Customer Data & Mktg Tech Mgr

UNITED METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE•Nashville, TN

28d•Onsite

About The Position

The Customer Data & Marketing Technology Manager is responsible for leading customer data platform management and marketing technology enablement within the IT department. The current platform is Salesforce, encompassing Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, CRM, and Tableau. This role functions as a bridge between IT and business stakeholders, translating customer data strategy into technical implementation. The incumbent focuses on making data usable and actionable for the company: unified customer profiles, audience segmentation, data quality governance, and Marketing Cloud readiness. This role is the primary IT point of intake for technical requests from marketing and business stakeholders related to the customer data ecosystem—receiving requests, evaluating them, scoping solutions, coordinating with IT development or outside vendors, and ensuring successful implementation. The skills this role requires—data strategy, platform management, cross-functional partnership, and the ability to translate business needs into technical execution—are enduring, even as specific tools evolve over time. This position is one component of a two-person IT support model for the customer data and marketing technology ecosystem. The Retail Systems Manager focuses on CRM administration, user provisioning and permissions across the Salesforce suite, monitoring data delivery from enterprise systems into Salesforce, and day-to-day user support. This new role picks up where the operational work hands off: managing the Data Cloud environment, handling data integrations within and across the Salesforce platforms, preparing data for Marketing Cloud and business use, serving as a strategic partner to marketing and business stakeholders, and driving forward-looking platform optimization. Together, these two roles cover the full lifecycle from data ingestion through business activation. The business owns the outcomes of the platform; this role owns the mechanics that make those outcomes possible. IT is successful when the business is successful. The Customer Data & Marketing Technology Manager participates in both IT and marketing team meetings and planning processes, maintaining a clear understanding of where both teams are headed and what is needed from each side.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience
At least five (5) years of experience in customer data platform management, marketing technology administration, or Salesforce platform management, with at least one (1) year involving multi-product environments (CRM + one or more of: Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Tableau, or comparable platforms) or demonstrated ability to ramp quickly through certification and related experience
Demonstrated experience with customer data platforms, unified customer data environments, or data management at scale (100K+ records)
Experience collaborating with marketing or business teams on data-driven initiatives, translating business needs into platform configuration
Salesforce Certified Data Cloud Consultant (within 6 to 12 months of hire)
Salesforce Certified Administrator (within 6 to 12 months of hire)
Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Administrator or Marketing Cloud Developer or Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Email Specialist (within 12 months of hire)
Customer data platform management – data model configuration, identity resolution, audience segmentation, and calculated insights
Marketing technology administration – data extensions, automations, API connections, Journey Builder technical configuration
CRM architecture – strong working knowledge of CRM data model, data flows, and configuration sufficient to provide oversight and architectural guidance (primary CRM administration handled by Retail Systems Manager)
Data visualization and analytics platform administration – server/cloud administration, data source management, and basic dashboard development
Data governance – deduplication strategies, data quality monitoring and automation, consent management, and governance framework implementation across multi-platform environments
Familiarity with integration technologies (REST/SOAP APIs, SFTP, S3/cloud storage connectors) sufficient to evaluate, scope, and coordinate integration projects and troubleshoot data flow issues
Bridge-Building Mindset – ability to operate effectively at the intersection of IT and business, translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and business needs for technical teams
Proactive Problem-Solving – identifying issues before they become business-impacting, monitors system health, and brings solutions rather than waiting for tickets
Data-First Thinking – understanding that clean, connected, and actionable customer data is a strategic asset and treating data quality as a continuous discipline, not a one-time project
Systems Thinking – seeing the customer data lifecycle as a connected whole—from point of collection through commerce, fulfillment, and marketing activation—and understanding how decisions in one part of the ecosystem affect outcomes in another
Collaborative Ownership – taking full accountability for the technical mechanics of the customer data platform while recognizing that the business owns the outcomes; success depends on partnership with the Retail Systems Manager, IT development staff, marketing, e-commerce, and content teams
Continuous Learning – staying current with the rapidly evolving platform landscape and bringing relevant innovations to the organization’s attention; the tools will change; the discipline of managing customer data well will not
Clear Communication – producing documentation, status reports, and recommendations that are concise, well-structured, and audience-appropriate

Nice To Haves

Experience with unified customer identity or single sign-on implementations across multiple web properties
Experience with AI-driven platform features, predictive analytics, or marketing automation AI capabilities
Experience in publishing, media, religious/nonprofit, or subscription-based business environments
Familiarity with e-commerce platforms, particularly NOP Commerce or similar .NET-based commerce systems
Experience with ERP integrations or enterprise financial systems
Tableau Desktop Specialist or Tableau Certified Data Analyst certification

