In the past few months, Sahan Journal has added two new employees: our first full-time membership manager, and a new managing editor. In less than three years, we have grown from a staff of one (our founder and CEO Mukhtar M. Ibrahim) to 13 full-time employees with a projected annual budget of $2 million.
Sahan has succeeded through the amazing generosity and encouragement of our readers, local and national funders, and our advertisers. To sustain this trajectory and help expand our groundbreaking coverage of immigrants and people of color in Minnesota, Sahan Journal is creating three new roles. These hires will help discover new audiences, support our burgeoning advertising sales, and launch a major donor program.
As a regional news nonprofit, we are committed to building a Minnesota-based staff that closely reflects the communities of color we serve. We are seeking candidates with a deep appreciation for the power of authentic local news and an entrepreneurial spirit.
About Sahan Journal
Sahan Journal is a nonprofit digital newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrants and communities of color in Minnesota. Our diverse staff creates exceptional journalism: coverage that truly represents the changing face of Minnesota and recognizes that democratic engagement and power belong to everyone.
Our stories reach audiences across many platforms, including our website, social media, video, and community events. To reach new audiences, we share our stories with small community papers and with the state’s biggest mainstream newsrooms, in print and public radio.
Sahan Journal’s mission is to give immigrants and communities of color the kind of committed, responsive news coverage that we all deserve.
The opportunity
Mukhtar M. Ibrahim founded Sahan Journal in 2019 and continues to build the organization as executive director. Since then, our coverage has earned strong support from the communities we cover, as well as individual donors, foundations and corporations, and advertisers. This backing has given Sahan Journal an amazing opportunity to scale up over the next three years.
In order to create sustainable revenue for our journalism and strengthen our operations, we are looking to hire people for several important roles. Specifically, we are looking to expand our audience reach, add editorial capacity, and add to our revenue team with major gifts and advertising.
We are creating a supportive and equitable work culture that is committed to developing the potential of our staff and honoring their health and wellbeing.
Responsibilities
Audience Growth Manager’s main responsibility will be to increase the number of Minnesotans who know about, and engage with, our work, and develop readers into loyal supporters. The right candidate will have an understanding of methods that attract new audiences and develop loyal readers. This highly collaborative role will bridge the editorial and revenue teams to guide data-driven decisions that build and sustain audiences.
We are seeking an individual experienced in reaching nontraditional audiences, innovating on social media platforms, and analyzing performance metrics. The ideal candidate will start with an appreciation for the power of authentic local news. The Audience Growth Manager will report to the editorial director and work closely with members from the newsroom and revenue departments.
The Audience Growth Manager will be responsible for:
- Collaborating with newsroom editors to analyze what content is reaching Sahan’s different audiences
- Establishing best practices for audience cultivation and engagement including SEO
- Create and implement a social media strategy to distribute content, build engagement, and convert prospects to customers using online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among others
- Monitor and analyze data from Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and Parse.ly, among others, to understand user behavior and help formulate new content and audience development strategies.
- Researching and innovating emerging media trends to make recommendations to editorial on topic and story presentations
- Managing audience data and driving audience goal-setting for Sahan Journal, including KPIs for traffic, loyalty, and membership
- Work closely with the membership manager to drive growth in the membership program
- Assisting in the evaluation and execution of overall newsletter strategy; setting goals for the newsletter product
- Developing and executing initiatives to find new ways to grow audiences, working in tandem with the social team
- Additional projects, as assigned
Desired skills, knowledge, and abilities
- Deep understanding of immigrants and communities of color.
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in audience development, content marketing, or email marketing in a digital media space;
- Ability to use insights and analysis to guide strategies and make recommendations;
- Proficiency in data analytics tools such as Google Analytics
- Familiarity with national media trends and audiences
Salary and benefits
- Salary begins at $60,000 and will be based on prior experience and skillset.
- Employee medical and dental benefits 100 percent employer paid; dependents at 50 percent.
- Health Savings Account
- 401(k) plan ( $1.00 match for each $1.00 you contribute, up to a maximum of 4 percent of your annual income)
- Paid Time Off: 20 days / 4 weeks
- Sick Time Off: 5 days / 1 week
- Sahan Journal does not offer standard federal holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.), reflecting the diverse preferences of our staff. Instead, all employees are eligible for 4 floating holidays to be used at personal discretion.
- Cell phone stipend
- Professional development resources
- Relocation stipend available
- Sahan Journal staff currently works remotely. Employees have the option to use the Wellworth co-working space in downtown St. Paul.
Location
Sahan Journal is a regional news organization. We are building our staff to reflect the state and communities we cover. Therefore, the successful candidate will be expected to live in Minnesota, with the ability to travel to the Twin Cities on a monthly basis.
Application process
To apply, please send a resume and a cover letter, describing your experience and what excites you about working at Sahan Journal. If you have many of the requested skills and experiences, but not all of them, please apply!
Send resume and cover letter to jobs@sahanjournal.com. The deadline for applications is March 31.
