Marketing Automation Lead

Marketing Automation Lead

The Marketing Automation Lead is responsible for managing the marketing automation platform (Pardot) and maximizing its capabilities to generate and nurture qualified leads while delivering personalized, engaging experiences that drive growth and retention across Vanguard Charitable target audiences. This role partners closely with Marketing, Sales, and IT/Salesforce teams to execute programmatic and operational initiatives through Pardot and improve overall marketing effectiveness.

Essential Job Functions

• Marketing Automation Strategy and Management (30%) Manages marketing automation processes and initiatives, proactively researching and implementing best practices, strategies, and technologies to improve program effectiveness and outcomes.
• Audience Strategy, Campaign Execution, and Email Marketing (25%) Partners with Marketing leadership and content development teams to prioritize target audiences and execute automation-enabled strategies to identify, nurture, and convert leads. Oversees email marketing program development and execution, including segmentation, testing, deployment, and ongoing optimization.
• Pardot Journey Development and Campaign Optimization (20%) Designs and manages Pardot journeys across the sales and retention lifecycle. Creates and manages forms, email templates, content, and personalization. Plans and executes campaign testing to improve productivity, conversion rates, return on investment, and growth. Maintains and adjusts lead scoring rules.
• Marketing Operations, CRM Integration, and Data Management (15%) Drives core marketing operations within Pardot and Salesforce, including lead lifecycle management, scoring, nurturing, segmentation, data quality, and cleansing. Maintains and enhances PardotSalesforce integration in partnership with Salesforce Administrators.
• Performance Measurement, Enablement, and Cross-Functional Collaboration (10%) Partners with the Marketing Analyst to track marketing performance and define targets, goals, KPIs, and campaign metrics. Provides regular performance updates to Marketing leadership. Serves as the in-team expert on Pardot adoption, shares best practices, provides training and backup support, collaborates with Sales and Services teams, and supports website management initiatives.

Qualifications

Education & Training

• Bachelor's degree required, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Licensure & Certification

• Pardot Specialist certification required or must be obtained within twelve months of hire.

Knowledge, Skill, and Ability

• Knowledge of marketing automation platforms, including Pardot, Marketing Cloud, or similar technologies.
• Skilled in managing end-to-end email marketing programs, segmentation, testing, and optimization.
• Skilled in Salesforce CRM operations, lead lifecycle management, scoring, nurturing, and data governance.
• Knowledge of marketing, sales, and service analytics, including campaign effectiveness and data quality metrics.
• Skilled in custom reporting and dashboard creation, including modifying pages, views, and reports.
• Able to support business processes with technology-enabled solutions and demonstrate an agile mindset.
• Able to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects with strong organizational and independent project management skills.
• Able to communicate effectively and collaborate with cross-functional partners.
• Knowledge of HTML and CSS for emails, websites, and landing pages preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of three years of relevant experience, preferably working with Salesforce or another customer relationship management platform, and hands-on experience with a marketing automation system.