Vertical Marketing Manager, Automotive & Emerging SMB Verticals

CallRail•Atlanta, GA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

CallRail is looking for a Vertical Marketing Manager to own a portfolio of emerging markets, with automotive at the center. This role is akin to a general manager for that portfolio, responsible for setting strategy, owning the number, and serving as the company's expert on these markets. The manager will develop personas, positioning, and messaging for these verticals, tailoring the go-to-market narrative for each audience. Collaboration with demand generation, customer marketing, and content teams is key, as is close partnership with sales, product, and leadership on product development and communication. The role requires a balance of strategy and execution, with a primary focus on the automotive aftermarket (repair and service businesses, tire and quick-service shops, collision centers, and their suppliers/retailers). Additionally, the manager will oversee a portfolio of emerging small business verticals, assessing their stages and investment needs. The common thread across these markets is the small business customer who relies on lead capture for success. The role emphasizes ownership, informed perspectives grounded in expertise and data, advocating for market needs, and a deep curiosity for the industry. Continuous adoption of AI technologies is essential for streamlining operations, problem-solving, and staying ahead of industry benchmarks. This position is based in Atlanta, with specific in-office requirements for Tuesdays and Thursdays through December 2026, transitioning to a three-day hybrid model (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays) starting January 2027.

Requirements

BS/BA degree.
4–6 years of experience in a strategic marketing role focused on small business buyers.
Direct experience marketing to automotive businesses.
Proven track record of owning a strategy end-to-end and being accountable for results.
Experience entering or evaluating new markets, including sizing opportunities, building cases, and establishing positioning.
Strong analytical instincts and comfort with data to identify trends and build cases.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Confidence and presence to represent points of view to senior leaders and external audiences.
Demonstrated ability to influence and align cross-functional partners without formal authority.
Comfort operating in a fast-moving environment, prioritizing, making tradeoffs, and shifting between strategic thinking and hands-on execution.
Willingness to continuously adopt and leverage AI technologies.

Responsibilities

Act as an owner for assigned markets, understanding their performance, risks, and opportunities.
Represent assigned markets in cross-functional and leadership conversations with an informed point of view.
Advocate for market needs by building cases for necessary resources or changes.
Develop and own portfolio strategy and business performance for automotive and other SMB verticals.
Define go-to-market strategy, including positioning, messaging, and plans to achieve acquisition and revenue goals.
Decide on resource allocation and investment priorities for these markets.
Monitor key business metrics such as customers, new MRR, churn, ARPU, conversion rate, and product adoption.
Identify trends and issues, collaborate cross-functionally to understand drivers, and propose solutions.
Report on performance to leadership, explaining changes, implications, and actions.
Serve as the subject matter expert on the automotive aftermarket, including buyers, workflows, operations, vendors, and economics.
Develop automotive buyer personas, value propositions, positioning, and messaging.
Create credible proof points such as customer stories, benchmarks, and ROI framing.
Continuously track the competitive landscape and provide intelligence to product, sales, and leadership.
Validate market requirements through customer interviews, surveys, win/loss analysis, sales insights, and usage data.
Represent CallRail in the automotive market through trade shows, speaking engagements, webinars, panels, and podcasts.
Own positioning and messaging for other emerging small business verticals, scaling depth based on opportunity.
Monitor the performance of each vertical, identifying wins, losses, and growth potential.
Assess and pressure-test opportunities in existing and new markets, determining size, winnability, and requirements.
Provide recommendations for investment or divestment in markets.
Run lightweight tests for promising opportunities (positioning, messaging, proof) and develop repeatable approaches.
Serve as a cross-functional hub, connecting sales, product marketing, customer marketing, demand generation, and product development.
Act as the messaging authority for assigned verticals, consulting on campaign and content development.
Ensure marketing efforts address customer pain points, strengthen competitive position, resonate with target segments, and drive measurable results.
Partner with product development teams as the voice of the customer, influencing the roadmap.
Enable sales and support teams by training them on buyer problems and developing internal tools and external collateral.
Leverage AI platforms to streamline operations, solve complex problems, and stay ahead of industry benchmarks.