Director of CRM & Loyalty -Crecera

Director of CRM & Loyalty

Reports to: General Manager, Sports Business Unit
Type: Full Time
Location: Bloomington, Minnesota, Hybrid

About the Company

Crecera Brands is the driving force behind Sportsman’s Guide, Salt Strong, The Golfer's World, Play Baseball and Play Softball, five of America’s leading retailers of outdoor gear, fishing equipment and technology, sporting goods and golf equipment. For nearly 50 years, our companies have been dedicated to helping our customers enjoy the fun, freedom, and traditions of the great outdoors. From hunting and fishing to playing ball and hitting the links, the companies of Crecera Brands deliver the gear you need to succeed. Our websites include sportsmansguide.com, saltstrong.com, tgw.com, playbaseball.com and playsoftball.com.

Position Summary

The Director of CRM & Loyalty is responsible for maximizing customer lifetime value (LTV), retention, and repeat purchase behavior across The Golfer's World (TGW), Play Baseball, and Play Softball. This leader owns the customer communication strategy, lifecycle marketing programs, loyalty initiatives, direct mail programs, and customer engagement roadmap across email, SMS, direct mail, and emerging retention channels.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for developing personalized customer experiences that increase repeat purchase rate, shorten time to second order, improve customer retention, and grow long-term customer value. The Director of CRM & Loyalty leverages customer data, segmentation, marketing automation, testing, and journey orchestration to deliver relevant communications throughout the customer lifecycle. This role requires deep expertise in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), customer data architecture, audience segmentation, automation workflows, and SQL-driven audience management.

As a key member of the marketing leadership team, this role partners closely with Ecommerce, Merchandising, Brand, Content & Creative, Performance Marketing, Analytics, and Technology teams to create exceptional customer experiences that drive measurable business growth.

Success in this role is measured by repeat purchase rate, time to second order, customer lifetime value (LTV), email and SMS revenue contribution, active subscriber growth, and loyalty program performance.

Key Responsibilities

CRM Strategy & Lifecycle Marketing

· Own the CRM strategy and customer lifecycle roadmap across email, SMS, direct mail, and loyalty channels.

· Develop customer engagement programs designed to increase retention, repeat purchase behavior, and customer lifetime value.

· Build and optimize lifecycle journeys including welcome, onboarding, browse abandonment, cart abandonment, replenishment, post-purchase, win-back, and reactivation programs.

· Partner with Analytics and Ecommerce teams to identify retention opportunities throughout the customer lifecycle.

· Analyze customer behavior and engagement trends to identify opportunities to improve retention, repeat purchase behavior, and customer lifetime value.

Email, SMS & Loyalty

· Own the email and SMS communication strategy, campaign calendar, and execution across all brands.

· Develop segmentation and personalization strategies based on customer behavior, purchase history, product interests, lifecycle stage, and engagement data.

· Ensure communications are timely, relevant, and aligned with promotional, merchandising, and customer engagement objectives.

· Manage and evolve loyalty programs that strengthen customer engagement and encourage repeat purchase behavior.

· Partner with Brand, Content & Creative teams to develop compelling messaging, offers, and creative assets.

· Monitor campaign performance, subscriber engagement, deliverability, list health, and revenue contribution to maximize effectiveness.

Customer Segmentation, Personalization & Retention

· Lead customer segmentation strategies utilizing behavioral, transactional, demographic, and engagement data.

· Develop personalization frameworks that increase relevance across email, SMS, direct mail, loyalty communications, and onsite experiences.

· Design and execute testing roadmaps to improve engagement, conversion, retention, and customer lifetime value.

· Partner with Performance Marketing to align audience strategies, suppression logic, and customer targeting methodologies.

· Coordinate direct mail strategies targeting active, high-value, and lapsed customer segments.

CRM Technology & Operations

· Serve as the business owner and subject matter expert for Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).

· Manage and optimize Journey Builder, Automation Studio, Contact Builder, Mobile Studio, Email Studio, and Data Extensions.

· Own CRM data architecture, audience segmentation logic, and automation frameworks.

· Utilize SQL to build, troubleshoot, and optimize segmentation, targeting, personalization, and reporting processes.

· Partner with Technology, Analytics, and Ecommerce teams to improve CRM integrations, customer data flows, and automation capabilities.

· Ensure data quality, deliverability, privacy compliance, and marketing technology best practices.

Analytics & Customer Insights

· Establish reporting frameworks and dashboards that track customer retention, customer lifetime value, repeat purchase behavior, and engagement metrics.

· Monitor cohort performance, lifecycle progression, and customer engagement trends to identify growth opportunities.

· Monitor and optimize key retention KPIs including repeat purchase rate, time to second order, customer lifetime value, email and SMS revenue contribution, loyalty program engagement, and subscriber growth.

· Analyze campaign performance and provide recommendations to improve personalization, retention, and revenue contribution.

· Partner with Analytics and Finance teams to quantify the business impact of CRM and loyalty initiatives.

· Present customer insights, performance updates, and strategic recommendations to leadership.

Team Leadership

· Lead, mentor, and develop CRM and customer engagement team members.

· Establish clear priorities, workflows, and performance expectations across lifecycle marketing programs.

· Manage agency, technology, and platform partners supporting CRM and loyalty initiatives.

· Foster a culture of customer-centric thinking, accountability, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

· Build scalable processes that support growth across brands and channels.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or a related field.

· 8+ years of experience in CRM, lifecycle marketing, retention marketing, customer engagement, or loyalty strategy.

· 3+ years of leadership experience managing teams and cross-functional initiatives.

· Experience within a direct-to-consumer ecommerce organization.

· Deep experience managing email, SMS, marketing automation, customer segmentation, and lifecycle marketing programs.

· Demonstrated success improving retention, repeat purchase rate, customer lifetime value (LTV), and customer engagement.

· Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically and tactically, including hands-on management of CRM platforms, audience segmentation, automation workflows, and campaign execution.

· Strong analytical capabilities and experience utilizing customer data to drive personalization and performance improvements.

· Exceptional communication, collaboration, and customer-centric thinking skills.

Technical Expertise

· Required: Expert-level experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC), including Journey Builder, Automation Studio, Contact Builder, Email Studio, Mobile Studio, and Data Extensions.

· Strong SQL skills with the ability to build, troubleshoot, and optimize audience segmentation, personalization, and reporting queries.

· Experience managing customer data architecture, integrations, automation workflows, and CRM technology ecosystems.

· Understanding of email deliverability, consent management, privacy regulations, and lifecycle marketing best practices.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $110,000 - $160,000 annually, plus eligibility for annual incentive compensation. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location. The salary range listed represents the Company's good-faith estimate for this position at the time of posting.

Benefits: Eligible employees may participate in the Company's comprehensive benefits programs, including medical, dental, and vision insurance; health savings and flexible spending accounts; life and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match; paid time off; paid holidays; employee merchandise discounts; and other wellness and employee assistance programs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees and to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities and for applicants throughout the hiring process. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact Human Resources.