Director, Multiplatform Video, WIRED

WIRED is where a better future is imagined. For three decades, we have been the indispensable guide to a world in constant transformation. We cover humanity’s biggest challenges, from climate change to global security, from pandemic preparedness to the future of democracy, and tell stories of the people trying to solve these challenges and the role science and technology can play—for good or ill. WIRED reaches more than 30 million people each month through WIRED.com, our digital edition, the magazine, social media, and live events.

Job Description

Location: London, GB

Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, GQ, Glamour, AD, Vanity Fair and Wired, among many others. Our award-winning content reaches 84 million consumers in print, 367 million in digital and 379 million across social platforms, and generates more than 1 billion video views each month.

We are headquartered in London and New York, and operate in 31 markets worldwide, including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico & Latin America, Spain, Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S., with local licence partners across the globe.

The Role

The Director, Multiplatform Video is responsible for overseeing all of WIRED’s vertical video production across platforms, as well as defining and constantly iterating on our vertical video strategy overall and across markets. This role will work closely with our audience development leaders to align on a video strategy that grows WIRED’s audience and engagement across platforms including TikTok and Instagram, and ensures that WIRED accounts are best-in-class destinations for off-platform video audiences.

This role will directly oversee a small, versatile team of multiplatform video producers in our US and UK newsrooms; it will liaise with video and social leads across other markets to ensure that all vertical video from WIRED titles worldwide adheres to consistent standards and best practices, and that successful formats are shared and replicated around the world. In addition, this role will be responsible for developing both “episodic” and “serial” vertical video formats: We define the former as repeatable, recognisable approaches to covering spot news across WIRED beats, and the latter being more evergreen formats that can be serialised and programmed ahead of time. At least some of these formats must have sponsorship potential, as defined in collaboration with stakeholders from Conde Nast’s brand marketing and commercial teams.

To be successful in this role, you must be an experienced digital newsroom leader and manager, with specific expertise and experience in vertical video strategy and production. You’ll have a strong desire to differentiate WIRED from the competition, and the ability to turn WIRED accounts on TikTok, IG, and YouTube into must-see, daily destinations for a young, dynamic, global audience of tech enthusiasts and news junkies. You must be skilled at developing repeatable formats that resonate with social audiences and sponsors alike, adept at identifying journalism with the potential to succeed as vertical video, and keen to mentor and train reporters and editors on how to translate their work to this medium. You must have strong leadership skills, the desire to jump on news as it happens, and extremely high editorial standards and judgment.

The role reports to WIRED’s Global Editorial Director. Additional key collaborators will include WIRED’s audience development leadership, executive editor for news, and market video leads across Italy, Japan, and Mexico. This role is based out of WIRED’s London office.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the overall ideation and production of original vertical video for WIRED platforms and O&O across all coverage areas, including consumer tech, security, science, internet culture, and more. Work in lockstep with WIRED’s social leadership on daily story selection and publishing plans.
• Lead a small, nimble team of video producers across the UK and US; liaise and provide ongoing feedback and guidance to WIRED’s international markets to ensure best-in-class vertical video across locales.
• Evangelize the importance of vertical video within WIRED and across Conde Nast; work with writers and editors to adapt their reporting and expertise into social video; train and mentor journalists to do voiceover, appear on-camera, and translate written articles into video scripts.
• Work closely with audience development and WIRED’s news leaders on the programming strategy for WIRED’s vertical video platforms, ensuring that engagement, franchise development, and audience growth KPIs are top of mind.
• Partner and collaborate with Conde Nast commercial stakeholders to ensure that WIRED is developing franchises with sponsorable potential; iterate and evolve WIRED’s vertical video strategy against revenue imperatives.
• Regularly review audience KPIs and use this data to inform and improve vertical video strategy and output.
• Maintain awareness and provide vertical video leadership and support for all brand initiatives, from major tentpoles to sponsored projects.
• Act as the final editorial approval on all videos, with a particular eye on high-risk or sensitive videos; ensure that WIRED’s vertical video outputs meet an exceptionally high bar for editorial rigor, integrity, and excellence.
• Stay up to date on evolving features, trends, and emerging social platforms.
• Represent WIRED internally and externally, as needed.

Who you are:

• Strong proven experience in a fast-paced digital newsroom, with at least 3 years in a management role.
• At least five years experience in vertical video production, ideally leading a production team, and with a specific emphasis on news environments in one or more of WIRED’s core coverage areas: consumer products, the technology industry, science/innovation, and security.
• Strong videography and animation skills with demonstrated experience using Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Photoshop.
• An established creative portfolio, with soup to nuts experience in concept creation and execution of digital videos that have driven deep, organic engagement across multiple platforms.
• Demonstrated experience evangelizing vertical video and educating newsrooms in the form of mentorship, trainings, workshops, and/or feedback to editorial teams.
• Knowledge of internet culture and digital video landscape (e.g. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), the unique elements of each video platform and what makes particular videos successful on those platforms.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to work across teams, time zones, and regions with a firm vision and plan that also allows for cultural and market-related nuance.
• Adaptable and flexible; ability to delegate effectively, juggle multiple assignments with tight deadlines, and calmly pivot priorities as the news cycle demands.
• Strong management skills; strong interpersonal skills with an emotionally intelligent communication style.
• Successful experience navigating matrixed organisations; in particular, experience liaising and collaborating with revenue-generating departments of a publishing organisation.

What benefits do we offer?

• 25 days holiday and extra days of annual leave for life events.
• Core hours.
• Competitive pension scheme.
• Bupa Private Healthcare.
• Enhanced maternity leave and family leave.
• Season ticket loans.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance programme.
• Bring your dog to work.
• A wide variety of wellness benefits including gym discounts.
• Discounts and Magazine Subscriptions.
• Employee Resource Groups to provide a platform for employees to identify shared objectives, exchange ideas, and work on community priorities for our global workforce.
• Condé Nast Learning Hub where you’ll find all Condé Nast-developed learning courses and training, and over 16,000+ courses in seven local languages.

What happens next?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply below, and we will review your application as soon as possible. You can update your resume or upload a cover letter at any time by accessing your candidate profile.

Condé Nast is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status and other legally protected characteristics.