Lifecycle Marketing Manager

About the role

Join one of America’s fastest-growing insurance companies, National Life Group. Since 1848, we’ve aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. We extend our mission beyond insurance and annuities policies to make the world a better place through our charitable foundation, volunteer programs, sustainable workplaces, and community events.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and optimize lifecycle and marketing automation programs that drive engagement, conversion, and retention across the customer journey.
• Create data-driven campaigns that deliver personalized, compliant, and measurable experiences.
• Own Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), Mailchimp, and Snappy Kraken systems, serving as the enterprise’s subject matter expert for marketing automation and dynamic journeys.
• Audit and optimize an existing, complex SFMC environment, implementing best practices for data integrity, workflow design, governance, and performance.
• Build, test, and deploy sophisticated, multi-stage programs across acquisition, nurture, onboarding, and re-engagement, ensuring that every communication aligns with brand voice and contributes to business growth.
• Partner closely with the Web & Digital Experience Strategist and Digital Content & Insights Lead to connect lifecycle initiatives to the broader digital ecosystem.
• Design and execute lifecycle marketing programs, working with stakeholders like Product Marketing and collaborating with Creative Services to own the development, execution, and continuous optimization of lifecycle and nurture campaigns.
• Lead SFMC optimization and platform ownership, serving as the enterprise owner and SME for SFMC (plus Mailchimp and Snappy Kraken).
• Document user flows and lifecycle architecture, creating and maintaining detailed documentation of user flows, campaign logic, and data processes to ensure transparency, scalability, and consistent execution across marketing programs.
• Collaborate with IT and cross-functional teams to align marketing automation architecture with CRM integrations and data governance standards.
• Maintain unsubscribe data according to compliance protocols, ensuring accurate suppression and compliance.
• Create and optimize audience segmentation and personalization, partnering with the Director-Digital Marketing and Digital Content & Insights Lead as well as business unit clients to define audience strategies, segmentation frameworks, and personalization logic that drive engagement and conversion.
• Build and deploy creative, responsive communications, developing and QA dynamic, modular, and responsive email templates using HTML, AMPscript for personalization and SQL for data segmentation and automation.
• Monitor and optimize email and domain health (including deliverability, authentication, and IP reputation) to ensure reliable campaign performance.
• Ensure compliance, governance, and operational excellence, maintaining strict adherence to CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and other data privacy regulations. Document and enforce standards for campaign QA, approval, and deployment.

Requirements

• 5+ years digital marketing automation experience; including direct responsibility for email marketing automation strategy and execution in Salesforce Marketing Cloud with demonstrated success developing and optimizing automated email and nurture programs.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and significant marketing automation experience may be considered.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), including Journey Builder, Email Studio, Automation Studio, and Contact Builder.
• Proven ability to audit and optimize an existing instance, refactoring data extensions, automations, and governance processes.
• Working knowledge of Mailchimp and Snappy Kraken or similar marketing automation platforms.
• Proficiency in HTML, CSS, SQL, and AMPscript for building, customizing, and troubleshooting responsive, dynamic email templates.
• Deep understanding of email deliverability, domain health, and reputation management, including authentication, IP warm-up, and inbox placement.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze campaign performance using GA4, SFMC analytics, or similar tools, identify trends, and translate findings into actionable optimization plans.
• Familiarity with GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and global data-privacy and consent regulations; experience managing unsubscribe systems such as Unsub Central.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with strong attention to detail and accuracy.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in lifecycle, CRM, or digital marketing, including direct responsibility for email marketing automation strategy and execution.
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification(s) such as Marketing Cloud Engagement Developer or Marketing Cloud Email Specialist strongly preferred.
• Proven expertise in Salesforce CRM integration with SFMC, including data synchronization, consent management, and cross-platform segmentation.
• Experience leveraging Salesforce Einstein and Mobile Studio for predictive insights, personalization, and multi-channel engagement.
• Experience leading or mentoring marketing automation specialists or developers, with the ability to establish best practices and process documentation.
• Familiarity with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Adobe Assets, or Adobe Creative Cloud, and understanding of how creative workflows integrate with campaign execution.
• Proficiency with SFMC Intelligence (Datorama), Tableau, or similar analytics and visualization tools.
• Experience in Agile environments and comfort collaborating through iterative, cross-functional project cycles.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to prioritize and perform effectively under tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proactive, solution-oriented mindset.
• Experience in financial services, professional services, or other regulated industries with established legal/compliance review processes.
• Demonstrated passion for marketing innovation, continuous learning, and improving automation efficiency through process and technology enhancements.