CRO Manager

Reports to : Head of Customer Growth

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 news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the compact format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to successfully transition to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other reader‐revenue initiatives, we continue to bring independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month. In 2024, our portfolio expanded through a licensing partnership with BuzzFeed Inc., adding BuzzFeed UK, Tasty, Seasoned and HuffPost UK to our brand family.

Job Purpose

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior CRO Manager to join our Customer Marketing team. Reporting into the Head of Customer Growth, you will be responsible for helping to develop and deliver our CRO strategy across The Independent’s digital products, driving improvements in registration, app installs, newsletter sign‐ups, subscriptions and donations.

You will lead our experimentation roadmap, oversee the optimisation of onsite conversion journeys (including paywalls, landing pages and checkout flows), and collaborate closely with our in-house product and analytics, as well as our performance marketing agency.

This role requires strong organisational skills, a data‐driven mindset and the ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders.

The Data & Marketing Department

The Data & Marketing department is the intelligence powerhouse of the business, representing the customer. Our goal is to inspire, engage and grow a loyal readership by harnessing data-driven insights and innovative marketing to deliver personalised, impactful content experiences that builds lasting trust, diverse revenue streams, and a thriving future for quality journalism. The department consists of four teams: Data Science & Engineering, Data Intelligence & Monetisation, Research & Insight and Customer Marketing.

Customer Marketing

The purpose of this team is to attract, engage and retain readers whilst driving customer revenue, increasing ad revenue and enhancing brand loyalty. They do this through the effective communication of the value of our brands content and products to individual consumers and convert casual readers into loyal customers by developing personalised customer experiences at scale which build deeper, longer lasting relationships in turn driving revenue for our business.

They collaborate holistically across the business to identify new initiatives that drive data collection which feed the insight loop, develop and amplify products and services which enhance our strategic growth pillars.

Their goal is to shape the future of customer engagement, leveraging data, creativity and innovation to build meaningful relationships with millions of readers worldwide.

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.

About You

You are an experienced CRO specialist with a passion for understanding user behaviour and improving digital journeys. You enjoy combining data, experimentation and creativity to solve problems and drive measurable growth. You’re collaborative, curious, and comfortable working cross‐functionally with Product, Development, Analytics, Editorial and Marketing teams.

You don’t need to be a developer, but you understand how experiments work, how to brief effectively, and how to translate insights into clear recommendations. You’re motivated by results, excited by experimentation, and eager to help shape a best in class optimisation programme at a time of rapid growth for The Independent.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities - what is delivered

• Lead the CRO strategy, tailoring optimisation approaches to audience behaviour, product performance and business priorities.
• Identify friction points across the customer journey using quantitative insights (e.g. GA4) and qualitative research such as heatmaps, session recordings and surveys (e.g. Crazy Egg).
• Maintain and prioritise a structured experimentation backlog aligned with customer growth objectives.
• Develop clear, data‐backed hypotheses using the “If [change], then [result], because [rationale]” model to guide test design.
• Work with UX/UI designers to shape test concepts, wireframes and user flows that align with brand and accessibility standards.
• Oversee the setup and activation of onsite conversion assets, including paywall and prompt experiences within Piano (transitioning to MonetizeOS).
• Partner with Product, Development and Analytics teams to scope and deliver experiments, ensuring smooth technical execution without needing to personally build complex tests.
• Ensure all experiments undergo thorough QA across devices, browsers and user segments before launch.
• Support the performance marketing agency with CRO initiatives that enhance paid media performance and improve conversion efficiency.
• Configure and launch A/B and multivariate tests using platforms such as Optimizely (or equivalent), ensuring correct tracking and success metrics are in place.
• Monitor tests in‐flight to identify technical issues, anomalies or negative performance impacts early.
• Analyse test results and translate findings into actionable insights and clear recommendations for stakeholders across Marketing, Product, Editorial and Data.
• Present learnings confidently to leadership and cross‐functional teams, ensuring insights are understood and applied to future optimisation work.

Skills and Experience

Mandatory Requirements

• 5+ years’ experience in CRO, growth or digital optimisation roles.
• Demonstrable experience developing and delivering CRO strategies across web and/or app environments.
• Experience with A/B testing platforms (e.g. Optimizely) and analytics tools (e.g. GA4, heatmapping tools).
• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and communicate insights clearly.
• Working understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
• Experience collaborating with Product, Development, Analytics and Marketing teams.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast‐paced environment.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to tell a compelling story through data.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience working with Piano
• Familiarity with MonetizeOS or similar paywall/personalisation systems.
• Experience working in news, media or retail.
• Experience with customer engagement platforms (e.g., Braze).
• A degree‐level qualification in Marketing or a related field is a bonus, but practical CRO experience is what matters most.
• Familiarity with The Independent and BuzzFeed brands.

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.