Marketing Automation Manager

Manchester / Hybrid – 2 days per week in the office

£60,000 per annum

Global Digital Marketing Agency

We’re looking for an experienced Automation Manager to join a global digital marketing agency, taking a key role within their Engagement team.

This is a strategic but hands‑on role focused on marketing automation, gamification, CRM and customer retention. You’ll help shape how automation and gamification are used across the customer journey, introducing new technology and tactics that improve engagement, loyalty and overall customer experience.

Working closely with Marketing, Product, Data, BI and Customer Experience teams, you’ll turn customer insight into effective retention strategies while continuously testing, learning and improving performance.

• Develop and drive the strategy for marketing automation and gamification across the customer portfolio.
• Review the existing automation technology stack, identifying gaps, new tools and opportunities for development.
• Work closely with Product teams to introduce and integrate new automation and gamification technology.
• Partner with Marketing, CRM, Retention, Data and Customer Experience teams to improve the overall customer journey.
• Develop automation and gamification tactics designed to increase customer engagement, retention and loyalty.
• Identify opportunities to introduce gamification and rewards across different customer segments.
• Work with Retention teams to develop targeted approaches that improve key customer KPIs.
• Lead a test‑and‑learn approach, including A/B and multivariate testing across retention activity.
• Partner with BI and Performance teams to analyse campaign performance and turn data into actionable recommendations.
• Produce post‑campaign analysis and use findings to continually improve future campaigns.
• Review and approve automation and gamification solutions, ensuring they meet technical requirements and best practice.
• Manage campaign budgets, balancing customer engagement with commercial performance.

• Around 3–5 years’ digital marketing experience, with strong exposure to marketing automation.
• Proven experience implementing automation and/or gamification strategies within a multi‑channel environment.
• Strong understanding of CRM, lifecycle marketing, customer journeys, retention and engagement.
• Previous experience working with customer loyalty or rewards programmes.
• Good understanding of A/B testing, multivariate testing and campaign optimisation.
• Comfortable using customer and campaign data to make decisions and improve performance.
• Experience managing projects involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence working with digital marketing and analytics tools.
• Able to manage multiple projects and priorities within a fast‑paced, complex environment.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and relationship‑building skills.
• Experience leading, coaching or bringing teams together around a shared strategy.
• Happy to travel approximately 15–20% as required.

This is a great opportunity for someone who understands both the technology and customer strategy behind marketing automation and wants to have a real influence on how a global business approaches engagement, retention and loyalty.