The Economist is seeking a Senior Editorial Analyst to help guide its digital strategy on social media, through newsletters, and its online newsdesk.

The Audience team is at the heart of The Economist’s digital strategy. It distributes our journalism via posts on social-media platforms including Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube; through 23 newsletters, 19 of which are exclusive to our subscribers; by sending notifications to multiple apps; and by ensuring that search engines can locate and recommend our work. Through these platforms we identify our next generation of readers and build relationships with existing subscribers, all while remaining true to our 180-year-old brand. 

It is also entwined with the digital newsdesk, a global team that publishes around the clock to our Espresso and core apps; curates our home tab and home pages; steers the flow of stories to ensure these appear online in a timely and orderly manner; and pioneers innovations in our visual, mobile-first journalism. 

We are recruiting a Senior Editorial Analyst to ascertain the performance of our journalism across platforms, and to help editors make sharper, data-informed decisions. They will combine editorial intuition with statistical rigour to produce insights that directly shape how we commission, frame and promote our stories. Within our team are a number of audience specialists who interpret and act upon data, but in this role technical skills are essential. 

Their primary responsibilities will be: 

• Analyse article, newsletter, notification, audio and video performance across platforms (such as app, web, email, social and search) to identify what resonates with readers 
• Write sharp, editorially literate regular performance reports that explain not just what happened but why—and recommend what to do next 
• Design and interpret A/B tests (such as headlines and subject lines), ensuring statistical rigour and clear, actionable conclusions 
• Identify high-performing formats, topics and tones, and share outcomes with editors to influence framing and commissioning 
• Translate complex data into clear, jargon-free insights that support editorial decision-making and headline refinement, using data-visualisation where appropriate 
• Track audience behaviour by region, channel and topic to highlight growth opportunities and underserved segments 
• Collaborate with The Economist Group’s analytics department on methodologies, platforms, technologies and projects that will benefit not only the newsroom but the wider business as a whole 
• Assist with the requirement-setting, and building of, new data models and data assets 
• Collaborate with product, marketing and editorial teams to evaluate content features, formats and promotion strategies 
• Build trust in data across the newsroom by advocating for smarter measurement, better testing practices and continuous learning 

Their primary skills will be: 

• Proficient in SQL and Python, with hands-on experience querying, cleaning and interpreting large, complex datasets from first principles 
• Experienced in working with enterprise-scale data warehouses and data lakes, including schema navigation, data extraction and performance optimisation 
• Skilled in designing, building and maintaining new data assets, ensuring scalability, data integrity, and alignment with analytical requirements​
• Proficiency in building, using and interpreting analytics​ tools such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Parse.ly, Chartbeat and Salesforce Marketing Cloud with an understanding of data collection  
• Experience of A/B testing and an understanding of basic statistical concepts such as confidence intervals, significance testing and regression 
• The ability to spot patterns, communicate insight and make strategic recommendations to editors in plain language that adheres to our style guide and respects our values​
• Experience of writing data reports that are clear, narrative-driven and tailored to an audience of journalists, and of presenting this analysis to the newsroom 
• A deep understanding of digital journalism and content performance across platforms in a global context, and of The Economist’s values and its editorial direction 

Ideally they will have experience in a newsroom, media and/or editorial analytics environment, and will be educated to a degree level or above. 

To be considered, applicants must complete the following assessment: 

A senior editor has asked you to provide an overview of the performance of our recent cover leader “The stunning decline of the preference for having boys”. In no more than 300 words, explain how you would approach this evaluation and which insights you would want to deliver. 

You may wish to touch on: 

• The key questions your analysis would answer 
• The types of data or metrics you would prioritise 
• Any specific factors (editorial, promotional, audience-related) you would consider 
• How you would communicate your findings and recommendations to editors 

We are not expecting a full analysis, just a clear sense of how you would frame and approach the task—and what you see as the most essential elements. 

This assessment is the most important part of your application, so make sure you explain your proposals thoroughly and clearly. Initially we will read it blind, without looking at your name. Only if what is submitted fits with what we are looking for will we examine your accompanying material. We will not consider applications sent without an assessment. 

How To Apply

Please email your assessment, along with a CV and a brief cover note, to edsocialjob@economist.com by the end of Friday September 5th 2025. 

All applicants must be based in the United Kingdom to take up the role. They must already hold residency, citizenship or a visa that allows them to live and work in London immediately, without the need for any additional immigration-related process. We can neither sponsor candidates nor await immigration decisions. 

This role will have a salary in the region of £60,000. Our team is expected to attend our main newsroom in central London for, on average, two to three days per week.

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