Product Director, Cooking

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries.

It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

Responsibilities

: The Product Director for Cooking will lead the strategic direction and execution of our engagement portfolio – the product experiences, AI-powered features, and app platforms that keep cooks coming back to NYT Cooking. This includes AI features, on-platform search, our iOS and Android apps, community, personalization, meal planning, hardware integrations and partnerships, and the tooling and infrastructure behind them. You will drive engagement, retention, and reduced churn while balancing key outcomes such as ad impressions and subscriber revenue.

You will report to the VP of Product for Cooking, manage a small team of product managers, and directly own key initiatives, working with editors, engineers, designers, and other product leaders. NYT Cooking is a premium recipe subscription product that helps home cooks discover and cook the world's best recipes through trusted recipes, advice, and inspiration across web, iOS, and Android. Our interdisciplinary team partners with editors, designers, engineers, and data experts to build delightful, reliable experiences that keep cooks coming back.

This is a hybrid role based in New York City, NY.

: Define and drive a strategy and roadmap for the Cooking engagement portfolio, spanning AI-powered features, search and discovery, personalization, apps, and hardware integrations. Own KPIs for engagement, retention, churn, and ad revenue, making principled tradeoffs and adjusting strategy based on results. Lead the vision and delivery of AI-powered features at scale, optimizing for quality, performance, cost, transparency, privacy, and safety, and enabling teammates to build effectively and responsibly with AI.

Oversee our apps and related experiences ensuring fast, reliable, and cohesive experiences across devices. Maintain a strong product development practice – clear goals, roadmaps, operating rhythms, and processes for discovery, experimentation, and delivery – in partnership with other Cooking leaders Manage product managers, promoting a high-performance, inclusive culture, while also directly owning a subset of strategic projects. Build strong relationships with editorial partners in Cooking and across the newsroom to build category-defining products.

Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Qualifications

: 7+ years of product management experience, including managing product managers and owning product strategy and roadmap. Experience developing a clear, long-term strategy for engagement, apps, and AI-powered experiences that aligns with business and mission goals. Experience leading and developing product managers and guiding complex, cross-functional work with senior stakeholders.

Experience with app-first product development across iOS, Android, and related mobile platforms, including iterative shipping in a live product environment. Knowledge of AI-powered products and app development, including how to design, ship, and operate AI features at scale with attention to quality, performance, cost, transparency, privacy, and safety. Comfort using data, experimentation, and metrics to inform prioritization, measure impact, and refine strategy.

Preferred Qualifications

: Experience working with editors, journalists, or content creators, and an appreciation for how editorial exp