Strategy Director – CRM Marketing

Job Description

Company Description

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 5,500 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 24 additional offices in the US and 25 offices in Europe and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network.

Job Description

The Customer Strategy Director will join a team of talented and experienced strategists in Merkle’s Customer Strategy Team. The Director will strive to obtain a deep understanding of our client’s business, strategic objectives, and be able to build strong client relationships that will enable them to become a trusted advisor to the client and a Merkle Account Team Leadership. Directors are also expected to support new business opportunities within the Customer Strategy Group. Advanced CRM and database marketing expertise is required, combined with demonstrated experience in planning, developing and managing omni-channel campaigns that generate measurable ROI.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support senior strategy team in the building, development, and delivery of strategic/complex omni-channel, acquisition plans ensuring that recommendations are in line with best practices and exhibit thought leadership.
• Act as an addressable marketing subject matter expert, particularly in B2C Customer Acquisition and Cross Sell – with demonstrated ability to connect audience strategy with media execution; including direct mail, email, and digital media.
• Write detailed annual marketing and tactical campaign plans.
• Provide input into consumer messaging and creative strategy.
• Develop accurate financial business cases and proformas for each campaign.
• Review results of marketing campaigns, provides insights and recommendations to improve performance.
• Support senior strategy team with quarterly executive business reviews, highlighting performance results and identifying growth opportunities and plans.
• Monitor current omnichannel trends and competitive strategies – and then translate them into new marketing ideas for clients.
• Develop trusted, long-term relationships with key client contacts through the presentation of strategic ideas and thought leadership.
• Ensure meaningful client value is delivered to retain and grow client relationships through a strong mix of best-practice solutions, skills, and capabilities while meeting client KPIs and generating measurable results.
• Collaborate and develop relationships with internal Merkle teams (account management, operations, creative, analytics etc.), and client partner agencies to define and implement capabilities in support of cross-channel recommendations/ plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (required), Master’s Degree (preferred).
• 8+ years deep experience in omni-channel marketing (direct mail, email, and digital) with 3-5 of those years working in a similar capacity within an agency or consulting firm.
• Experience in bank and credit card marketing, strongly preferred.
• B2C acquisition and cross sell experience with a proven ability to translate data analysis into actionable marketing recommendations, projections, and KPIs – requires strong database marketing and analysis skills, as well as advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Hands-on skills using data and research to drive decisions.
• Strong writing, presentation and client facing communication skills (strong proficiency in PowerPoint is required).
• Ardent attention to detail and the ability to incorporate internal and external feedback on an iterative basis.
• Ability to leverage business experience and competitive research, combined with the client’s value proposition, to identify new business and marketing opportunities.
• Strong listening skills to understand clients visible and invisible needs, can recognize a situation needing a resolution.
• Must have superior multi-tasking, networking, time management and inter-personal skills.
• Self-starter, independently pursues account growth opportunities. High intellectual curiosity, drive, determination, self-confidence and persuasion skills.
• Comfort and experience working within a highly matrixed organization in roles with a wide degree of latitude.
• 25% travel required, varies with client planning timeframes.

Location: Chicago, Columbia (MD), Pittsburgh, Remote Considered (Eastern US)

Additional Information

At Merkle, we believe that a diverse environment improves us as a community and as a business. We want to foster an environment of growth, where all ideas and contributions are encouraged. We need this culture of courage to continue to thrive in our fast-paced industry. We embrace differences of opinion. We value diversity of experience and thought, which help us to challenge and define industry-leading solutions, and support our goal of being a great place to work.

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