Careers At About
At About, we're breaking new ground utilizing the skills and imagination of people like you. If you're seeking a new opportunity and want to breathe new life into your career, apply today! No recruiting agencies please.
Available Jobs
Positions are located in our New York City headquarters unless otherwise noted. We offer an exciting, start-up informal atmosphere with a competitive compensation package including full health/welfare benefits, 401(k) plan and employee stock purchase plan. We are an EEO. Please forward cover letter along with salary requirements and resume to work@about-inc.com and note the position you wish to apply to in the subject line.
Content/Guide Operations:
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Editor (Sports, Autos)
IT:
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Associate DBA
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Associate Tools Developer
Product Management:
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Product Manager, Integrated Marketing
Research:
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Research Director
Sales:
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Client Services Campaign Specialist (Post-Sale)
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Regional Sales Manager, New York
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Vice President, National Sales
Content/Guide Operations
Editor (Sports, Autos)
About.com, a top ten Web property that is part of The New York Times Company, is seeking a smart self-starter able to fill the role of Editor in our New York City headquarters. Online content experience is required. Experience working with sports and/or autos content is a strong plus, as is experience working with freelancers or independent contractors.
The About.com network consists of hundreds of sites that offer nearly 1 million articles covering more than 50,000 subjects. Each site is run by a professional Guide who is carefully screened and trained by About. Guides build a comprehensive environment around each of their specific topics, including the best new content, relevant links, How-To's, Forums, and answers to just about any question. The primary responsibility of the Editor will be to fulfill the editorial mission of About.com while improving content quality and audience retention on About.com.
Responsibilities:
- Review About.com GuideSite content to judge quality of user experience
- Work with Guides and staff to improve audience metrics including frequency and duration
- Create and implement editorial calendars for effective creation and promotion of content
- Identify future trends and gaps in coverage in current taxonomy; recommend new GuideSites or potential content partnerships
- Work with product teams to integrate third-party content
- Work with Ad Sales team to coordinate advertorial content needs
- Track metrics that demonstrate improvements in content quality (uniques,user frequency / duration)
Qualifications:
- 2-3 years experience creating or managing ONLINE CONTENT, preferably in one or more of the following topic areas: Entertainment, Sports, Style, Gadgets.
- Experience managing freelance writers or independent contractors a strong plus
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong online communication skills via email, forums and other methods
- Ability to mutli-task in a fast paced environment and familiarize yourself with new topics quickly
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Research Positions
Research Director
About.com, a top ten Web property that is part of The New York Times Company, is seeking a Research Director. S/he will be responsible for providing About user information, including traffic trends, demographics, and lifestyle data, to all units at About.com as well as relevant stakeholders at NYTimes.com, Boston.com and The New York Times newspaper.
Responsibilities include tracking and analyzing consumer behavior on About.com, its competitors and the WWW in general using major syndicated research tools. The Research Director will be responsible for conducting primary research projects, both independently and in conjunction with outside research vendors, and conducting market research to assist us in understanding key dynamics within the vertical categories that About.com will be focusing on from a sales, product and marketing standpoint.
Qualifications
- Minimum of 7-10 years of applicable research experience, with at least 3 years in an online environment.
- Ability to understand and articulate industry trends in key verticals from a marketing research perspective.
- Skilled in initiating, designing, analyzing, and presenting primary research projects.
- Experience with developing/presenting marketing research, sales research, and product/UI research.
- Proficiency in collecting and analyzing data concerning user behavior, activity, and trends throughout company’s Web site properties.
- Experience and proficience with in-person, email and phone interactions with ad agency peers on research and understanding application of ratings with buyers.
- Familiarity with AdRelevance, Nielsen/NetRatings, comScore Media Metrix, CMRi, Evaliant, @plan, and other online research tools to analyze and interpret Web site visitor data and statistics, advertiser and industry trends and intelligence, and other relevant research information.
- Bachelor’s degree in related area such as Marketing or Mass Communications.
- MBA preferred.
