Lifecycle Marketing Manager

Come join one of America’s fastest‑growing insurance companies. Since 1848, National Life Group has aimed to keep our promises, providing families with stability in good times and in bad. Throughout that history, we have provided peace of mind to those families as they plan their futures. Our mission extends beyond the insurance and annuities policies that we offer. We strive to make the world a better place through our grants from our charitable foundation, paid volunteer time for our employees, environmentally sustainable and healthy workplaces, and events that promote the work of nonprofits in our own backyard. We foster a collaborative environment with opportunities for growth and encourage our associates to live our values: Do good. Be good. Make good. Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position. Role Summary The Lifecycle Marketing Manager is responsible for developing, executing, and optimizing lifecycle and marketing automation programs that drive engagement, conversion, and retention across the customer journey. This role requires technical expertise and deep marketing experience. To create data‑driven campaigns that deliver personalized, compliant, and measurable experiences. Reporting to the Director – Digital Marketing, the Lifecycle Marketing Manager owns Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), Mailchimp, and Snappy Kraken systems, serving as the enterprise’s subject‑matter expert for marketing automation and dynamic journeys. This individual will audit and optimize an existing, complex SFMC environment, implementing best practices for data integrity, workflow design, governance, and performance. This individual will 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. This role partners closely with the Web & Digital Experience Strategist and Digital Content & Insights Lead to connect lifecycle initiatives to the broader digital ecosystem. By aligning journeys with web experiences, campaigns, and analytics, the Lifecycle Marketing Manager ensures that each customer interaction is relevant, timely, and measurable, enhancing the overall digital experience and pipeline velocity. The ideal candidate is a high‑energy, hands‑on marketer with deep technical expertise in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) and other marketing automation platforms. They combine a strong technical foundation with a passion for automation, data‑driven storytelling, and operational excellence. A proactive problem solver and collaborative team player, this individual brings curiosity, precision, and accountability to every project — translating business objectives into scalable, measurable marketing campaigns. Success in this role requires a balance of strategic thinking and executional excellence, along with the ability to anticipate challenges, drive solutions, and consistently deliver results in a fast‑paced environment. Essential Duties And Responsibilities Design and execute lifecycle marketing programs: Working with stakeholders like Product Marketing and collaborating with Creative Services, own the development, execution, and continuous optimization of lifecycle and nurture campaigns across acquisition, onboarding, engagement, and retention stages. Build sophisticated, multi‑stage customer journeys primarily within Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) to deliver personalized, data‑driven experiences at scale. Work within Mail Chimp as required until all assets are transitioned to SFMC. Lead SFMC optimization and platform ownership: Serve as the enterprise owner and SME for SFMC (plus Mailchimp and Snappy Kraken). In partnership with IT, conduct a full audit and lead remediation: refactor data extensions and automations, standardize naming/QA, deprecate legacy assets, harden governance, and implement monitoring/playbooks to improve reliability, speed, and scalability. Document user flows and lifecycle architecture: Create and maintain detailed documentation of user flows, campaign logic, and data processes to ensure transparency, scalability, and consistent execution across marketing programs. Partner with IT and cross‑functional teams to align marketing automation architecture with CRM integrations and data governance standards. Collaborate to ensure data integrity and domain health: Work closely with Information Technology and various business units to maintain list hygiene, data synchronization, and accurate audience segmentation between SFMC, CRM, and other connected systems. Monitor and optimize email and domain health (including deliverability, authentication, and IP reputation) to ensure reliable campaign performance. Own unsubscribe management and Unsub Central, ensuring accurate suppression and compliance. Create and optimize audience segmentation and personalization: Partner 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. Leverage CRM and first‑party data to deliver relevant, compliant, and journey‑aligned communications. Build and deploy creative, responsive communications: Develop and QA dynamic, modular, and responsive email templates using HTML, AMPscript for personalization and SQL for data segmentation and automation. Ensure all communications meet brand standards, accessibility requirements, and deliverability best practices across devices and platforms. Monitor performance and optimize through testing: Track and analyze campaign and journey performance across KPIs such as deliverability, engagement, conversion, and retention. Partnering with the Director‑Digital Marketing and the Digital Content & Insights Lead, conduct A/B and multivariate testing on creative, timing, and targeting to continuously improve program effectiveness and ROI, and share learnings across teams to inform future strategy. Ensure compliance, governance, and operational excellence: Maintain strict adherence to CAN‑SPAM, GDPR, and other data privacy regulations. Document and enforce standards for campaign QA, approval, and deployment. Collaborate with marketing operations, compliance, and data teams to uphold governance and deliver a seamless, compliant customer experience. Maintain unsubscribe data according to compliance protocols. Minimum Qualifications 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. Proficiency in data integration between SFMC and Salesforce CRM, including segmentation, lead routing, and consent management. 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. Work Arrangements This position currently offers an onsite hybrid work schedule, with the expectation that you are in the office four days per week during onsite core days. Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion. Preferred 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. Ability to develop clear technical and functional documentation, including user guides, workflow diagrams, and campaign playbooks. Experience using email QA and testing tools (e.g., Litmus, Email on Acid) and campaign tagging systems such as Claravine. 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. Benefits Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life! Base Pay Range The base pay range for this position is the range National Life reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for the position taking into account the wide variety of factors, including: prior experience and job‑related knowledge; education, training and certificates; current business needs; and market factors. The final salary or hourly wages offered may be outside of this range based on other reasons and individual circumstances. Additional Compensation and Benefits The total compensation package for this position may also include a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and parental leave), dependent on the position offered. The successful candidate may also be eligible to participate in National Life’s discretionary annual incentive programs, subject to the rules governing such programs. If hired, the employee will be in an at‑will position and National Life reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors. National Life is accepting applications for this role on an ongoing basis and the role remains open until filled. Salary Pay Range: $90,000 - $132,000 USD National Life Group® is a trade name of National Life Insurance Company, Montpelier, VT – founded in 1848, Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, Addison, TX – chartered in 1955, and their affiliates. Each company of National Life Group is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Life Insurance Company of the Southwest is not an authorized insurer in New York and does not conduct insurance business in New York. Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC, is a Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser affiliate of National Life Insurance Company. All other entities are independent of the companies of National Life Group. Fortune 1000 status is based on the consolidated financial results of all National Life Group companies. #J-18808-Ljbffr