Senior Director, Marketing

Senior Director, Marketing

Studs is a category-defining ear piercing and earring brand named one of "the 10 most innovative companies in retail for 2023" by Fast Company. Studs connects ear piercing with aftercare and earring shopping to create an end-to-end Earscaping® experience. We offer a better retail and digital experience that prioritizes safety and expertise in a cool, fun and welcoming environment, along with a wide earring assortment—all at an accessible price point.

The Senior Director, Marketing leads the full marketing function and is accountable for the integrated system that drives customer acquisition, studio traffic and conversion, retention, and long-term brand equity — with brand, retail marketing, digital, lifecycle, and creative all operating as one coherent engine. Reporting to the CEO, this role sits at the center of Studs' commercial engine at a pivotal stage: a strong brand foundation, an evolving growth engine, and rising operational sophistication across the company. The Senior Director owns the integrated marketing calendar, leads a team of experienced marketers, and partners closely with Merchandising, Retail Operations, Finance, and People to translate company goals into integrated plans. The work spans long-range brand and customer strategy through to weekly performance optimization, and the role is expected to operate fluently across both. This role is ideal for a leader who has built and run a full-stack marketing organization at a premium consumer, retail, or omnichannel brand, and who treats marketing as a connected system rather than a set of channel silos. The right candidate has strong commercial instincts, makes decisions with the discipline of an operator and the judgment of a brand steward, and is energized by environments where strategy and execution sit in the same week.

Salary Range: $200,000–$230,000 + equity

Location: HQ (New York, NY) — Hybrid

Key Responsibilities:

Integrated Marketing & Customer Growth

• Own the integrated marketing strategy and calendar across brand, retail, digital, and lifecycle, aligned to product launches, studio openings, and seasonal moments.
• Drive customer acquisition efficiency and grow the active customer base, connecting marketing investment to revenue outcomes.
• Define annual and quarterly marketing priorities, goals, and measurement frameworks in partnership with the CEO and leadership team.
• Lead marketing inputs into company planning, OKRs, and business reviews, ensuring every plan is tied to a commercial outcome.

Retail & Studio Marketing

• Drive studio traffic, appointment conversion, and customer return across the Studs footprint.
• Build the new studio opening playbook, ensuring local marketing investment translates into measurable ramp performance.
• Partner with Retail Operations and Merchandising to align launches, promotions, and seasonal moments with in-studio execution.

Lifecycle, Retention & E-commerce

• Improve customer retention and LTV through segmentation, lifecycle programs, and re-engagement strategy.
• Own marketing's contribution to e-commerce performance, including site experience, lifecycle programs, and list growth.
• Guide strategy and execution across paid media, SEO, email and SMS, influencer, content, organic social, and site merchandising.

Team, Brand & Creative Stewardship

• Lead and develop a team of senior marketers across brand, retail, digital, and lifecycle disciplines.
• Set the operating rhythm for the marketing organization, including planning cycles, performance reviews, and reporting.
• Maintain consistency of voice, positioning, and creative standards across every consumer touchpoint, from paid media to the in-studio experience.
• Manage internal and external creative resources and agency partners, ensuring strong output and clear accountability.

Marketing Operations & Performance

• Own the full marketing budget and forecasting in partnership with Finance and E-commerce, including reforecasting against actuals.
• Build the measurement, attribution, and reporting discipline needed to make confident channel-mix decisions and shift spend as the business evolves.
• Report performance, learnings, and recommendations to the CEO and leadership team on a recurring cadence.

Tools We Use:

We don't expect candidates to know every tool, but familiarity with similar platforms is a plus.

• CRM and Email/SMS: Klaviyo.
• E-commerce: Shopify.
• Paid Media: Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads.
• Analytics: Google Analytics, Looker.
• Creative and Workflow: Figma, Notion, Asana.
• CX and Engagement: Zendesk, Loop Returns, Yext, Delighted.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of marketing experience in high-growth premium consumer, retail, or omnichannel environments.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience, including direct management of senior-level reports.
• Proven track record building and running integrated marketing strategies that connect brand, retail, digital, and lifecycle into one coherent engine.
• Deep experience leading multi-channel execution: paid media, organic social, influencer, email and SMS, retail marketing, and site merchandising.
• Strong command of digital performance and attribution, with the judgment to adjust channel mix based on ROI and stage of business.
• Demonstrated experience leading lifecycle and retention programs, including segmentation, re-engagement, and list growth.
• Experience managing creative development across in-house teams and external agency partners.
• Strong cross-functional operator with a track record of partnering closely with Retail, Merchandising, Finance, and Operations to drive shared outcomes.
• Based in New York and able to work from the HQ office on a hybrid schedule.

Benefits & Perks

• Flexible Work Environment (3 days in office, 2 days work from home)
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance (including a plan option with $0 in-network mental health visits)
• Access to Mental Health and Work/Life Resources including Online Therapy, Gender Affirmation Support Services, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Health and Commuter Tax-Advantaged Accounts
• Stock Options in connection with the Company's Equity Incentive Plan
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Paid Time Off, Paid Safe & Sick Leave, and Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Sabbatical After 4 Years of Service
• Exclusive Employee Discounts on Piercings and Jewelry (we've got your friends and family covered too!)
• Access to PerkSpot and additional benefits such as pet insurance, discounted tickets, personal finance coaching, healthy rewards, and more!

Studs is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, age, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability (physical or mental), marital status, citizenship, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, or any other legally protected status. Studs considers qualified applicants with criminal histories. We comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment in every jurisdiction in which we operate. If you require an accommodation for the application process, please fill out this form.

Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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