Customer Data & Mktg Tech Mgr

JOB SUMMARY The Customer Data & Marketing Technology Manager is responsible for leading customer data platform management and marketing technology enablement within the IT department.  The current platform is Salesforce, encompassing Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, CRM, and Tableau.  This role functions as a bridge between IT and business stakeholders, translating customer data strategy into technical implementation.  The incumbent focuses on making data usable and actionable for the company: unified customer profiles, audience segmentation, data quality governance, and Marketing Cloud readiness.  This role is the primary IT point of intake for technical requests from marketing and business stakeholders related to the customer data ecosystem—receiving requests, evaluating them, scoping solutions, coordinating with IT development or outside vendors, and ensuring successful implementation.  The skills this role requires—data strategy, platform management, cross-functional partnership, and the ability to translate business needs into technical execution—are enduring, even as specific tools evolve over time. Note: This position is one component of a two-person IT support model for the customer data and marketing technology ecosystem.  The Retail Systems Manager focuses on CRM administration, user provisioning and permissions across the Salesforce suite, monitoring data delivery from enterprise systems into Salesforce, and day-to-day user support.  That role also carries general IT support responsibilities beyond Salesforce, which limits the time and focus available for platform development work.  This new role picks up where the operational work hands off: managing the Data Cloud environment, handling data integrations within and across the Salesforce platforms, preparing data for Marketing Cloud and business use, serving as a strategic partner to marketing and business stakeholders, and driving forward-looking platform optimization.  Together, these two roles cover the full lifecycle from data ingestion through business activation.  The business owns the outcomes of the platform; this role owns the mechanics that make those outcomes possible.  IT is successful when the business is successful.  The Customer Data & Marketing Technology Manager participates in both IT and marketing team meetings and planning processes, maintaining a clear understanding of where both teams are headed and what is needed from each side.   ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT & AREAS OF IMPACT Reporting Relationship & Peers Reports to the Business Systems Manager, as do: - Business Systems Analyst III - Business Systems Analyst IV Reporting Directly to This Job - N/A     RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE Essential Job Functions PRIMARY - Customer Data Strategy & Platform Management: Owns the design, configuration, and ongoing management of the Data Cloud data model, including data streams, data lake objects, data model objects, identity resolution rulesets, and calculated insights.  Works alongside marketing power users who are actively building in Data Cloud—supporting their work, auditing configurations, teaching platform capabilities, and ensuring technical consistency across the environment.  Business power users are expected to be active participants in Data Cloud, including building calculated insights and defining segments; this role supports, enables, audits, and teaches alongside that engagement, not in place of it.  Manages customer identity resolution across brands, ensuring accurate unification of the 600K+ contact database while respecting brand-specific data boundaries.  Builds and maintains real-time and batch audience segmentation in collaboration with the marketing team: marketing defines the segmentation strategy and is hands-on in building segments; this role provides technical execution support, ensures segments are properly configured, and proactively recommends segmentation opportunities based on data patterns.  Monitors Data Cloud health (identity resolution accuracy, segment population, calculated insight performance, and downstream data quality).  The Retail Systems Manager monitors data delivery into Salesforce from enterprise systems; this role handles data integrations within and across the Salesforce platforms, maintaining clear ownership at the handoff point.  Ensures data leaving Data Cloud for Marketing Cloud activation is complete, accurate, and structured for campaign execution.  Leads cross-brand customer identity initiatives, including unified customer login across Cokesbury, Amplify Media (Katapy), Ministry Matters (Tizra), and satellite properties, ensuring the customer data architecture supports recognition and tracking across all platforms; this initiative extends beyond Salesforce into the broader customer access ecosystem.  Consults on business data collection plans—such as tagging matrices, audience expansion strategies, and new data point identification—to ensure the platform is configured and ready to receive, store, and activate the data being collected. - Data Governance & Quality: Establishes and maintains data quality governance across the entire customer data ecosystem—CRM, Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and customer-facing platforms.  This is not limited to Data Cloud; customer data quality begins where the data is stored and collected, and many critical data points reside in CRM.  Builds and monitors automated data quality processes, manages exception workflows, and champions data quality standards across IT.  Business stakeholders define the governance rules; this role implements and enforces them through tooling and automation, and coordinates exception resolution between IT and the business.  Evaluates and recommends third-party tools and plug-ins that support data quality, data collection, and data flow objectives (e.g., Data Groomr, FormTitan, and similar applications), advising on selection, configuration, and fit within the broader data governance framework.  