The Senior Manager, Retention is responsible for end-to-end strategy and execution of email, SMS, and loyalty programs, with a clear mandate to maximize customer lifetime value, repeat purchase rate, and long-term brand affinity.
Sitting at the intersection of marketing, ecommerce, and data, this leader will drive a best-in-class retention program that deepens customer relationships, increases engagement, and fuels profitable growth.
Primary Functional Responsibilities
Retention Strategy & CLTV Growth
- Define and execute a comprehensive retention strategy focused on increasing CLTV, purchase frequency, and customer engagement
- Own key retention KPIs including repeat rate, churn reduction, AOV, and cohort performance
- Develop customer segmentation strategies to personalize lifecycle journeys across channels
- Identify and scale high-impact opportunities across onboarding, cross-sell, and winback
Email & SMS Marketing
- Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of email and SMS programs across all lifecycle stages
- Oversee campaign calendar, automation flows, and triggered messaging (welcome, post-purchase, replenishment, winback, etc.)
- Continuously optimize channel performance through testing (creative, cadence, offers, segmentation)
- Partner with creative and content teams to deliver compelling, on-brand messaging
Loyalty & Customer Engagement
- Own and evolve the loyalty program strategy, including program structure, benefits, and member experience
- Identify opportunities to drive enrollment, engagement, and incremental revenue from loyalty members
- Integrate loyalty into broader lifecycle marketing to create a seamless, high-value customer journey
Data, Analytics & Testing
- Leverage data to inform strategy, including cohort analysis, LTV modeling, and customer behavior insights
- Establish a robust testing roadmap across channels to continuously improve performance
- Partner with analytics teams to build dashboards and reporting that track retention health and ROI
- Translate insights into actionable strategies that drive measurable business impact
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Ecommerce, Acquisition, Digital Experience, and Brand Marketing teams to align on customer journey and growth priorities
- Collaborate with IT to ensure best-in-class martech stack and execution
- Align retention efforts with broader promotional, merchandising, and product strategies
Team Leadership
- Manage and develop a high-performing retention team
- Foster a culture of ownership, experimentation, and continuous improvement
- Provide clear direction, prioritization, and coaching to drive team effectiveness
Required Experience & Skills
- 6-8 years of experience in CRM, retention, or lifecycle marketing, preferably in DTC or ecommerce
- Proven track record of driving CLTV growth and retention performance at scale
- Deep expertise in email and SMS platforms (Klaviyo, Attentive a plus)
- Experience owning or contributing to loyalty program strategy and execution
- Strong analytical mindset with experience in cohort analysis, segmentation, and testing frameworks
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution
- Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills
- Experience managing and developing teams
