Job Description

Job Advert Summary

The Community Manager will play a key role in fostering relationships between the newsroom and its audience, ensuring meaningful engagement, and strengthening the sense of community among Daily Maverick's Joburg readers.



This position is responsible for managing audience interactions, responding to reader questions, tracking and reporting on engagement and impact, and spearheading initiatives that build a loyal and active audience.



The ideal candidate is passionate about journalism, audience engagement, and creating an inclusive and participatory media environment. Most of all, this person needs to be passionate about Joburg.



This is an opportunity to shape the future of audience engagement in a dynamic newsroom. You will help build stronger relationships between journalists and readers, ensuring our journalism is not just consumed but actively discussed, valued, and supported. If you're passionate about fostering meaningful connections and driving impact through community-building, we'd love to hear from you.

This is a one year contract position.

Minimum Requirements

Experience in community management, audience engagement, or digital media. Strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Familiarity with social media platforms, engagement analytics, and content moderation. Ability to analyse data and translate insights into actionable strategies. Passion for journalism, audience development, and community-building. Comfortable working collaboratively across teams in a fast-paced newsroom environment. Background in journalism, communications, or a related field. 3 years of experience in community management, events, and/or marketing.

Duties and Responsibilities

Community Engagement & Management:

+ Engage with readers both on and off Daily Maverick platforms to foster meaningful discussions and connections. + Identify and highlight valuable reader contributions, feedback, and user-contributed content.
+ Amplify the work of the Joburg bureau through stakeholder engagement and distribution tactics.
+ Be able and connected enough to set up pop-up newsrooms and feedback loops in communities.

Membership & Reader Relations:

+ Act as a liaison between the newsroom and Daily Maverick readers in Joburg, ensuring their voices are heard and valued. + Liaise with our events team to create virtual and in-person events to connect the newsroom with its audience.
+ Assist in the growth and retention of membership programs by conducting acquisition, engagement and retention activities for Joburg members.

Impact Reporting & Insights:

+ Track and analyse audience engagement metrics, reporting on key insights and trends. + Measure the impact of membership initiatives and provide data-driven recommendations for improvement.
+ Work with editorial and marketing teams to refine audience strategies based on engagement data.

Content & Communication:

+ Assist in crafting engagement-driven content, including newsletters, community updates, and interactive features. + Respond to reader inquiries and ensure timely, thoughtful communication.
+ Collaborate with journalists to surface audience perspectives that inform coverage.