Lead, Retention - Talent Pool

Darkroom•New York, NY

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Lead, Retention combines strategic account ownership, hands-on CRM expertise, and team leadership to help direct-to-consumer brands grow customer lifetime value. The role owns retention strategy and client relationships across a portfolio of e-commerce accounts, translating business goals and customer insights into email, SMS, subscription, and loyalty programs that drive measurable revenue and repeat purchase. Working with the Director of Retention and partnering closely with Performance Marketing, Creative, and Strategy teams, the Lead guides the roadmap from customer acquisition through first purchase, repeat purchase, subscription retention, and win-back. The position is intended for an experienced strategist and operator who can lead senior client conversations, connect lifecycle performance to commercial outcomes, and guide specialists through complex execution while remaining hands-on. This is a talent pool for future US-based opportunities; Darkroom is not actively hiring for this position at this time.

Requirements

Strong track record developing and scaling retention programs for DTC or e-commerce brands, with meaningful ownership of client relationships and performance outcomes.
Ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution, build roadmaps, guide teams, and solve complex platform problems.
Deep experience with Klaviyo or a comparable email service provider, including segmentation, event-triggered journeys, lifecycle automation, and personalization.
Working knowledge of Shopify and its ecosystem.
Experience developing SMS programs, including audience segmentation, cadence, and compliance considerations, using platforms such as Attentive, Postscript, or Klaviyo.
Experience developing loyalty or rewards strategies to improve repeat purchase and lifetime value; understanding of how email and SMS support subscription sign-ups, retention, cancellation prevention, and win-back.
Fluency in retention measurement, including cohort analysis, repeat purchase rate, customer lifetime value, and LTV:CAC, and ability to connect channel results to revenue and recommend next steps.
Comfort setting commercial targets and building forecasts and reporting to track progress.
Demonstrated leadership through direct management or strong cross-functional team leadership, including coaching, workload prioritization, and raising delivery quality.
Ability to manage multiple accounts and workstreams in a fast-paced environment while maintaining strategic priorities and execution details.
Clear communication with clients and colleagues at every level, including translating complex data and technical concepts into focused recommendations.
Curiosity about emerging tools, customer behavior, and best practices in DTC and lifecycle marketing.

Responsibilities

Own retention strategy, client relationships, and performance roadmaps for a portfolio of DTC accounts, acting as a senior strategic partner.
Translate client objectives into KPI frameworks, retention revenue forecasts, and prioritized plans; explain performance, identify gaps, and recommend improvements.
Build lifecycle strategies covering lead capture, welcome and first-purchase journeys, post-purchase engagement, repeat purchase, subscription activation and retention, loyalty, and win-back.
Develop email and SMS campaign calendars, segmentation plans, automation roadmaps, and testing priorities based on customer behavior and business goals.
Lead client conversations, present results and recommendations, manage expectations, and provide strategic guidance on complex decisions.
Coordinate specialists and designers, delegate work, and review briefs, creative, segmentation, and campaign builds for quality.
Build or troubleshoot automation logic, lead-capture forms, and app integrations when needed, and ensure campaigns and flows are quality-assured before launch.
Use cohort analysis, repeat-purchase behavior, subscription performance, and lifetime value insights to identify practical growth opportunities.
Mentor team members in retention strategy, analysis, execution, and quality control.
Partner with Performance Marketing, Creative, and Strategy teams to align acquisition investment, messaging, and lifecycle programming.
Identify opportunities to deepen client programs through personalization, loyalty, subscription journeys, and stronger cross-channel coordination.