Senior Lifecycle & Retention Strategist

Common Thread Collective•Remote California, CA

About The Position

Direct-to-consumer marketing success requires mastery of owned channels. We believe that email and SMS marketing are cornerstone channels for sustainable growth. As a Senior Lifecycle & Retention Marketing Strategist, you'll be our resident expert in creating education and best practices for our teams, auditing new and existing clients, creating roadmaps for automated campaigns and flows, and providing strategic input across client accounts. Success in this role demands both visionary strategy and flawless execution. You'll craft data-driven lifecycle strategies while building the technical infrastructure and detailed implementation roadmaps that turn strategy into measurable results for our clients.

Requirements

5+ years experience in email and SMS marketing, with proven success in DTC environment
Expert-level proficiency in Klaviyo platform including sophisticated automation flow design, predictive analytics implementation, custom event tracking, API integrations with ecommerce platforms, advanced behavioral segmentation, and custom metric creation
Extensive hands-on experience with leading SMS platforms (Attentive, Postscript, Klaviyo SMS) including campaign setup, automation flows, compliance management, subscriber segmentation, and cross-channel integration strategies
Expert knowledge of email and SMS compliance regulations including GDPR, CCPA, CAN-SPAM Act, TCPA, and CASL, with demonstrated experience implementing compliant opt-in/opt-out processes, managing consent preferences, and ensuring regulatory adherence across multi-jurisdictional campaigns
Proven expertise in email infrastructure management including DNS authentication protocols (DKIM, SPF, DMARC), sender reputation monitoring, deliverability troubleshooting, and strategic IP warming strategies for ESP migrations and new domain setup
Mastery of sophisticated audience segmentation strategies using behavioral, demographic, and transactional data, complex conditional automation logic with multi-branch decision trees, and systematic flow optimization through performance analysis and revenue attribution modeling
Advanced expertise in A/B testing, multivariate testing, and split-testing methodologies across email and SMS campaigns
Proven ability to manage multiple high-priority projects and client relationships simultaneously
Experience mentoring junior team members and providing strategic guidance
Strong analytical capabilities with expertise in data analysis, performance reporting, and strategic thinking with a data-driven approach
Proficiency in Figma for email design collaboration, plus HTML and CSS for responsive template development
Exceptional project management and organizational skills with outstanding written and verbal communication abilities

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of at least one additional ESP (such as Attentive, Emarsys, Iterable, or Braze) is preferred
Working knowledge of Loyalty, Subscription, Direct Mail, Survey, and Identity Resolution platforms with focus on seamless Email and SMS integration
Bachelor's degree preferred but not required

Responsibilities

Execute: Manage day-to-day email and SMS programs, build automation flows, develop segmentation strategies, write copy, set up A/B tests, maintain QA processes, monitor deliverability, and optimize campaign performance using ESPs (especially Klaviyo).
Teach: Create unique customer experiences through email and SMS, share expertise on email and SMS marketing best practices, ESP platforms, automation strategies, and campaign optimization with colleagues and clients.
Partner: Collaborate with Growth Strategy, Paid Media, and Creative Services teams to plan cohesive marketing campaigns, provide input on integrated marketing strategies, and help clients achieve goals through lifecycle marketing.
Analyze: Identify, develop, segment, execute, and optimize email and SMS campaigns. Spot trends across multiple brands and industries, and share insights internally and externally.
Develop and implement revenue-driving lifecycle programs.
Maintain excellent sender reputation scores and industry-leading deliverability metrics.
Drive consistent list growth through strategic acquisition tactics and engaging campaigns.
Design automated flow strategies that generate substantial recurring revenue.
Lead strategic client meetings with clear agendas and actionable insights.
Proactively identify upsell opportunities and expansion strategies within accounts.
Create compelling monthly performance reports highlighting key metrics, insights, and strategic recommendations.
Build strong, trusting relationships with clients.
Identify and execute on upsell opportunities within existing accounts.
Grow book of business through excellent client references and case studies.
Establish as a trusted strategic advisor to clients and internal teams.
Contribute to new business pitches.
Develop a reputation for innovative email and SMS strategies.
Demonstrate clear ROI from email and SMS initiatives.
Build strong cross-functional relationships that drive integrated client success.