Managing Director, Customer Journey Analytics & Personalization

Who We Are VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative, human‑first, award‑winning work for blue‑chip clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate‑Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca‑Cola Company, and Wendy’s. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports as a Leader in Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services, and Marketing Measurement & Optimization. VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. Role Summary This role is responsible for leveraging deep analytical insights into customer behavior across defined core audiences to strategically manage, analyze, and optimize the orchestration of journeys and handle personalization of touchpoints that drive engagement, satisfaction, and business growth. The role bridges the gap between raw data and actionable customer‑centric strategies. Key Responsibilities Customer Journey Mapping Management Journey Map Maintenance: Owner of governance and maintenance of customer journeys for core audiences across platforms (e.g., CDP, AJO, Journey Builder) and key touchpoints (website, email, app, social, ads, customer service, product usage). Identification of Key Moments & Pain Points: Use a data‑driven approach to pinpoint critical decision points, moments of delight, and friction or abandonment within the customer journey. Behavioral Optimization: Manage and refine customer journeys based on behavioral patterns, demographics, psychographics, and lifecycle stage derived from journey data. Advanced Analytics & Insights Data Oversight & Governance: Oversee the strategy and management of data types and sources (CRM, CDP, web analytics, marketing automation, product analytics) to inform a unified customer view. Deep Dive Analysis: Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis to uncover trends, anomalies, and opportunities within customer journeys, using funnel analysis, path analysis, churn prediction, and lifetime value modeling. KPI Definition & Reporting: Define key performance indicators related to journey effectiveness and personalization impact, and monitor dashboards and reports to track performance, communicate insights, and demonstrate ROI. Predictive Modeling: Collaborate with data science teams to develop predictive models that anticipate customer needs, propensity to purchase, churn risk, or next‑best action. Personalization Strategy & Execution Personalization Roadmap: Develop and manage a strategic roadmap for personalization initiatives across all relevant channels and journey stages. Content & Offer Personalization: Guide the creation and delivery of personalized content, product recommendations, offers, and messaging based on real‑time and historical customer data. Experimentation and Incrementality Tests: Design, execute, and analyze A/B and multivariate tests to continuously optimize personalized experiences and improve journey effectiveness. Dynamic Journey Orchestration: Work with marketing automation and personalization platform owners to manage dynamic, data‑driven journeys that adapt in real‑time to customer actions and preferences. Technology & Data Governance MarTech Stack Expertise: Serve as subject‑matter expert for defining business needs across customer journey analytics and personalization platforms (e.g., CDPs, marketing automation, personalization engines, web analytics tools). Data Quality & Compliance: Ensure data quality, integrity, and compliance with data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA). Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Evangelism Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate across capabilities, functional departments, and channel owners to ensure a consistent, integrated, personalized customer experience across all touchpoints. Stakeholder Education: Provide ongoing education of internal stakeholders on improvements, learnings, and impacts within customer journey analytics and personalization. Coordinated Orchestration: Act as a central liaison, fostering strong relationships and alignment across departments to ensure a unified approach to customer experience. Business Transformation & Strategic Contribution Contribute to broader business transformation efforts by championing a customer‑centric mindset and integrating journey insights into strategic planning. Identify emerging customer needs and market trends to proactively evolve our customer journey strategies. Essential Skills & Qualifications Analytical Prowess: Expert‑level skills in data analysis, interpretation, and visualization. Proficiency with analytics tools (Google Analytics, Adobe Suite, SFMC, etc.). Data Management: Breadth and depth across data types and sources within MarTech/AdTech valuable for audience development, journey management, and personalization strategies. Marketing Technology: Deep understanding and hands‑on experience with the Adobe stack (AEM + AEP) and CRM (Salesforce). Strategic Thinking: Translate complex data into actionable strategies and a clear vision for personalized customer experiences. Customer Empathy: Genuine understanding of customer needs, motivations, and pain points. Communication & Storytelling: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to present complex analytical findings to non‑technical stakeholders in a compelling and actionable way. Project Management: Manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and drive initiatives to completion. Experimentation Mindset: Strong understanding of A/B testing methodologies and commitment to iterative optimization. Impact Orientation: Balance customer experience with business needs to ensure Journey Management and Personalization strategies are implemented efficiently and effectively. Compensation & Benefits Base salary range: $125,000—$295,000 USD. Compensation varies based on job‑related factors. We offer a competitive benefits package (click WPP Benefits for more details). This role is hybrid: teams spend an average of four days a week in the office. Accommodations or flexibility can be discussed with the hiring team during the interview process. Equal Opportunity Employer WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. #J-18808-Ljbffr VML