About Us and Why We’re Hiring
We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software around. (But people in the know call us YNAB, which is pronounced “why-nab”). For more than a decade, people have been buying YNAB and then telling their friends what a difference it has made in their lives.
Google us, or read some of our
reviews on the app store, and you’ll see what we mean. We love building something that
literally changes people’s lives.
Teaching people how to get control of their money and changing lives one budget at a time is what gets us up in the morning. We want to grow our reach even further, and we’re looking for a versatile writer we can entrust with one of our most valuable assets: The YNAB Voice.
You are a natural storyteller—funny and creative—but you understand how to make your posts play well in the almighty Google algorithm. We know this because you artfully tucked in keywords and added seamless snippet language without us even noticing. #nailedit! Cheesy doesn’t scare you, because you can dad joke #likeaboss.
Not only are you swift and mighty with your pen, it comes in a red ink variety too. Your editing prowess would make your 9th-grade English teacher proud (this one’s for you, Mrs. Kraley!) and if you had to get a tattoo it would be an em dash—and definitely not a hyphen. The marketing team will quickly consider you a huge creative asset and wonder how they ever got on without you. Which gives you an idea for a blog post…
Without ever sacrificing quality, you can traipse through the maze of SEO, optimization, and conversion copy approaches with grace. You strike the balance (and sometimes a pose) with ease.
You can shift gears—blog posts, landing pages, email courses, ad campaigns, newsletters, video scripts, perhaps even a parody song or two—because regardless of the format, you can crack yourself up and nail the headline without breaking a sweat.
Requirements (these are real, actual requirements):
- Prolific writer with a sense of humor and experience thriving under daily deadline pressure.
- Did we mention a sense of humor? (Because if you haven’t already thought to yourself how hilarious this job posting reads, well,...)
- Unintimidated and energized at the prospect of writing 5-15 pieces of content per week (depending on variables like story type, length, complexity, weather, etc.).
- Rock-solid editing skills and the ability to differentiate between when to use less than vs. fewer, and must embrace the Oxford comma (yes, real requirement).
- Proven ability to produce high-quality content across genres (practical how-tos, researched deep dives, customer profiles, first-person narrative, pop psychology, etc.).
- Idea generating machine who considers the implications of SEO, trends, multiple audiences/platforms, larger goals with every piece of content, as naturally as breathing (and, OK, fine, yes—probably has a little flair for the dramatic).
- Excellent time management skills which make juggling—multiple projects, daily, weekly and monthly deadlines, and an always changing assortment of story types—look easy.
That’s a brief intro of what you’ll be working on. But first, you need to know if you’ll even like working with us. We think you will.
We’re profitable, bootstrapped, and growing. YNAB started in 2004 and we haven’t taken any outside funding—we’re in it for the long haul. We have one overarching requirement when it comes to joining our team: our
Core Value Manifesto has to really click with you. If you’re nodding emphatically while reading it, you’d probably really like it here, and we can’t wait to hear from you!
First, let’s talk about life at YNAB and then we’ll go into more detail about what we’re looking for.
Who you’d be working with:
Lindsey & The Gang aka the Marketing Team aka just a rag-tag but lovable bunch of underdogs who defy the odds—making budgeting software hilarious, emotional, and accessible—day in and day out. (Disney, are you listening?) We love musical theater, board games, stand-up comedy, the Enneagram, video games, and art, to varying degrees, depending on who you talk to first. Our internal Slack channel is so much fun, it has a growing fanbase.
Lindsey, our Chief Marketing Officer, will be the first to delete something very important, but also the first to celebrate your wins—big and small. Ryan, our Digital Marketing Director, will quickly become your lifeline in any type of bracketology-related emergency and even under website-launch-level-stress, he can sneak in the jokes that make you feel like, “if Dad’s OK, we’ll all be OK.” There’s Reema, our Marketing Production Manager, who keeps all the balls in the air, while wearing many different hats, basically, if there is a need, yo, she’ll solve it (and yes, that was a seamless incorporation of Vanilla Ice lyrics).
