Customer Advocacy Manager

Role Summary

The Customer Advocacy Manager is responsible for executing and scaling UKG’s customer reference and referral programs in support of revenue growth. This role goes beyond fulfilling reference requests. You will proactively manage advocacy pools, match the right customers to the right opportunities, and operationalize referral triggers that generate pipeline. You are a key operator in turning customer advocacy into deal acceleration and referral‑driven growth.

You will report to the Director of Customer Marketing and work closely with Sales, Customer Experience, and Marketing to activate customer‑led growth programs.

• Fulfill and manage customer reference requests aligned to active sales opportunities
• Proactively match customer advocates to priority deals based on segment, product, and use case
• Partner with Sales and BDR teams to ensure references are deployed effectively in the deal cycle
• Prioritize reference requests based on revenue impact, focusing on high‑value opportunities rather than request volume
• Track reference usage and impact on deal progression, win rates, and sales cycle

• Build and maintain segmented pools of customer advocates across:
  Enterprise, Mid‑Market / SMB, Product Innovation areas
• Continuously recruit new advocates in partnership with Customer Success, Customer Experience and Sales
• Proactively identify recruitable advocates based on lifecycle triggers, product usage and prioritized across key ICPs
• Ensure customer advocate readiness, responsiveness, and positive experience
• Match advocates to appropriate revenue‑driving content and event opportunities
• Maintain clean, structured data on customer profiles, use cases, and permissions

• Execute referral and customer evidence marketing programs designed to generate qualified pipeline
• Activate referral and review requests at key lifecycle moments (e.g., post‑go‑live, high NPS, milestone events)
• Partner with Customer Experience to identify and act on referral and external review triggers
• Prioritize referral efforts toward high‑probability, high‑value opportunities that drive pipeline impact
• Manage referral intake, routing, and follow‑up with Sales
• Track referral performance, including pipeline contribution and conversion

• Maintain and improve workflows for reference matching, request intake, and fulfillment
• Partner with Marketing Operations to ensure accurate tracking of:
  Reference usage, Referral pipeline, Program performance
• Identify opportunities to improve speed, quality, and scalability of programs
• Support the development of self‑service tools for Sales access to customer evidence

• Work closely with:
  Sales & BDRs to support deal needs and expansion plays
• Customer Experience and Customer Success to identify advocacy and referral opportunities
• Marketing to align advocacy with campaign priorities
• Ensure programs are aligned to business priorities and high‑value opportunities

• Reference Fulfillment Effectiveness (speed, quality, and deal alignment)
• Win Rate Influence on Deals Using References
• Deal velocity acceleration
• Sales Cycle Impact from Reference Deployment
• Growth and Utilization of Advocacy Pools
• Referral Pipeline Generated and Conversion Rate
• Adoption of Reference & Referral Programs by Sales and BDR Teams
• Revenue growth tied to advocacy activity and customer participation

• 4–7 years of experience in customer marketing, advocacy, lifecycle, or related B2B marketing roles
• Ability to build strong relationships with customers and create win‑win opportunities for all (internal and external) stakeholders involved.
• Experience supporting Sales teams and understanding deal cycles

• Strong program management and operational execution skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, revenue‑driven environment
• Data‑oriented mindset with experience tracking and improving program performance
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

The pay range for this position is $80,000 to $116,000.…