Director, Lifecycle Marketing

The Director, Lifecycle Marketing leads Kensington’s customer‑journey Centre of Excellence, a dedicated function responsible for driving repeat travel, direct lead growth, and customer lifetime value across all Kensington brands (Tours, Cruise, UltraLuxe, Vacations). Reporting to the VP, Marketing & Partnerships, this role owns the end‑to‑end customer journey from first inquiry through lifelong loyalty. The Director will architect, automate, and optimise personalised communications and experiences turning one‑time travellers into lifelong Kensington clients. This is a strategic and operational leadership role requiring a blend of lifecycle strategy, CRM expertise, analytics fluency, segmentation, and cross‑functional influence. Key Responsibilities Loyalty, Retention & Repeat Growth Lead Kensington’s lifecycle, loyalty, retention, and repeat‑traveler strategy across all brands. Embed repeat traveller growth and direct lead generation as core KPIs across the marketing and commercial organization. Architect the FY26 Repeat Strategy and 360° Engagement Engine, integrating retention, reactivation, and referral programmes into a unified engagement framework. Design and operationalise full journeys (pre‑trip → in‑trip → post‑trip → reactivation) with personalised touchpoints at each stage. Partner with Sales, Product, Integrated Marketing, Client Services, and Destination Experts to ensure consistent, high‑impact CX across all touchpoints. Develop segment‑specific retention playbooks for first‑time, repeat, luxury, UltraLuxe, Cruise, and Vacations clients. Manage customer reactivation programmes and loyalty pilots to improve retention and repeat bookings. Oversee CRM strategy and all data‑driven communications for both direct customers and travel advisor networks. Lead and mentor the CRM & Loyalty team in building automated, segmented, behavioural and propensity‑based lifecycle journeys. Support the Manager & Coordinator, Email Marketing in scaling lifecycle campaigns, ensuring flawless execution and segmentation accuracy. Drive the Contact Strategy Transformation, optimising frequency, sequencing, channel mix (email, SMS, direct mail), and personalisation. Partner with Data & Analytics and Marketing Operations to strengthen CRM infrastructure (HubSpot), improve data hygiene, and standardise reporting dashboards. Develop data architectures, audience hierarchies, and segmentation logic across brands. Introduce frameworks for propensity modelling, lead scoring, predictive signals, and behavioural segmentation. Maintain governance and data integrity across CRM, ESP, and martech systems. Use traveller profiles, trip history, and predictive indicators to deliver hyper‑personalised storytelling, recommendations, and offers. Loyalty, Gifting & High‑Touch Experience Programs Own the strategy, structure, and evolution of Kensington’s Loyalty & Gifting Programme, including tiers, benefits, and measurement. Design high‑touch moments (anniversary gifts, surprise‑and‑delight, Memory Book, Luggage Tag programme, Pre‑Trip Experience). Oversee NPS, CSAT, and advocacy journeys; design post‑trip experiences that drive rebooking and referrals. Collaborate with Brand, Product, Partnerships, and Customer Care to deliver exclusive offers, content, and co‑branded activations. Establish loyalty and gifting KPIs, reporting, and optimisation loops to track participation, sentiment, and repeat impact. Partner with external organisations (e.g., Giants of Africa) to align engagement with social impact initiatives. Lifecycle Campaigns, Automation & Partner Integration Lead the development of integrated, multi‑channel lifecycle campaigns across email, paid media, SMS, content, and direct mail. Oversee the Manager and Coordinator, Email Marketing in delivering segmented, automated, and behaviour‑driven campaigns. Integrate partner, tourism‑board, and co‑op opportunities into lifecycle journeys across Tours, Cruise, UltraLuxe, and Vacations. Architect and optimise automated workflows across pre‑trip, on‑trip, and post‑trip journeys, leveraging AI and personalisation. Manage CRM platform enhancements, ESP integrations, predictive send‑time optimisation, and dynamic content capabilities. Maintain a rolling campaign calendar aligned to seasonality, brand priorities, product trends, and partnership activations. Lead A/B and multivariate testing across lifecycle journeys to maximise engagement and conversion. Performance Measurement & Optimisation Define and track core lifecycle KPIs, including: Repeat Travellers – YoY returning clients Direct Rebookings – % rebooking through owned digital channels Retention Rate – within 12–24 months Lead Volume & RAQs – lifecycle‑driven contribution Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Unsubscribes & Data Health Build and maintain dashboards and executive scorecards for leadership review. Present quarterly strategic insights, lifecycle performance, and CX optimisation recommendations to executive leadership. Foster a data‑driven, test‑and‑learn culture across CRM, email, automation, and engagement programmes. Cross‑Functional Leadership & Organisational Impact Lead, coach, and develop a growing lifecycle organisation (CRM, Loyalty, Email). Serve as a key member of the Marketing leadership team, contributing to strategic planning, forecasting, and CX strategy. Champion customer‑centricity, AI‑enabled marketing, personalisation, and automation across the organisation. Partner closely with Integrated Marketing, Brand, Partnerships, Sales, and Operations to ensure lifecycle programmes drive overall commercial objectives. Manage key agency, martech, and strategic vendor relationships supporting CRM, automation, personalisation, and loyalty. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field (MBA an asset). 8–10+ years in CRM, lifecycle, retention, or loyalty within luxury travel, hospitality, or premium consumer brands. Proven track record driving repeat traveller growth, retention, or CLV improvements at scale. Strong data literacy and ability to turn insights into segmentation and personalisation strategies. Excellent communication, leadership, and cross‑functional influencing skills. Passion for travel, personalisation, and exceptional guest experiences. Cultural Fit Customer‑obsessed with a deep passion for loyalty and experience design. Strategic and hands‑on, comfortable building new capabilities in a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial environment. Collaborative, curious, and driven to elevate CX across journeys and channels. Believes loyalty is earned through personalisation, empathy, and service—not incentives alone. Embodies Kensington’s values of excellence, curiosity, connection, and crafting unforgettable journeys. We are committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodation due to a disability at any stage of our hiring process, please advise us when completing your application. #J-18808-Ljbffr