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Salary: USD 110,000 - 160,000 / annual
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC are seeking a Manager of Marketing Automation and Operations to own the technical and strategic direction of their marketing automation platform. This role is central to the clubs' lifecycle marketing function, responsible for platform architecture, configuration, governance, deliverability, and privacy compliance across email, SMS, mobile push, in-app messaging, and paid media audiences.
The successful candidate will join as the clubs complete their transition from Salesforce Marketing Cloud, support the final cutover, and then build the new platform into the foundation for both clubs' growth. Key responsibilities include:
**Platform Ownership & Build-Out**: Serve as primary owner and administrator of the marketing automation platform (Braze, Customer.io, or similar), managing workspace structure, user roles, data schema, API keys, and integrations. Own platform health and roadmap, including audits, troubleshooting, feature adoption, and vendor management. Partner with migration leads and implementation partners through the final transition stages.
**Standards, Enablement & Compliance**: Set and enforce campaign production and governance standards across both brands, including segmentation, QA, launch protocols, naming conventions, and permission management. Train and enable marketers to build campaigns independently while using AI and automation features responsibly. Own email deliverability for both clubs, including sending domain and IP strategy, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI), and IP warming. Serve as subject matter expert for GDPR, CCPA, CAN-SPAM, and other privacy regulations.
**Journeys, Data & Lifecycle Programs**: Design, build, and maintain complex cross-channel journeys across email, SMS, mobile push, in-app messaging, and paid media. Partner with Business Intelligence to define platform data requirements, including the Amperity fan ID as primary profile key, event and attribute schemas, and inbound data feeds. Lead experimentation and optimization programs including A/B testing, holdout groups, and incrementality measurement. Build and maintain lifecycle stage models and lead scoring logic.
**Reporting, AI & Automation**: Own recurring weekly, monthly, and quarterly campaign and journey performance reporting that connects programs to ticket, membership, and renewal revenue. Configure and govern AI and machine learning features such as send-time optimization, predictive scoring, and generative copy assistance with brand guardrails. Use AI agents for routine campaign production work while maintaining context and reviewing output.
The role reports to the Senior Director of Lifecycle Marketing and is classified as an Individual Contributor at the Manager level. The position requires on-site presence at the Renton headquarters Monday through Thursday, with flexibility on Fridays. Evenings, weekends, and holidays are required periodically to meet business needs, including season requirements and critical sends.
**Requirements**
Required Experience:
- 5+ years in marketing operations and automation, including 3+ years administering a marketing automation platform
- Experience integrating a marketing automation platform with a CRM, including lead management, lead scoring, and bi-directional data sync
- Hands-on experience with email deliverability, including domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and IP warming
- Experience running automation for two brands in one instance
- Track record of running marketing operations work through AI agents and automation, with context, review steps, and data guardrails
Preferred Experience:
- Experience with Salesforce CRM
- Experience with lifecycle models and audience segmentation inside a marketing automation platform
- Experience with Customer.io, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or Braze
- Experience with customer data platforms such as Amperity
- Experience with email testing tools, Google Analytics, and BI tools such as Tableau
- Experience in sports or live events
Key Competencies:
- Energized by building systems and improving processes
- Exceptional attention to detail and careful with data
- Strong strategic and analytical skills
- Strong judgment and ability to weigh speed against risk
- Self-directed and takes personal ownership
- Steady under pressure
- Collaborative and clear communicator
- Comfortable with change
- Stays current on marketing technology and AI trends
- Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Additional Requirements:
- Must reside within Washington state upon date of hire
- Must be able to facilitate own local travel
- Must be eligible to work in the US without sponsorship
