Head of Guardian Labs at Guardian Careers

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

06 Jul, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

07 Apr, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Strategic leadership, Commercial acumen, Content strategy, Brand partnerships, Creative direction, Digital production, Team management, Revenue growth, Audience intelligence, Media ethics, Stakeholder management, Financial forecasting, Project management, Marketing strategy, Native advertising, Public speaking

Industry

Book and Periodical Publishing

Description

Guardian Australia is part of Guardian News & Media (GNM), publisher of theguardian.com. [http://theguardian.com./] As a leading global media organisation, we are renowned for our pioneering independent journalism and our award-winning digital products. We are seeking an experienced person to lead our Guardian Labs (creative studio) operation within our commercial team. Guardian Labs is our in-house content studio that produces branded content, social content and amplification, integrated media, video, audio, podcasts/vodcasts, events and experiences for our advertisers. The successful candidate will have balanced skills and expertise in strategic thinking and architecture, commercial acumen and creative excellence. You will run a team of high performance content and production executives and will be tasked to build our creative and commercial capabilities at scale and pace. In this role you will… 1. Strategic and Commercial Leadership * Develop and own the Guardian Australia’s overarching brand partnership and commercial content strategy. * Alongside the Commercial Director, create and execute Guardian Labs’ long-term vision and critical growth priorities - including clients, new revenue streams, new channel strategy, product adoption. * Build Guardian Labs into a high-margin, sustainable, and scalable revenue channel. * Ensure that our studio operates as a continuous profitable division of our business. * Develop new commercial products and innovative storytelling formats that maintain premium market positioning. * Identify and capitalize on emerging market trends, technologies, and monetisation opportunities. * Collaborate closely with the Managing Director, Commercial Partnerships Director, CFO, and senior commercial leaders to manage revenue targets and financial performance. * Provide commercial analysis and forecasts to the Commercial Partnerships Director weekly/monthly/quarterly and provide commercial expertise to the Revenue Leadership Team. 2.Creative and content and new advertising formats * Set and maintain the creative and editorial standards for all branded content output. * Ensure all work consistently meets the benchmarks for Guardian-quality storytelling. * Protect editorial independence while maximising commercial impact and client value. * Working with a cross-functional mindset, this role will need to champion and strategise innovative formats across long-form, video, interactive, experiential, audio, and social content. * Enable the team to deliver all go-to-market materials for pitches, RFP’s, market presentations and trade marketing executions. * Ensure all content aligns with GNM technical standards and brand guidelines. 3. Strategic Insights and Audience Intelligence * Work with our Head of Audience both in the Australian office and also our global colleagues to ensure that we include our audience intelligence and insights into all of our brief responses to help win business and grow long term partnerships. * Develop high level commercial initiatives and opportunities that place audience insights and research at the core of the offering so that marketers can clearly identify our point of difference and the value of our Guardian customer. 4. Studio and team leadership * Provide inspirational leadership and a clear vision for the Guardian Labs team. * Lead, mentor, and actively develop a multidisciplinary team of producers, editors, designers, and developers. * Oversee all production workflows, managing both internal and external collaborators effectively. * Build a scalable operating model utilising trusted freelance and production partners where strategic. * Foster a high-performance, solutions-focused, and deeply collaborative culture. * Continuously improve systems, processes, and behaviours to optimise studio effectiveness and output. 5. Revenue growth and client leadership * Develop and manage senior-level client relationships across agencies and direct brand partners. * Sell strategic brand solutions, driving year-on-year revenue growth. * Lead high-value pitches and proactively identify new commercial opportunities. * Assess briefs, advising on production feasibility, creative innovation, and expected commercial outcomes. * Oversee pricing, costing, and commercial modelling in close partnership with commercial leadership. * Position Guardian Labs as the premium content partner for top-tier brands, including luxury, travel, finance, tech, government, and purpose-driven sectors. 6. Campaign and delivery oversight * Oversee end-to-end campaign delivery, ensuring trust, excellence, and quality are maintained. * Lead complex, first-of-their-kind, or high-profile campaigns. * Ensure financial discipline and robust delivery against margin targets. * Integrate sophisticated measurement frameworks and performance reporting. * Ensure diligent risk management and compliance with all legal and editorial standards. 7. Cross-functional and global collaboration * Collaborate strategically with sales, audience, ad ops, legal, rights & licensing, and global commercial teams. * Build deep relationships with Guardian Labs and commercial teams globally to share and implement best practice. * Represent Guardian Labs as a thought leader at industry events and within trade media. You’ll bring…. Knowledge and experience * 10+ years of executive experience and robust knowledge of branded content, editorial, media, agency, and/or publishing environments. * Significant senior leadership experience managing creative and/or commercial teams. * Proven track record of delivering large-scale, premium brand partnerships. * Proven success of revenue growth and market-first initiatives * Expertise in digital, audio and experiential (events) production and end-to-end campaign oversight. * Market expertise and success across digital, publishing, audio/podcasts, video and experiential * Experience operating successfully within a matrixed or values-led organisation. Knowledge and expertise * Deep, current understanding of content marketing and native advertising ecosystems. * Strong knowledge of digital production, UX/UI principles, and web standards. * Comprehensive understanding of emerging digital formats and technologies. * Strong grasp of marketing objectives, commercial imperatives, and digital sales implementation. * Clear understanding of media ethics, brand safety, and the role of editorial independence. * An extensive industry network across major agencies and brands. * The ability to successfully pitch and present to key agency leaders, marketing leaders and C-suite operators as needed . Leadership and personal attributes * A highly strategic and innately creative thinker. * Commercially astute and rigorously financially disciplined. * Calm, decisive, and resilient under pressure. * Confident, persuasive, and credible at a senior level. * Highly collaborative and astute within a fast-paced environment. * Uncompromising integrity and deep commitment to the Guardian values. * Innovative, solutions-oriented, and growth-mindset * A genuine passion and advocacy for the Guardian brand. Success measures * Proven and recognised collaboration across our business units locally and globally. * Successful collaboration with our editorial part of the business. * Revenue growth and margin improvement. * Expansion of premium, long-term brand partnerships. * Quality and innovation of commercial content output. * Team engagement, retention, and development. * Industry recognition and thought leadership impact. * The ability to quickly pivot our operational rigour as needed, to ensure that we are market-compliant and drive demand for our advertisers. About working at Guardian Australia… * Hybrid working * Employee assistance program (EAP) to support employee wellbeing * Paid volunteer leave * Dedicated diversity and inclusion employee groups, action plans (including our Reconciliation Action Plan) and cultural competency training * Guardian digital subscription For more information please view the full job description here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/15I4-XlFzluD-uOgHMFLWK9ok36SQBxT9/view?usp=sharing]. This role is being offered on a full-time, permanent basis. To apply for this position, please apply online and upload your résumé (maximum three pages) plus covering letter. In your covering letter please outline your motivation for applying for the role and why you think you are suitable. Closing date for applications: 26 April 2026 If you have application questions or if you require an adjustment to be made during the recruitment process, please email australia.hr@theguardian.com We believe that our role in the Australian media is to give a voice to the most marginalised people in society and value and respect all differences in all people — including people of colour, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from different social classes, people with diverse gender and sexual identities, and people with disabilities (seen and unseen). We believe that these communities must be centred in the work we do, bringing a new perspective and a diversity of thought. We also encourage flexible working and aim to create a work environment where all employees feel respected.

Responsibilities

The Head of Guardian Labs will lead the creative studio operation, developing and executing commercial content strategies to drive revenue growth. They will manage a multidisciplinary team, oversee end-to-end campaign delivery, and foster high-level partnerships with brands and agencies.