Provides oversight of CRM data flows to ensure that data entering, moving through, and leaving CRM is consistent with governance standards and does not create unintended downstream effects in Data Cloud or Marketing Cloud. - Marketing Cloud Technical Administration: Administers Marketing Cloud technical infrastructure (data extensions, automation schedules, API/SFTP connections, send classification, and deliverability monitoring).  Collaborates with the marketing team to ensure data flowing into Marketing Cloud is actionable for campaign execution, audience journeys, and personalization.  Supports Salesforce release management in coordination with the Retail Systems Manager—reviews release notes for Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud impacts, coordinates testing, and communicates changes.  Provides architecture guidance on CRM configuration decisions that affect downstream data quality or Data Cloud/Marketing Cloud functionality.  Manages sandbox environments and change management processes for Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud configuration. - Technical Request Management & Integration Coordination: Serves as the primary IT point of intake for technical requests from marketing and business stakeholders related to the customer data and marketing technology ecosystem.  Receives requests, evaluates feasibility, scopes solutions, and coordinates implementation with IT development staff or outside vendors.  When new data points, connectors, or integrations are identified by the business, owns the lifecycle from evaluation through implementation: assesses what is needed, determines the technical approach, coordinates with the appropriate IT resources or vendors to build it, validates it is working correctly, and ensures it is documented and monitored.  Maps and documents the end-to-end customer data lifecycle across the enterprise—from point of collection through commerce, fulfillment, and marketing systems—identifying gaps, disconnections, and opportunities to improve data completeness and flow.  This role does not build the connectors but owns the process of getting them evaluated, scoped, built, and verified.  Provides architecture guidance on configuration decisions across the Salesforce ecosystem that affect data quality or cross-platform functionality. - Business Partnership & Requirements: Serves as the primary IT point of contact for customer data and marketing technology needs, working closely with marketing, e-commerce, content, and executive stakeholders.  Participates in marketing team meetings and planning processes to understand business direction, upcoming campaigns, data collection initiatives, and audience strategy—ensuring IT’s platform work is aligned with where the business is headed, not just reacting to requests.  Translates business requirements into technical specifications, evaluating whether needs can be met through platform configuration, third-party tools, or custom development.  Develops and maintains documentation for Data Cloud processes, data flows, Marketing Cloud technical configurations, integration architecture, and governance standards.  Provides training and support to business users, enabling self-service capabilities where appropriate, particularly in Tableau reporting, Marketing Cloud segmentation, and Data Cloud calculated insights.  Provides routine operational updates to relevant teams regarding platform health, data quality trends, and strategic initiative progress. SECONDARY - Strategic Planning & Innovation: Evaluates and recommends emerging platform capabilities, including Salesforce Einstein AI, Agentforce, and new Data Cloud features, assessing applicability to UM Publishing’s business objectives.  Establishes and maintains architectural standards and best practices that guide configuration and development decisions across the customer data ecosystem, ensuring consistency between CRM, Data Cloud, and Marketing Cloud environments.  Ensures architecture decisions are flexible and scalable for future growth, including potential expansion of brands, channels, or data sources.  Stays current on the Salesforce product roadmap, industry trends in customer data platforms and marketing technology, and publishing industry technology developments.  Brings proactive recommendations to IT leadership and business stakeholders, identifying opportunities to leverage the customer data platform for competitive advantage.  Manages relationships with Salesforce account teams, consulting partners, and managed services providers as applicable.  Contributes to IT strategic planning, quarterly board reporting, and business case development for platform-related investments.  Administers Tableau server/cloud environment (data source governance, user provisioning, security, and performance optimization). These essential job functions are not intended to cover all work details or the occasional performance of other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.   Salesforce Suite Scope - Salesforce Data Cloud (Data 360) – Primary focus.  Unified customer data platform (data model management, identity resolution, real-time and batch segmentation, calculated insights, and data quality governance).  This role owns what happens to data after it enters the Salesforce ecosystem. - Marketing Cloud – IT-side technical administration (data extensions, API/SFTP configurations, deliverability monitoring, send classification, and compliance).  Campaign operations (journey building, content creation, segmentation strategy) are owned by the marketing team; this role ensures the technical infrastructure supports those operations. - Salesforce CRM – Collaborative support.  Day-to-day CRM administration (user provisioning, permissions, configuration, customer service support) is handled by the Retail Systems Manager.  This role provides oversight of CRM data flows and integrations to ensure that configuration decisions and data changes in CRM do not create unintended consequences in Data Cloud, Marketing Cloud, or other downstream platforms. - Tableau – Platform administration, data source governance, user provisioning, and security.  