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Sales Positions
Regional Sales Manager, New York
About.com, a top ten Web property that is part of The New York Times Company, is actively recruiting for an assertive, creative-thinking, self-starter who is able to handle multiple tasks to fill the position as regional sales manager. This hire will report into the Vice President, National Sales and be responsible for revenue from accounts in the New York Metro area as well as in the mid-Atlantic territory. This is a perfect opportunity for someone who is interested in advancing a career in online sales. We will provide a thorough grounding in the About.com product line
Requirements
- Minimum of 5-7 years advertising sales experience including a
minimum of 3 years online experience.
- A significant book of existing accounts or relationships we can
leverage to generate immediate revenue at About.com within the
applicable markets.
- Selling media and sponsorship programs to agencies and clients direct.
- Proactively soliciting, handling and closing RFP's.
- Previous success selling targeted online advertising campaigns.
- Extremely professional, creative-thinker, strategic and aggressive demeanor.
- Bright, hard working and dedicated.
- Strong negotiating and sales skills.
- High energy and sense of humor a must.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
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Client Services Campaign Specialist (Post-Sale)
- Post-sale role. Works with Marketing, Product, and the Sales in pre-sale phase to be on the same page, but responsibilities kick in post-sale.
- Coordination with the Sales Product Manager to ensure full and timely delivery of all elements to be produced by the product group. Person will be technical enough to identify the various items and prevent problems and slowdowns before they happen.
- Retrieve creative from the client and work with the traffic team for implementation.
- Will work with appropriate contacts in Ad Operations and Production at other properties like NYTimes.com, if applicable.
- Post-launch will monitor delivery against contract.
- Will analyze performance against client goals and make optimization suggestions to client.
- Will have weekly calls with client to discuss campaign progress and supply supporting reports.
- Will work with Finance on campaign analysis. Template may be set up but the BDAM will be responsible for filling out reports with data from various sources.
Requirements:
- Three years of online account experience.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
- Intermediate Excel skills.
- Campaign management for large clients.
- Ability to analyze performance reports and make appropriate optimizations.
- Understanding of web technology.
- DART or equivalent adserver experience.
- SOS or equivalent campaign management system experience.
- Atlas DMT or equivalent third-party adserver experience.
- Poised and articulate; able to communicate effectively during phone, email and in-person meetings with clients.
- Attention to detail; sense of urgency; passion to drive revenue.
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Vice President, National Sales
The Vice President, National Sales will have responsibility for managing the About.com’s online sales efforts for the entire country. In this position, the VP will be responsible for sales of ad programs across the About Network. S/he will work with SVP of Sales & Marketing to help set policies, procedures, objectives and sales strategies used in the sales efforts of About’s sales force. Candidate will work with senior management at About and NYTimes Co. to cultivate strategic opportunities with clients and partners in key verticals that can help extend About’s revenue opportunities into new and developing areas as well as further build growth and gain market share for the entire company on an international level.
The successful candidate will report to the SVP of Sales & Marketing and work closely with About and NY Times senior executives. S/he will need to foster a team focused on profitable growth and develop and implement an integrated and strategic sales approach to market for About. S/he must possess the ability to think strategically while leading a team of sales professionals who will need to make tactical contributions to About.
Responsibilties:
- Work with Marketing on developing and implementing customized online and offline ad programs within key verticals.
- Management experience in online sales with a strong foundation of traditional advertising sales management principles.
- Develop and manage a sales budget.
- Manage and direct the sales team in the selling of key strategic sales programs.
- Maintain a positive and beneficial relationship with all departments within About and The New York Times Company
- Ability to understand analyses and client proposals (RFPs). Strong presentation and communication skills required for success.
- Demonstrated accomplishments and leadership through consultative selling in developing new business and expansion within key verticals.
Requirements:
- Sales professional with 10-15 years of progressively responsible roles in online and print sales.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications or related field.
- Candidate must possess strong strategic and tactical sales skills, as well as technical skills to understand the online media market in order to create demand and generate revenues.
- Manage and direct the sales team in the selling of key strategic sales programs.
- Candidate must have experience working in a metric driven sales environment as well as establishing, overseeing and driving a sales team for online organization.
