Your New Role…Content sits at the center of CNN’s long-term strategy as we redefine how we ideate, produce, deliver, and distribute impactful journalism across platforms.
The Content Operations Manager is a critical execution leader responsible for driving progress across multiple high-priority content initiatives. This role serves as a connective tissue across editorial, product, growth, and commercial teams—ensuring that complex, cross-functional efforts are delivered with rigor, speed, and operational excellence.
This individual will translate strategic direction set by senior leadership into clear plans, workflows, and outcomes—owning day-to-day execution while driving alignment, accountability, and progress across multiple concurrent workstreams.
Your Role Accountabilities…
Guiding Principles- Enterprise scope: Any content developed by or for CNN—agnostic of functional reporting lines, but with a specific focus on projects and content that will be multiplatform and require significant cross-functional execution;
- Streaming-led: Content for All Access subscribers, most notably streaming content, is the highest priority and requires new ways of working optimized for streaming while enabling all other endpoints (core digital, TV, social, YouTube, etc.) and preserving space for realizing additional ad-supported revenue;
- Mission aligned: Teams may coalesce around priority missions/projects aligned to the overarching strategy;
- Deep partnership: All work happens in close collaboration with partners
Program & Initiative Management- Act as end-to-end operational lead for multiple, simultaneous, high-priority content initiatives across platforms (streaming, digital, social, and TV) and a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Develop and maintain detailed project plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables across cross-functional stakeholders.
- Proactively manage dependencies, risks, and trade-offs to ensure initiatives stay on track and aligned to strategic goals.
- Drive clear decision-making frameworks and escalation paths to resolve blockers quickly.
- Ensure consistent communication and reporting on initiative status, outcomes, and KPIs.
Operational Execution & Workflow Optimization- Translate strategic priorities (e.g., sponsorship/growth initiatives, product launches, tentpole events, etc.) into repeatable operational workflows.
- Build and refine processes that enable efficient content production, delivery, and distribution across platforms.
- ·Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce friction, and improve speed.
- Support implementation and adoption of new operating models and ways of working.
Cross-Functional Coordination- Act as a key liaison across Content, Growth, Product, Commercial, Marketing, and Operations teams to ensure alignment and coordinated execution.
- Facilitate cross-functional working sessions, stand-ups, and reviews to maintain momentum and clarity.
- Partner closely with Product and Technology teams to ensure content needs are reflected in tools, systems, and platform capabilities.
Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement- Track and analyze initiative performance against defined success metrics (including internal health metrics).
- Support testing and experimentation frameworks by coordinating execution and capturing learnings.
- Develop reporting artifacts to inform stakeholders and drive data-informed decision-making.
- Apply insights to continuously refine workflows and improve outcomes.
Change Management & Adoption- Help drive adoption of new tools, processes, and operating models across teams.
- Partner with leadership to identify training needs and support onboarding efforts.
- Reinforce a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications & Experience…
Required Qualifications- 6–8+ years of experience in program management, content operations, or cross-functional project leadership, preferably in a media or digital organization.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, complex initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
- Strong program/project management skills, including planning, prioritization, risk management, and stakeholder coordination.
- Proven experience translating strategy into actionable plans and delivering measurable results.
- Exceptional organizational and communication skills, with the ability to influence across teams without direct authority.
- Experience working cross-functionally with editorial, product, technology, and commercial teams.
- Data-driven mindset with comfort using metrics to guide decisions and measure success.
- High attention to detail with strong execution discipline.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience supporting subscription (paid) and/or ad-supported content models.
- Familiarity with content production workflows and distribution ecosystems across platforms.
- Experience with workflow tools and program management systems (e.g., Airtable, Asana, Jira).
- Exposure to experimentation frameworks (A/B testing, pilots, MVP launches).
- Experience supporting or implementing process transformation or operating model changes.
Success in This Role Looks Like- Seamless execution of multiple high-impact initiatives with minimal oversight.
- Clear alignment across stakeholders, with reduced friction and faster decision-making.
- Measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, delivery timelines, and content performance.
- Strong partnership with the Senior Director, acting as a trusted execution lead and operator.
This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.
