Culture Partnerships Manager

Substack is building a new economic engine for culture — one that gives writers, thinkers, and creators true ownership of their work, their audience, and their livelihoods. Through direct subscriptions, Substack has enabled a flourishing ecosystem of independent publishing and has become home to many of the most important voices shaping contemporary culture.

We’re looking for a Culture Partnerships Manager to help grow and shape Substack’s Culture vertical. This is a high-impact, high-trust role working closely with the Head of Culture Partnerships to support some of Substack’s most significant publishers, recruit new cultural voices to the platform, and help think through the long-term strategy for scaling culture on Substack.

This role combines relationship management, talent recruitment, and strategic thinking. The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, culturally literate, and energized by working at the intersection of ideas, creators, and platform growth.

What You’ll Do:

• Publisher Relationship Management
Act as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of high-performing Culture publishers, supporting their growth through best practices, thoughtful guidance, and ongoing partnership.

• Talent Recruitment & Outreach
Identify, engage, and recruit leading voices across culture — including writers, academics, public intellectuals, acclaimed authors, and cultural figures — and guide them through launching and growing on Substack.

• Strategic Partnership Development
Work closely with the Head of Culture Partnerships as a thought partner in developing and refining strategy for scaling the Culture vertical, including identifying new opportunities, programs, and partnerships.

• Cross-functional Collaboration
Partner with internal teams (Comms, Product, Business Ops, Leadership) to support launches, initiatives, and broader platform goals.

• Market & Cultural Insight
Stay deeply engaged with the evolving cultural, media, and intellectual landscape, helping Substack anticipate where meaningful conversations and communities are forming next.

What We’re Looking For:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with strong judgment and emotional intelligence.

• Deep curiosity about culture, ideas, and independent publishing.

• Comfort working directly with high-profile, high-expectation creators.

• Ability to think strategically while also executing reliably day-to-day.

• Strong relationship-building skills and a high degree of personal integrity.

• Experience in media, publishing, academia, talent management, or adjacent fields (formal titles matter less than credibility and judgment).

• Self-directed, adaptable, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities.

Why This Role Matters

Culture is a core pillar of Substack’s mission. This role will directly influence which voices join the platform, how our most important publishers grow, and how Substack supports serious, independent thinking at scale.

Substack offers a competitive compensation package that includes salary, equity, and exceptional benefits. The salary range for this role is $140,000 – $155,000, with final offers based on experience and expertise.

Substack is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status), age, national origin, veteran or disability status. We’re seeking people passionate about enabling independent expression and building a better business model for creators. If you want to see what media, communities, and content can become when unmoored from advertising models, and you have the skills and experience to contribute, we’d love to meet you.

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