SEO & Discover Editor - Mirror (Maternity Cover)

Company Description

We are looking for an experienced content or SEO editor to join our Mirror news team, to spearhead our Google Discover strategy as our new Discover Editor. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced journalist, editor and Discover expert to play a key role in maximising our performance and visibility on the platform through data-led decision-making. 

You will manage the Mirror’s Discover opportunities and planning, both reactively and proactively. You will actively participate in editorial content direction and planning, keeping our editors and journalists updated on industry developments and ensuring we are prepared for significant opportunities to boost page views.

We’re looking for fresh ideas and new perspectives from people from a wide range of backgrounds, and we want you to tell us the stories you believe are important from our many communities so we can continue to diversify our content.

So, who are we?

We are Reach Plc, you might not have heard of us but we have probably met without you even realising it. We are home to the UK and Ireland’s most iconic digital platforms, magazines and newspapers. From the Mirror, Daily Express and OK!, to our regional titles such as the Liverpool Echo, BirminghamLive and the Manchester Evening News (plus lots more), our brands and the stories we cover are as varied as our people. We help all kinds of people share experiences through our stories because we believe this is what makes us human.

Oh, and we should probably also mention that with a monthly readership of 47 million people, Reach is the largest commercial publisher in the UK. At Reach, not only will you feel better understood, you will also feel you understand other people better too. 

This is a maternity cover, fixed term contract role, initially for 12 months, starting from July 2025.

This role is home and hub based, linked to our London Hub (hub based at least 3 days per week). We are therefore open to candidates based in and around London.

Job Description

What will the role involve?

You will work across the Mirror content teams to grow page views from both Discover and Search, helping to instil a culture of SEO and Discover best practice at every level. You will be accountable for driving audience growth through content commissioning, real-time support, strategic planning, and hands-on newsroom training.

You will attend and play a key role in conferences, meetings, and newsroom planning to influence content direction from a Discover perspective, advising on Google Discover trends and playing a crucial role in content planning. You will build Discover editorial calendars, communicate key upcoming events to editors, and manage forward planning efforts to establish authority on core topics while taking advantage of seasonal opportunities. 

You will manage the day-to-day implementation of our Discover strategy in the newsroom, providing real-time feedback on articles to improve visibility on Discover. You will spearhead the writing of optimised articles strategically commissioned to target Google Discover and work with editorial senior managers to embed the Discover strategy into audience development plans.

You will create daily reports using analytical tools to make key content choices, identify training needs, and deliver the latest best practice advice to teams. This role will involve weekend and evening shifts on a rotational basis, so a flexible approach is required

Qualifications

Who are we looking for?

You are a Google Discover expert, possessing a strong working knowledge of various Google news and content distribution platforms. You are an NCTJ (or equivalent) qualified journalist and content/SEO editor, with a proven track record of thriving in an editor-level position within a fast-paced national newsroom environment. 

You have an excellent news sense, consistently staying on top of the news cycle, enabling you to effectively communicate trending topics to newsroom managers and editors. You have extensive digital publishing and SEO skills. Additionally, you are a supportive and encouraging people manager, dedicated to instilling best Discover practices within your team and beyond.

Additional Information

What can we offer you?

We are offering a competitive salary and benefits including;

• Help saving for your retirement - join our pension scheme and well match contributions up to 6%
• 33 days’ holiday per year (including bank holidays) - After three, five and ten years service with Reach, youll accrue one additional day of annual leave. We also have a Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Giving back day - an additional days leave each year to support a cause close to your heart
• Enhanced family leave - including maternity, paternity and adoption - and youll be eligible after just six months employment
• Private Healthcare Cash Plan - free health cash plan so you can claim back cash for a range of medical expenses
• As one of the UKs top 50 Inclusive Employers everyones invited to join our events, programmes and networks to celebrate diversity and build an environment where all our people can thrive
• Wellbeing support - including a 24/7 employee assistance programme (EAP) for you and your nearest and dearest
• Awesome career opportunities - youll have support from your line manager and a range of learning & development programmes

Reach plc believes diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why we are committed to being an inclusive employer and encourage applications from all suitable applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.