Retention Marketing Manager

About us

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

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Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The role

Reports to: Senior Marketing Manager, Subscription Management & Retention

This role is responsible for developing and delivering retention and customer value programmes across our B2C audiences, including FT Digital and Print subscribers, the wider consumer portfolio, Investors’ Chronicle, Students and partnerships.

You will turn the wider Subscription Management & Retention strategy into clear programme plans and priorities spanning cancel-save, winback, renewals, Step Up, upsell and cross-sell. Using customer and commercial insight, you will find opportunities to reduce cancellations, increase resubscription and grow average revenue per user (ARPU), working collaboratively across Consumer Engagement, Data & Analytics, Pricing & Propositions, Marketing Automation, Product & Technology, Customer Care and other teams.

This is a role for someone who combines critical thinking with hands-on delivery and takes ownership of programme performance. As part of the Customer Experience & Lifecycle Centre of Excellence, you will also contribute to shared lifecycle frameworks, guideline and ways of working.

Key responsibilities

Retention and customer value programmes

• Set the direction and roadmap for Cancel-Save and Winback programmes, continually identifying and delivering opportunities to reduce cancellations and increase post-cancellation re-subscription.
• Handle and optimise the renewal programme, including Step Up, renewal and subscription or trial reminders, keeping communications current and identifying tests that can improve performance.
• Oversee Step Up reporting and performance, sharing insight with the wider business and identifying short-term optimisation opportunities that can help inform the broader approach to pricing journeys and Step Up.
• Develop the annual upsell and cross-sell plan and deliver campaigns and initiatives that support sustained ARPU growth.
• Adapt programmes and initiatives across different B2C audiences to reflect customer needs and commercial objectives.

Programme development and delivery

• Translate programme priorities into clear objectives, customer journeys, audience approaches, KPIs and briefs for Marketing Automation and other delivery teams.
• Deliver campaigns and initiatives with relevant collaborators, balancing commercial objectives with a premium customer experience.
• Handle service communications across email and mail, working with Marketing Automation to maintain and optimise communications so customers receive the information they need.
• Handle relevant operational partners, including lettershop relationships, to support the smooth delivery of mail campaigns and keep customer communication templates up to date.
• Ensure customer communications are accurate, legally compliant and aligned with the wider service communications framework.

Reporting, insight and optimisation

• Own the performance of programmes within your remit, using customer and commercial insight to identify risks, opportunities and areas for optimisation.
• Contribute to weekly commercial reporting by maintaining performance views, investigating the drivers of changes and developing additional analysis where useful.
• Share regular performance updates with the wider Customer Experience & Lifecycle team, communicating insights, risks and opportunities clearly.
• Use testing and continuous optimisation to improve programme performance and embed successful approaches into future activity.

Collaboration and relationship management

• Build strong relationships across Consumer Engagement, Data & Analytics, Pricing & Propositions, Marketing Automation, Product & Technology, Customer Care and other teams to deliver shared customer and commercial outcomes.
• Proactively manage relationships, dependencies and delivery requirements to ensure programmes and campaigns are implemented successfully.
• Use customer insight and performance evidence to make clear recommendations and support decision-making across the programmes you own.

Centre of Excellence contribution

• Contribute to Customer Experience & Lifecycle Centre of Excellence frameworks, playbooks and guideline, helping establish consistent lifecycle standards and ways of working.
• Share successful approaches, insights and learning across Consumer and B2B, finding opportunities to reuse and scale effective lifecycle approaches.

Required skills and experience

• Experience delivering and optimising CRM, lifecycle, retention, renewal, upsell or other commercially focused customer programmes, ideally in a B2C or subscription environment.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret customer and commercial performance, find opportunities and translate insight into clear actions.
• A test-and-learn approach, with experience developing and evaluating experiments to improve customer and commercial outcomes.
• Ability to develop programme plans and roadmaps and manage initiatives from briefing through implementation, measurement and optimisation.
• Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of how retention, pricing, upsell and customer engagement contribute to revenue and ARPU.
• Experience collaborating across analytical, marketing, technical, operational and customer-facing teams to deliver outcomes.
• Strong communication and relationship management skills, including the ability to explain performance, risks, opportunities and recommendations clearly.
• Ability to create clear, detailed briefs for customer journeys, communications and experience improvements.
• Strong attention to detail, particularly when managing customer communications, quality assurance and compliance requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple programmes and priorities while maintaining clear ownership of delivery and outcomes.

Desirable

• Experience working in a subscription-based or B2C environment.
• Experience working across multiple customer audiences or propositions.

What’s in it for you? Our benefits

Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning. We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams.

Accessibility

We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory.

Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further information

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Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.

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