Director, Media Research

Role overview

Team and database leadership

• Lead, hire, train, and develop the research team; establish goals, workflows, and quality expectations.
• Own the accuracy, completeness, and freshness of contact, outlet, role, beat, and pitching-preference records.
• Set research and verification standards and update cycles; respond to newsroom job changes, layoffs, closures, mergers, and launches.
• Maintain categorization across beats, topics, industries, outlet types, geography, and audience; represent emerging formats such as newsletters and podcasts.
• Enrich profiles with preferred contact methods, deadlines, interests, and pitching guidance.

Data, partnerships, and compliance

• Define and report data quality measures including bounce rates, record accuracy, update frequency, and coverage gaps.
• Partner with Product Development on AI-enabled research automation while retaining expert human oversight.
• Work with Customer Success and Sales Enablement on data issues and client coverage gaps; support Marketing's pitching guides, webinars, and best-practice content.
• Handle journalist requests to update, correct, or remove information and ensure compliance with privacy and anti-spam legislation, including GDPR and CASL.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years in journalism as a reporter, editor, producer, or assignment editor, and at least 3 years leading or managing a team.
• Deep knowledge of newsroom operations, editorial structures, beats, deadlines, and how journalists assess pitches.
• Hands-on familiarity with AI tools such as large language models and workflow automation platforms.
• Exceptional research and verification skills, database comfort, and a systems-minded approach to data quality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; data-driven, organized, curious, and able to build processes independently.
• Experience in media research, media intelligence, PR software, or the newswire industry and an established journalism network are assets.

Leadership focus

• Turn newsroom knowledge into research standards, useful outreach intelligence, and practical pitching guidance.
• Use metrics to guide decisions and measure research performance and database quality.

Workplace

• The role is described as fully remote.

Compensation

• Expected compensation is CAD $120,000–$150,000 annually; the final offer reflects experience, skills, and internal equity.

Benefits

• Benefits include health, dental, and vision coverage, RRSP matching, life insurance, an Employee Assistance Program, paid vacation and other leave, and career development opportunities.
• The company also notes a week off between Christmas and New Year and no internal meetings on Fridays.