Director, CRM Marketing

$160,000 - $160,000/Yr

Sears - Hoffman Estates, IL

Full-time - Director

Hoffman Estates, IL

General Merchandise Retailers

About the position

The Director of CRM Marketing plays a pivotal role in leading the planning, direction, oversight, and execution of the Customer Retention Strategy for Home Appliances and Services (HAS). This position is crucial for ensuring that the strategies align with and advance the strategic business objectives of the organization. The Director is responsible for crafting and implementing innovative retention initiatives that not only meet but exceed organizational goals, thereby driving sustained customer engagement and loyalty. In collaboration with the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Functional Leadership, and the Senior Leadership Team, the Director of CRM Marketing spearheads both short-term and long-term Customer Relationship Management (CRM) initiatives. This role establishes the strategic foundation for all future CRM marketing efforts and partners with Business Unit (BU) Leadership to develop and implement retention programs aimed at minimizing customer churn. The Director is also tasked with driving customer acquisition, expanding membership for the Sears Home Advantage loyalty program, and strategically overseeing cross-sell, upsell, and renewal initiatives to maximize growth and customer engagement. The Director provides visionary leadership, guiding cross-functional teams in adopting best practices to create world-class CRM programs that drive margin retention, enhance brand equity, and boost customer loyalty. This includes formulating and executing a comprehensive customer acquisition and retention strategy utilizing various channels such as email, SMS, direct mail, and retargeting. The role also involves overseeing customer data management for CRM platforms, ensuring optimal file health, acquisition, retention, churn mitigation, and deliverability to maximize engagement and reduce attrition. Additionally, the Director acts as the central point for all customer retention-related information and initiatives, effectively communicating updates and progress to the Senior Leadership team and the wider HAS organization. This position requires a strong focus on research efforts aimed at understanding and enhancing customer retention, leveraging data-driven insights, and collaborating with analytics teams to evaluate customer data and develop actionable recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Formulates and executes a comprehensive customer acquisition and retention strategy for Home Appliances and Services, utilizing email, SMS, direct mail, and retargeting channels.
• Designs and implements cohesive CRM content and offer strategies that enhance customer experiences across all touchpoints, including phone interactions, communications, in-home services, and digital platforms.
• Oversees customer data management for CRM platforms, ensuring optimal file health, acquisition, retention, churn mitigation, and deliverability to maximize engagement and reduce attrition.
• Leads cross-functional teams to develop and execute HAS's Customer Retention Strategy and Action Plans, ensuring collaborative effort and alignment with organizational goals.
• Drives cross-functional teams to develop and implement HAS's comprehensive Customer Retention Strategy and Action Plans.
• Oversees key customer retention projects for the business, ensuring prioritization against strategic business objectives and timely execution of all projects.
• Acts as the central point for all customer retention-related information and initiatives, effectively communicating updates and progress to the Senior Leadership team and the wider HAS organization.
• Fosters strong relationships with key organizational leaders to facilitate seamless communication and support for CRM action plans.
• Spearheads research efforts focused on understanding and enhancing customer retention, leveraging data-driven insights.
• Collects and integrates feedback from field technicians, phone agents, and customers to refine and optimize customer retention strategies.
• Collaborates with analytics teams to evaluate customer data, extract actionable insights, and develop recommendations aimed at improving the user experience.
• Develops, monitors, and communicates retention metrics and dashboards to track performance and inform strategic decisions.
• Oversees budget management and contract negotiations to ensure cost-effective implementation of CRM initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business administration, finance, or a related field.
• Over ten years of proven experience in Customer Relationship Management.
• Strong grasp of analytics with the ability to identify cause-and-effect relationships and uncover business opportunities.
• Exceptional skills in managing relationships, with a track record of successful collaboration with external agencies and vendors.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with the ability to influence decision-making among diverse and high-level stakeholders.
• Strong ability to lead, motivate, and manage teams to achieve results.
• Proven experience partnering with IT teams to create efficient and best-in-class operational processes.
• Ability to think creatively and work collaboratively within a large organization, providing consultative support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including negotiation and presentation abilities, capable of delivering compelling presentations to senior management.
• Highly organized, self-starting individual with robust project management skills and a proactive approach to challenges.
• Ability to think and act innovatively, devising novel approaches to solving complex problems.
• Deep understanding of customer needs, market dynamics, competitor activities, relevant technologies, regulatory compliance, and other business issues related to customer insights.
• Superior interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to persuade and influence others without formal authority.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in the home appliances and services sector or a similar industry.
• Proficiency in using advanced CRM and analytics tools (e.g., GA, Power BI, Looker, HubSpot, Tableau).
• Experience in mapping customer journeys and designing customer-centric processes that cut across online and offline experiences.
• Proven experience in leading change management initiatives within large organizations and familiarity with agile project management methodologies and practices.
• Understanding of data privacy regulations and best practices for customer data management.
• Comprehensive knowledge of integrating CRM systems with other enterprise systems (e.g., ERP, e-commerce platforms) as well as deep expertise in the rapidly evolving landscape of marketing technology.
• Proven experience in identifying, quickly onboarding, integrating, testing, and evaluating the ROI and impact of various martech solutions among the thousands available in the market.
• Proficiency in defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) tailored to measure the effectiveness of CRM initiatives, particularly in enhancing loyalty and maximizing customer lifetime value.
• Demonstrated experience in establishing accountability frameworks to ensure the achievement of desired outcomes.
• Proficient in developing and managing customer feedback systems aimed at fostering continuous improvement and deepening customer relationships, with a focus on enhancing customer loyalty as a pivotal driver for organizational growth.
• Master's degree in marketing, business administration, or a related field.