Responsibilities

Owns the design, configuration, and ongoing management of the Data Cloud data model, including data streams, data lake objects, data model objects, identity resolution rulesets, and calculated insights.
Works alongside marketing power users who are actively building in Data Cloud—supporting their work, auditing configurations, teaching platform capabilities, and ensuring technical consistency across the environment.
Manages customer identity resolution across brands, ensuring accurate unification of the 600K+ contact database while respecting brand-specific data boundaries.
Builds and maintains real-time and batch audience segmentation in collaboration with the marketing team.
Monitors Data Cloud health (identity resolution accuracy, segment population, calculated insight performance, and downstream data quality).
Handles data integrations within and across the Salesforce platforms, maintaining clear ownership at the handoff point.
Ensures data leaving Data Cloud for Marketing Cloud activation is complete, accurate, and structured for campaign execution.
Leads cross-brand customer identity initiatives, including unified customer login across Cokesbury, Amplify Media (Katapy), Ministry Matters (Tizra), and satellite properties, ensuring the customer data architecture supports recognition and tracking across all platforms.
Consults on business data collection plans—such as tagging matrices, audience expansion strategies, and new data point identification—to ensure the platform is configured and ready to receive, store, and activate the data being collected.
Establishes and maintains data quality governance across the entire customer data ecosystem—CRM, Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and customer-facing platforms.
Builds and monitors automated data quality processes, manages exception workflows, and champions data quality standards across IT.
Evaluates and recommends third-party tools and plug-ins that support data quality, data collection, and data flow objectives (e.g., Data Groomr, FormTitan, and similar applications), advising on selection, configuration, and fit within the broader data governance framework.
Provides oversight of CRM data flows to ensure that data entering, moving through, and leaving CRM is consistent with governance standards and does not create unintended downstream effects in Data Cloud or Marketing Cloud.
Administers Marketing Cloud technical infrastructure (data extensions, automation schedules, API/SFTP connections, send classification, and deliverability monitoring).
Collaborates with the marketing team to ensure data flowing into Marketing Cloud is actionable for campaign execution, audience journeys, and personalization.
Supports Salesforce release management in coordination with the Retail Systems Manager—reviews release notes for Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud impacts, coordinates testing, and communicates changes.
Provides architecture guidance on CRM configuration decisions that affect downstream data quality or Data Cloud/Marketing Cloud functionality.
Manages sandbox environments and change management processes for Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud configuration.
Serves as the primary IT point of intake for technical requests from marketing and business stakeholders related to the customer data and marketing technology ecosystem.
Receives requests, evaluates feasibility, scopes solutions, and coordinates implementation with IT development staff or outside vendors.
Owns the lifecycle from evaluation through implementation for new data points, connectors, or integrations identified by the business.
Maps and documents the end-to-end customer data lifecycle across the enterprise—from point of collection through commerce, fulfillment, and marketing systems—identifying gaps, disconnections, and opportunities to improve data completeness and flow.
Serves as the primary IT point of contact for customer data and marketing technology needs, working closely with marketing, e-commerce, content, and executive stakeholders.
Participates in marketing team meetings and planning processes to understand business direction, upcoming campaigns, data collection initiatives, and audience strategy.
Translates business requirements into technical specifications, evaluating whether needs can be met through platform configuration, third-party tools, or custom development.
Develops and maintains documentation for Data Cloud processes, data flows, Marketing Cloud technical configurations, integration architecture, and governance standards.
Provides training and support to business users, enabling self-service capabilities where appropriate, particularly in Tableau reporting, Marketing Cloud segmentation, and Data Cloud calculated insights.
Provides routine operational updates to relevant teams regarding platform health, data quality trends, and strategic initiative progress.
Evaluates and recommends emerging platform capabilities, including Salesforce Einstein AI, Agentforce, and new Data Cloud features, assessing applicability to UM Publishing’s business objectives.
Establishes and maintains architectural standards and best practices that guide configuration and development decisions across the customer data ecosystem, ensuring consistency between CRM, Data Cloud, and Marketing Cloud environments.
Ensures architecture decisions are flexible and scalable for future growth, including potential expansion of brands, channels, or data sources.
Stays current on the Salesforce product roadmap, industry trends in customer data platforms and marketing technology, and publishing industry technology developments.
Brings proactive recommendations to IT leadership and business stakeholders, identifying opportunities to leverage the customer data platform for competitive advantage.
Administers Tableau server/cloud environment (data source governance, user provisioning, security, and performance optimization).
Leverage AI tools strategically to streamline workflows, generate actionable insights, and deliver exceptional outcomes that advance our mission.
Apply professional judgment and critical thinking when reviewing, refining, and validating all AI-generated content and recommendations to ensure accuracy and alignment with our standards.
Maintain curiosity and adaptability toward emerging AI technologies, actively contributing to innovative practices within your area of expertise while supporting organizational growth.
Uphold UMPH’s commitment to ethical, transparent, and secure AI usage, ensuring all applications align with our mission, values, and community standards.