Rachel, our Content Lead and writer-of-all-of-the-things spells prolific with a capital P...no she doesn’t...unless it’s at the start of a sentence. She’s what those in the sports world (don’t worry, there’s only one person in all of YNAB who even pays attention to sports) call a “generational talent.” It’s like how Lebron James can shoot, rebound, block and take over a game, but her game is written content and she DOES. IT. ALL. Also, you can tell she didn’t write this because it’s both not concise and it rambles a ton...which is where you come in. Help her, please!
Plus, our brilliant creatives, Lauren and Marian (designers), Tristan (animation), Sarah (social), and our video folks (Hannah, Ashley, and Ben M.) who bring everything to life. They are a veritable idea machine who serve to make us look good on a daily basis. What more could a writer ask for?
How You’ll Work at YNAB
We work really hard to make working at YNAB an amazing experience (we’ve even been named
Fortune’s #1 Best Small Company to Work For) and have a team full of truly exceptional people—the kind you’ll be excited to work with. Here’s how we operate:
Live Where You Want
We’re a distributed team, so you can live and work wherever you want. Proximity doesn’t influence productivity. Taylor, our CTO, was traveling who-knows-where for a couple of years before he bought a farm. Up and move to France for a year? Sure, Todd did that. Don’t like France? How about surfing in Hawaii, where Rachel trotted off to for a month. Tulsa Remote? Can do. Or if you just love LA or Baltimore or Buenos Aires, we’ve got people there, too. Not all of us move around, but the fact that these folks have is totally okay because we’re all adults. Just make sure you have a reliable internet connection.
No Crazy Hours
We rarely work more than 40 hours per week. There have been a few occasions where things got a little crazy and people had to log some extra hours. But then they took some extra time off, so it all balances out. We work hard and smart but we’re in this for the long haul, no need to go crazy on the hours.
Take Vacation (Seriously)
We want you to take vacation. In fact, we have a minimum vacation policy of three weeks per year. Five weeks feels about right (plus two extra weeks for Holiday break). It’s important to get out and do something. We’ll look forward to seeing pictures of your vacation in our #office_wall Slack channel.
The YNAB Retreat
When the pandemic isn’t keeping us from traveling, we get the teams together once a year to catch up on spreadsheets and powerpoints in a Best Western conference room. Just kidding. So far, we’ve done
Costa Rica, a
gigantic cabin in the mountains, a beach house in the Outer Banks, a ranch in Montana, and most recently,
Laguna Beach. We work together, play together, and reinforce the bonds we’ve made as a team and company. Every year, we leave refreshed, motivated, and excited for the year ahead together.
Up Your Game
We’re serious about helping you improve your craft. We budget for it (hey-o!). Think conferences, online courses and subscriptions, dedicated time away from work to learn something new… it’s really up to you and your manager. But we love to see our people growing.
International is Absolutely Okay
If you are Stateside, we’ll set you up as a W2 employee. If you’re international, you’ll be set up as a contractor. (Employee or contractor, it’s all the same to us. You’re part of the team!)
Benefits
For our U.S. employees, we offer fantastic health, dental, and vision insurance, where we cover 100% of the premium for you and your family. (No need to check your vision, you read that right, 100%. Although if you did need to check your vision, we’ve got you covered!)
We also have a Traditional and Roth 401k option. YNAB matches your contributions, up to six percent of your paycheck. Matches vest immediately. (Are you a personal finance junkie like our founder Jesse? He set up YNAB’s 401k to have the lowest fee structure possible, where all plan costs are paid by YNAB, not your retirement nest egg. The investment funds available are fantastic, passively-managed, ultra low-cost index funds. You’re not a PF junkie? Trust us, it’s awesome.)
