About the Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times is the hardest-working paper in America, covering the stories and issues that matter most to Chicagoans with depth, integrity, and grit. The newsroom has earned eight Pulitzer Prizes for its hard-hitting investigative reporting, in-depth political coverage, insightful sports analysis, entertainment reviews, and cultural commentary. An industry-leading innovator in local news, it has been recognized nationally for expanding digital and multimedia reporting platforms alongside its indomitable daily newspaper, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.

In January 2022, the Sun-Times merged with public radio station WBEZ with a shared mission to strengthen local journalism in Chicago. Under the banner of Chicago Public Media, Chicago Sun-Times Media, Inc. (CSTM) is now part of one of the largest nonprofit news organizations in the nation. This merger reinforces our commitment to serving Chicagoans with the news that matters most -– fact-based, unbiased journalism that is deeply connected to Chicago communities.

Opportunity

The Consumer Satisfaction & Retention Specialist is responsible for developing retention marketing strategies that sustain and grow Sun-Times home delivery total subscriber accounts, customer loyalty and revenue. Primary objective is to ensure customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ongoing engagement to minimize customer churn and attrition.

 

Responsibilities

  • Responsible for developing and implementing strategies targeting existing print subscribers and ensuring they are continuously renewing their subscription.
  • Responsible for developing and implementing corrective measures for customer satisfaction, utilizing feedback to improve services to strengthen our total subscriber base.
  • Responsible for overseeing the Sun-Times print subscriber onboarding programs and initiatives to drive retention, and enhance the overall subscriber experience.
  • Responsible for developing and implementing a print subscriber loyalty program.
  • Enhancing the customer experience. Benchmark and track trends in savings, retention and prevention. Coming up with fresh ideas for improvement. 
  • Partnering with the Marketing team on local events that have the potential to target Sun-Times readers.
  • Responsible for developing and implementing subscriber surveys and questionnaires to learn more about the experience of customers and understand their needs and wants by working with the Marketing division.
  • Responsible for tracking customer satisfaction and retention program performance.
  • Responsible for developing and coordinating retention promotions.
  • Increase revenue through up-selling initiatives and providing other product services to existing subscribers.
  • Responsible for controlling customer reverts working with the call center and retention vendor. 
  • Examine and leverage consumer data to identify areas that require improvement and formulate a long-term strategic goal. Identify market trends and monitor competitor actions.
  • Communicating campaign deliverables, objectives and timelines to the customer service team. 
  • Ensuring all programs are in compliance with the Alliance for Audited Media rules and regulations.
  • Collaborating and communicating effectively with all stakeholders and teams across the organization.
  • Working on special projects, initiatives, promotions and other programs as needed at the direction of the Sales & Marketing Director or Vice President.

 

Qualifications

  • Local resident - position will be required to visit potential business partners and retail outlets. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
  • Prior sales, consumer retention and customer service experience 
  • Proficient in analyzing customer data to identify trends, preferences and potential areas for improvement in a retention strategy
  • Prior newspaper or print subscription experience a plus
  • Capacity to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales and product development to align strategies for overall customer satisfaction
  • Ability to prepare and deliver presentations to potential business partners
  • Efficient organization and prioritization of tasks to meet deadlines and manage multiple projects
  • Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
  • Detail-oriented with sales and marketing analytical skills. 
  • Computer literate using Microsoft office, Google docs, sheets and Gmail
  • Reliable transportation, valid Chicago driver’s license and proof of insurance

 

 

What We Offer
  • A competitive salary and benefits package which includes medical, dental, vision, vacation, holidays, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement savings, and a commuter benefits plan
  • Opportunity to work within a collaborative team culture
  • A flexible work schedule
Opportunity to be part of an iconic brand and help build the future of local news!  
 
The information contained in this job description is not intended to create any contractual or other legal commitment. CSTM may change the content or format of this job at any time at its sole and exclusive discretion without notice. This role does not offer sponsorship employment benefits.
 
COVID-19 Requirement: CST requires all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination hire.
 
CSTM does not discriminate in its employment decisions based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, citizenship or national origin, veteran status, or on any other basis, which would violate any applicable federal, state, or local law. 
 
CSTM is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

 

Apply for this Job

* Required
resume chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
cover_letter chosen  
Dropbox Google Drive
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review
+ Add another education

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Chicago Sun-Times’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Enter the verification code sent to to confirm you are not a robot, then submit your application.

This application was flagged as potential bot traffic. To resubmit your application, turn off any VPNs, clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try another browser. If you still can't submit it, contact our support team through the help center.