Senior Director of Customer Engagement and Marketing Automation

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way.

We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You'll Contribute The Senior Director of Customer Engagement and Marketing Automation will spearhead the strategy and execution of all automated, data-driven marketing and engagement programs across the customer lifecycle.

This role can be located in our Newark, DE office, our Newton, MA office, our New York, NY office or our Sterling, VA office. Our Sterling office has a planned move to Arlington, VA in Fall 2026.What You'll DoDevelop and execute a comprehensive, long-term customer engagement and marketing automation strategy that aligns with business objectives and key financial services regulations.

Champion a customer-centric mindset and data-driven culture throughout the marketing organization.

Map, analyze, and optimize the customer journey across all touchpoints, from onboarding to retention and cross-sell opportunities.

Utilize customer feedback and data to identify and resolve pain points in the customer experience.

Oversee the deployment of feedback loops and voice-of-customer (VoC) programs to gather insights and drive data-informed decisions.

Serve as the expert on the marketing automation technology stack, overseeing platform integrations, data governance, and overall system health. Ensure the integration between marketing automation systems and other platforms (e.g., CRM) for seamless data flow and reporting.

Manage and optimize the end-to-end customer journey, from initial lead nurturing to retention and cross-sell initiatives.

Oversee the maintenance and enhancement of audience segmentation and personalization frameworks for targeted and relevant communications.

Direct the development, execution, and optimization of automated lifecycle campaigns, transactional messaging, and multi-channel engagement programs.

Collaborate with analytics and data science teams to measure the impact of marketing automation on customer acquisition, lifetime value, and revenue. Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of all automated marketing programs.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.

What you have Minimum:
Indicate minimum education, skills and experience required.
10+ years of experience in marketing automation or similar with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.

Deep understanding of digital technologies, platforms, and trends, including but not limited to CRM, analytics, and e-commerce.

Deep expertise with a…