Retention Marketing Manager

Job Description

***THIS IS NOT AN INTERNAL JOB WITH FORCEBRANDS***

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Location: Ideally 2-3 days/ week in Chicago, open to remote

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This role blends analytics, strategy, and execution. You will be responsible for understanding the business needs at every growth stage, applying industry best practices, and transforming retention from a set of campaigns into a disciplined growth driver.

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What You Will Own

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Retention & Subscription Performance

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• Improve retention curves at 30 / 60 / 90 / 180+ days
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• Reduce churn and increase customer lifetime value (LTV)
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• Grow subscription revenue towards 2026 targets
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• Increase retention revenue contribution as a percent of total revenue
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• Improve subscription attach rates, save/skip/upgrade rates
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Subscription Architecture & Customer Experience

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• Own subscription experience end-to-end, including:
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• Save, pause, skip, downgrade, and win-back flows
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• Replenishment timing and cadence strategy
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• Subscription portal education and UX alignment
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• Drive habit formation during the first 90 days post-purchase
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• Implement best-practice lifecycle frameworks from high-growth wellness brands
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Analytics, Insights & Business Decisioning

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• Build deep analytics around:
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• Churn drivers and early warnings
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• Behavior patterns across subscription vs non-subscription customers
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• Incremental LTV impact of retention initiatives
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• Conduct cohort analysis by offer, cadence, channel, and SKU
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• Define and track key performance indicators:
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• Retention curves
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• Churn rate
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• LTV and contribution margin by cohort
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• Subscription attach, save, skip, and reactivation rates
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• Translate data into high-impact strategic decisions
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Lifecycle Strategy & Best Practices

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• Architect full-funnel lifecycle flows: onboarding, education, cross-sell, retention, win-back
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• Develop testing frameworks tied to revenue impact
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• Ensure lifecycle messaging drives behavioral outcomes (not just opens/clicks)
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• Apply industry best practices from top wellness/CPG subscription brands
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Cross-Functional & Operational Leadership

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• Partner with Growth, Product, CX, Creative, Ops, and Analytics
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• Manage external partners and transition capabilities in-house
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• Own lifecycle tech stack optimization (Klaviyo, SMS, subscription platform)
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• Influence acquisition strategy to improve long-term LTV
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Qualifications:

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• 4–6 years of experience in lifecycle, CRM, email, or retention marketing, ideally within a fast-growing DTC ecommerce or subscription business.
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• Hands-on experience with email and SMS platforms such as Klaviyo, Postscript, or similar.
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• Experience developing and optimizing lifecycle journeys, including onboarding, post-purchase, replenishment, retention, and win-back.
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• Strong analytical skills with experience using data to improve retention, repeat purchase, churn, and LTV.
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• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple campaigns, timelines, and stakeholders.
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• Experience writing creative briefs and partnering closely with copywriters, designers, and cross-functional teams.
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• Experience managing external agencies and contractors.
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• Familiarity with Shopify and the DTC ecommerce ecosystem.
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• Comfortable operating in a lean, fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with a high degree of ownership and hands-on execution.
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• Experience within DTC, CPG, beauty, wellness, supplements, or other consumer brands strongly preferred.
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• Experience in an agency-style, high-volume marketing environment is a plus.
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