Editor-in-Chief: C+D

C+D is looking for a creative and enthusiastic Editor-in-Chief to lead its multi-award-winning editorial team in central London. Reporting to the Head of Custom Content, the successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the revered 160-year-old Chemist+Druggist (C+D) publishing brand – from its award-winning breaking news and analysis, to its podcasts, peer-to-peer C+D Community platform and the industry-leading C+D Awards.

With an online audience of over 80,000 community pharmacy professionals, and after a year that saw C+D gain widespread national media coverage and political attention for its exclusive investigations, this is a role for someone who wants to lead a digital publishing brand at the top of its game.

The Editor will not only inspire the editorial team, but collaborate closely with C+D’s Audience Development Team and other content experts across its parent company, Norstella, to ensure it remains the leading source of news and views for its healthcare audience.

The ideal candidate may not come from a healthcare journalism background (although that is an advantage), but they do need to have the experience and vision to lead a nationally recognized publishing title to even greater achievements in 2024. If you’re as comfortable inspiring a multi-award-winning team of journalists as you are representing a brand in front of senior stakeholders, this is the job for you.

HOW YOU’LL SUCCEED

Oversee an editorial team of five other journalists to produce an average of 3-4 articles a day for the C+D website and newsletters, which reflect the burning issues facing our audience - exclusive investigations and breaking news alerts.
Directly oversee and line manage three section editors
Develop your own digital editorial strategy that will continue C+D’s steady growth in subscribers/traffic/users/ C+D Community engagement/satisfaction, in alignment with wider business priorities
Our interactive digital initiatives have won awards by themselves, and we’ve recently relaunched our podcasts and video offering. We want the Editor to pioneer other new formats to engage and excite our audience
Act as the ‘face’ of C+D at brand events – including the flagship C+D Awards – as well as at external events and in the national media as appropriate
Update both the Head of C+D and senior members of Norstella on developments in the community pharmacy sector
Be a beacon of quality, accurate and meaningful journalism within the business
Position yourself as a champion of your readers, promoting initiatives that will benefit their working lives
Take an active role in the organisation of C+D’s range of live events, including presenting and chairing debates and webinars as required
Assist the Clinical and Custom Content Editor in their role of producing high-quality, paid-for educational articles for our subscribers
Advocate for experimentation, innovation and new technology in content development
Collaborate with the Audience Development Team to develop C+D’s digital content proposition
Collaborate with the Sales Team to support the development of commercial content propositions, as appropriate

Key Competencies

Extensive understanding and knowledge of different market sectors and awareness of major issues affecting them.
An excellent network of industry contacts and/or ability to build a network of contracts from across the industry (key customers, associations, membership groups, manufacturers, regulatory bodies, consultants and industry groups).
Recognized as an industry expert, able to add value with insight and opinion.
Able to innovate and demonstrate content development to continuously adapt to and meet client needs.
Use of content across a publication to drive client engagement, usage and renewals (of marketing services, pharmacy subscriptions and data subscriptions).
Experience of public speaking through presenting at conferences, chairing meetings and of interviewing and being interviewed with different media.
Ability to participate in cross-functional teams; to lead and develop individuals and teams.
Excellent interpersonal skills, with emphasis on the ability to gain the co-operation of sources.
Consistently express an informed, knowledgeable interest in learning or contributing more to the editorial process for the benefit of the publication.

General Knowledge/Skill

Breadth and depth of knowledge and experience of the UK pharmacy market, and of the NHS, particularly primary care (although not essential) – including the companies, dynamics and trends that shape the industry with particular expertise about a relevant sector.
Be able to research and generate content or ideas across various subjects – including politics, the NHS, Brexit, healthcare and technology developments, exclusive investigations and breaking news.
Ability to use social media to promote editorial content.
Diverse experience of multimedia tools and content. Able to quickly spot opportunities when this would add value for clients.Knowledge/experience of using analytics to inform content strategy and development.
Good presentation and panel moderation skills for conferences.
Able to manage the creation and publishing of content; adheres to overlapping deadlines and juggles the numerous tasks required to get content to clients.

Required Education/Experience

Established and recognized experience having led a team as an editor, deputy editor or section editor on a national media B2B/B2C brand.