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IT Positions
Associate DBA
About.com, a top ten Web property and one of the Internet's
leading content destinations, is looking for a talented database administrator with
programming skills to add to its About Operations team. The Associate DBA builds,
maintains, and operates reliable data-stores and programs in a mixed OS but UNIX-centric
development environment in order to maintain the integrity of the About.network.
The ideal candidate will be familiar with web based technologies and understand the business ramifications of accurate, reliable, and easy to access and update data. This position calls for a sharp, motivated, and meticulous team player that believes both in Agile Software Development and leveraging Open Source Solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Ensure for the continued accuracy, reliability, and integrity of About.com's data systems
- Work with other team members to define and implement needed new development
- Maintain and develop tools to support the smooth operation of the About Network
- Continue to proactively improve and enhance About.com's data systems
- Support the end-users of About.com's data-stores
Qualifications:
- Familiar with most of the following technologies: Web Serving, Apache, HTML, Cookies, XML, shell scripting
- Good Perl programming skills including the ability to read and modify other people's code
- Strong UNIX user skills (some UNIX admin or developer skills a plus)
- Able to read and write C/C++ or Java AND the ability to quickly pick it up
- Good SQL skills and relational database knowledge in either Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and/or MySQL
- Strong communication and teaming skills in multiple mediums (email, aim, face-to-face)
- Strong problem solving abilities
- Able to calmly handle production issues
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Associate Tools Developer
About.com, a top ten Web property and one of the Internet's leading content destinations, is looking for a talented software developer to add to its Tools Development team. A Tools Developer designs and builds reliable and flexible web-based content creation and management tools for both internal and external clients in a dynamic UNIX-based environment.
The ideal candidate will be well familiar with web based technologies and an active problem solver who is able to identify and fill in missing product details and requirements. This position calls for a motivated team player that believes both in Agile Software Development and leveraging Open Source Solutions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Ensure for the continued reliable up-time of the About.com service
- Create world class, cost-effective, web based tools in a full project life-cycle environment: design, build, test, implement, support (including real-time) and enhance
- Continue to proactively improve and enhance the About.com tool-set by bringing new ideas and methods into the team
- Indirectly and at times directly support end-users of the About.com tool-set
Selected Qualifications:
- Familiar with most of the following technologies: Apache, FreeBSD, CGI, HTML, XML, SSI, DHTML, JavaScript
- UNIX user and developer skills
- Solid C proficiency
- Able to read and write Perl
- Proficient at interfacing with SQL
- Able to design and write own specifications based on conversations with customers and other product development teammates
- Highly adaptive to change
- Strong communication and teaming skills in multiple mediums (email, aim, face-to-face)
- Strong problem solving abilities
- Able to calmly handle production issues
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Product Management Positions
Product Manager, Integrated Marketing
About.com, a top ten Web property and one of the Internet's
leading content destinations,
is actively seeking a Product Manager to work primarily with our sales and accounting teams on implementing revenue support systems on the About.com service. The selected candidate must be a senior manager able to communicate across departments and will be responsible for defining business rules, creating product specifications, project managing new initiatives, and managing product offerings to meet sales goals and requests.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design and develop sales products in conjunction with Sales, Editorial, Finance and Product Management
- Work with Sales and Finance to analyze and evaluate sales products effectiveness and success metrics.
- Project manage custom product development from initiation to launch by working with Technology, Editorial, Sales, and Clients directly.
- Accountable for end-to-end delivery of custom sales products and sponsorships
- Work with Finance, Sales, other departments and Clients as required to optimize delivery, track delivery dates and provide ongoing relationship management as needed.
- Establish and maintain business rules for sales products
- Create, update and maintain documentation and training as necessary for current and new sales products
Qualifications:
- BA Required. MBA a plus.
- Minimum of 5 years experience with at least 2 years Internet product management experience, in addition to 2 years of online sales or marketing experience
- Experience creating products and managing the complete product cycle from conception to launch
- Demonstrated ability to provide creative leadership in the design and development of products
- Must have excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills with ability to effectively manage across multiple departments/personalities
- Must be detail-oriented, deadline-driven and possess strong ability to work independently
- Strong analytical ability combined with experience and comfort using Microsoft Excel.
- Must be able to manage multiple priorities and projects
- Proficiency with MS Office, Project and Visio
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