Principal Data Analyst, Retention

Job Description

The Data and Analytics department drives strategic and operational decisions for The Washington Post.  This highly visible team applies analytics and insights to support strategic initiatives and day-to-day operational support company-wide and is currently seeking a Principal Data Analyst. 

As our Principal Data Analyst specializing in engagement and retention, you will lead data initiatives to understand and enhance subscriber behavior, identify churn risks, and develop actionable strategies to improve customer lifetime value. Your insights will be instrumental in fostering long-term customer loyalty and maximizing recurring revenue.

You’ll work in close collaboration with the marketing, newsroom, product, engineering, advertising and finance departments on a diverse range of projects that have a critical and strategic impact on all aspects of the company.  You will regularly interact with various stakeholders in these departments, understand needs, build reports, conduct data analysis, and make actionable recommendations. You will love solving open-ended problems by taking mountains of data, transforming it into meaningful analysis aimed at identifying solutions and opportunities.   

Motivation

• You want to help shape strategy for different products and teams by turning ambiguous questions into actionable answers.

• You enjoy the balance of both technical data-wrangling (writing queries, code) and engaging presentations (summarizing takeaways, visualizing data).

• You have a knack for synthesizing different aspects of the business (finance, advertising, engineering, content) to make the more relevant recommendations to various teams

• You find value in educating coworkers about different metrics, KPIs, and analytics tools

• You think about the full picture of data, from tracking requirements to efficient processing to digestible reporting.

• You can say you enjoy working on multiple projects at one time. 

• You are energized by working on complex problems and sharing your results with others.

• You find meaning in supporting teammates and leading through example

Responsibilities

• Engagement & Retention Analytics

  • Develop deep insights into customer behaviors, usage patterns, and retention drivers

  • Create segmentation models to identify high-value customers and at-risk cohorts

  • Analyze engagement metrics (e.g., DAU/MAU, session frequency) to assess feature adoption and content consumption

  • Monitor churn rates, identify trends, and recommend mitigation strategies

• Reporting & Visualization

  • Develop dashboards to track key engagement and retention KPIs, such as CLV, churn, and cohort retention rates

  • Present findings to stakeholders in a clear, actionable format

  • Ensure data quality, consistency, and accuracy across systems

• Collaboration & Leadership

  • Work closely with marketing, product, and customer success teams to align on retention goals

  • Analyze the effectiveness of personalized engagement campaigns and provide data-driven recommendations

  • Partner with product teams to design and evaluate the impact of retention initiatives

  • Mentor and guide junior analysts on best practices for data analysis and visualization

  • Serve as a key advisor to leadership on engagement and retention trends

• Tools & Technologies

  • Leverage tools like SQL, Python, R, Tableau, and other BI platforms

  • Work with marketing automation and CRM platforms for data integration and reporting

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s in data science, Statistics, Business Analytics, or related field

• 5+ years of experience in data analytics, with significant focus on engagement and retention in subscription businesses

• Expertise in subscription metrics (e.g., retention rate, churn rate, ARPU, CLV)

• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)

• Expertise in relational Database Systems, Advanced SQL and Microsoft Excel.  Experience with MySQL on cloud or AWS Redshift

• Excellent communication and storytelling skills with the ability to translate data into business strategies

• Collect and manage project ideas, charters, project priorities, and project benefit. Ability to multitask, prioritize projects, and meet deadlines

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise with enterprise Web Analytics systems (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Google Tag Manager)

• Experience with lifecycle marketing and CRM tools (e.g., Iterable, Braze, Salesforce)

• Experience with media/ publishing industry

When you join The Post

When you join TWP, you are joining a mission to connect, inform, and enlighten those around the globe with the highest caliber, most trustworthy news and information. Our multicultural, multi-generational workforce is constantly creating and innovating, leading the media and technology industries to better solutions. We welcome all perspectives and celebrate diverse backgrounds.

Whether you contribute to journalism, engineering, finance, or marketing, you are helping define the future of news.

We continue to shine a light into the darkness and hope you’ll join us.

Compensation and Benefits

Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:

• Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage

• Company-paid pension and 401(k) match

• Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave

• Nine paid holidays and two personal days

• 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent

• Robust mental health resources

• Backup care and caregiver concierge services

• Gender affirming services

• Pet insurance

• Free Post digital subscription

• Leadership and career development programs

Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.

The salary range for this position is:

98,800.00 - 164,600.00 USD Annual

The actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.

The Post strives to provide its readers with high-quality, trustworthy news and information while constantly innovating. That mission is best served by a diverse, multi-generational workforce with varied life experiences and perspectives. All cultures and backgrounds are welcomed. 

The innovation doesn’t end in the Newsroom – dozens of teams power The Washington Post.  We are now hiring the next innovator – how will you Impact Tomorrow?

#washpostlife