasingly diverse, and a significant proportion of our content is now consumed away from our owned-and-operated platforms. These ‘Off-Platform’ partners include Apple News, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Google and a host of other social platforms and news aggregators to generate both incremental revenue and new audiences across our full multi-media portfolio.
About you
An energetic, proactive, commercially astute, account manager, with strong sales and business development skills, as well as deep commercial experience in the content licensing space. Experience of the advertising sector and off-platform monetisation models would be valuable, as is a track record of experience in the News industry.
- A proactive, intelligent new business approach, working in tandem with IDNML strategic objectives
- A determination to drive new revenues combined with a responsibility for managing and optimising relationships with existing partners
- Digitally savvy with excellent verbal and written communication skills ▪ Highly numerate with proficient Excel skills and ability to assimilate / interpret multi-source data to support the business proposal process
- The ability to manage the delivery of revenue budget, forecasting, pipeline projection, or data metrics for current or prospective partners
- Keen understanding of the key commercial drivers within a modern digital-only publishing business and experience in delivering cogent and robust management reporting
- Ability to deliver successful pitches from contract stage to launch / live and comfortable with C-Suite relationships
- A clear eye for detail and efficient time management, administration and organisational skills in line with deadlines
- A proven ability to collaborate with diverse and occasionally conflicting parties to generate and support new initiatives
- Evidenced experience in building strong and lasting relationships externally with clients and internally with key stakeholders
- Industry profile – you will have a comprehensive set of relationships or contacts within the off-platform publishing sector.
- Gravitas and confidence, with the ability to influence upwards and across other functional teams within the organisation and externally with new partners or prospective clients
Skills and experience
- Proven account management and business development experience within digital media, content licensing, syndication or publishing.
- Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering revenue growth, managing forecasts and budgets.
- Excellent relationship-building skills, including experience working with senior stakeholders/C-suite contacts.
- Strong understanding of the digital publishing, media and off-platform content ecosystem.
- Experience identifying and developing new partnership opportunities across multiple markets.
- Confident communicator with strong presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
- Highly organised, analytical and detail-oriented, with strong Excel and data interpretation capabilities.
- Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple internal teams and external partners.
- Knowledge of digital advertising, third-party monetisation models and content distribution platforms.
- Understanding of video, audio, CTV and multi-platform content opportunities is advantageous.
- Experience using Google Workspace and data analytics/reporting tools.
- Strong interest in news, current affairs and the evolving media landscape.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone
- We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.
The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.
Our values – you will deliver across all our values
Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.
Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.
Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.
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