Other Tidbits
- Once you start, we DEMAND (in a friendly, ALL CAPS IS YELLING way) that you fill out your “Bucket List” spreadsheet with 50 items. (That’s harder than it sounds!)
- The bucket list really helps in deciding what we should give you for your birthday and the holidays.
- We have a bonus plan based on profitability. You’ll be in on that from day one. YNAB wins, you win. That kind of thing.
- We’re all adults. There’s no need to punch a clock, or ask for permission to take off early one afternoon to go see the doctor. We look at what you accomplish, not how long you sit (have you tried standing?) in front of a computer.
- We want you firing on all cylinders so we’ll set you up with a shiny new computer and replace it every three years.
- Did I mention we make a huge, positive difference in people’s lives? You may not think that matters much, but then a few months down the road you’ll realize it’s made your job really, really enjoyable. Don’t underestimate this one!
If this sounds like your ideal environment, read on because now I want to talk about you. You will play a big, big part in helping YNAB customers achieve success. You will change lives. I’ll only say that six more times.
Now, back to you, our new Marketing Content Writer...
Before ‘content marketing’ and ‘social media’ were buzzwords, YNAB’s marketing efforts were anchored in content and community. And we’re doubling down.
Considering the size of our current team, we pump out a remarkable amount of content, but we are looking for a sharp, creative, curious storyteller to help us take it to the next level.
You are marketing-minded and love nothing more than nailing a message with the kind of laser focus that pierces the hearts of your target audience. Sure, you can (and do!) pull direction from the data, but you excel at all-the-feelings that make storytelling such a powerful tool.
You have a solid understanding of content marketing, social media marketing, and lead generation. Of course, you are an excellent writer and editor, but even more than that you understand that it is the right content, for the right audience, in the right context, that converts.
You are our ideal candidate if you:
- Have at least 3-5 years of professional writing experience with a portfolio that showcases hitting daily or near-daily publication deadlines.
- Can nail the YNAB voice, but also have a distinct voice all your own.
- Excel at juggling multiple projects and timelines at any given moment, and switching gears keeps you fresh and stimulated.
- Can write or edit engaging blog content of all shapes and sizes (first person narrative, educational, inspirational, practical/how-to).
- Write emails that get opened, ads that are clicked on, and landing pages that convert.
- Write snappy ad copy, educational scripts, and who knows, maybe even an e-book or a 6-week course for a niche audience. We’re full of surprises—can you write them?
- Establish strategies and processes for optimizing and repurposing/republishing content to improve SEO and increase sign-ups.
- The possibilities are endless, but we want someone who is pumped to help craft the strategy and then write the thing. (All the things!)
- Make us laugh.
- Manage your time exceptionally well and are comfortable working remotely.
- Are incredibly organized, flexible, and collaborative.
- Never met a deadline you didn’t love.
- Are self-motivated and driven by nature, maybe even a little competitive.
- Stay laser-focused on the big picture, without losing sight of every. last. detail.
- Are wildly productive and independent, but a team player at heart.
Bonus points if:
- You already use and love YNAB (litmus test: what does WAM stand for and what does it mean?)
YNAB is an equal opportunity employer. We believe diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences to be critical to our success and are passionate about creating a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment for all employees. All are encouraged to apply as we continue to grow a smart, hard-working, and diverse team who love working together to build something that matters.
How to Apply:
-
Apply here by 11:59PM PST on Sunday, February 28th, 2021. Firm. It’s a real deadline. The kind you love.
- Write a cover letter (attach it as a PDF) selling us on why you are a perfect fit.
- On the second page of your cover letter, pitch us a couple ideas for content you’d love to write as soon as you hit the ground.
- Attach a PDF resume and several writing samples (again, PDFs), or a link to a portfolio.
- Please send all attachments as PDFs. (I know, I know, we’ve said it four times now. But it really does make our lives so much easier.)
P.S. If you’re not interested in or available for this position, but know someone who is, we would really appreciate it if you passed this along!