Dashboard development may be shared with business analysts in marketing or finance.   JOB REQUIREMENTS Education, Experience, & Certifications REQUIRED - Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience - At least five (5) years of experience in customer data platform management, marketing technology administration, or Salesforce platform management, with at least one (1) year involving multi-product environments (CRM + one or more of: Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Tableau, or comparable platforms) or demonstrated ability to ramp quickly through certification and related experience - Demonstrated experience with customer data platforms, unified customer data environments, or data management at scale (100K+ records) - Experience collaborating with marketing or business teams on data-driven initiatives, translating business needs into platform configuration - Salesforce Certified Data Cloud Consultant (within 6 to 12 months of hire) - Salesforce Certified Administrator (within 6 to 12 months of hire) - Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Administrator or Marketing Cloud Developer or Salesforce Certified Marketing Cloud Email Specialist (within 12 months of hire) PREFERRED - Experience with unified customer identity or single sign-on implementations across multiple web properties - Experience with AI-driven platform features, predictive analytics, or marketing automation AI capabilities - Experience in publishing, media, religious/nonprofit, or subscription-based business environments - Familiarity with e-commerce platforms, particularly NOP Commerce or similar .NET-based commerce systems - Experience with ERP integrations or enterprise financial systems - Tableau Desktop Specialist or Tableau Certified Data Analyst certification   Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities - Customer data platform management – data model configuration, identity resolution, audience segmentation, and calculated insights - Current platform is Salesforce Data Cloud (Data 360) - Marketing technology administration – data extensions, automations, API connections, Journey Builder technical configuration - Current platform is Salesforce Marketing Cloud - CRM architecture – strong working knowledge of CRM data model, data flows, and configuration sufficient to provide oversight and architectural guidance (primary CRM administration handled by Retail Systems Manager) - Current platform is Salesforce CRM - Data visualization and analytics platform administration – server/cloud administration, data source management, and basic dashboard development - Current platform is Tableau - Data governance – deduplication strategies, data quality monitoring and automation, consent management, and governance framework implementation across multi-platform environments - Familiarity with integration technologies (REST/SOAP APIs, SFTP, S3/cloud storage connectors) sufficient to evaluate, scope, and coordinate integration projects and troubleshoot data flow issues   Key Competencies - Bridge-Building Mindset – ability to operate effectively at the intersection of IT and business, translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and business needs for technical teams - Proactive Problem-Solving – identifying issues before they become business-impacting, monitors system health, and brings solutions rather than waiting for tickets - Data-First Thinking – understanding that clean, connected, and actionable customer data is a strategic asset and treating data quality as a continuous discipline, not a one-time project - Systems Thinking – seeing the customer data lifecycle as a connected whole—from point of collection through commerce, fulfillment, and marketing activation—and understanding how decisions in one part of the ecosystem affect outcomes in another - Collaborative Ownership – taking full accountability for the technical mechanics of the customer data platform while recognizing that the business owns the outcomes; success depends on partnership with the Retail Systems Manager, IT development staff, marketing, e-commerce, and content teams - Continuous Learning – staying current with the rapidly evolving platform landscape and bringing relevant innovations to the organization’s attention; the tools will change; the discipline of managing customer data well will not - Clear Communication – producing documentation, status reports, and recommendations that are concise, well-structured, and audience-appropriate   Working Conditions - Occasional off-hours work may be required during platform release windows, critical integration failures, or time-sensitive data issues - Minimal travel (less than 10%) may be required for vendor meetings, industry events, or cross-site collaboration   AI-Enabled Workplace The United Methodist Publishing House is committed to maximizing the impact of artificial intelligence by adopting and integrating AI tools across our work.  These technologies are vital to enhancing productivity, fostering creativity, and strengthening decision-making.  All staff members are expected to engage thoughtfully and responsibly with AI as part of their professional responsibilities.  Core expectations include: - Responsible AI Integration – Leverage AI tools strategically to streamline workflows, generate actionable insights, and deliver exceptional outcomes that advance our mission. - Critical Evaluation & Oversight – Apply professional judgment and critical thinking when reviewing, refining, and validating all AI-generated content and recommendations to ensure accuracy and alignment with our standards. - Continuous Learning & Innovation – Maintain curiosity and adaptability toward emerging AI technologies, actively contributing to innovative practices within your area of expertise while supporting organizational growth. - Ethical & Secure Practice – Uphold UMPH’s commitment to ethical, transparent, and secure AI usage, ensuring all applications align with our mission, values, and community standards.   Equal Employment Opportunity UMPH is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.