About the role:

We are seeking a strategic, guest-centric Lifecycle Marketing Manager to lead the development and execution of Backroads' lifecycle marketing strategy across the entire guest journey, from initial inquiry through repeat travel and brand advocacy. This role will ensure guests receive relevant, timely, and engaging communications that strengthen relationships, deepen loyalty, and drive long-term business growth.

The Lifecycle Marketing Manager combines customer insight, marketing expertise, creative thinking, and team leadership to create seamless, data-informed experiences across channels. As the owner of lifecycle strategy, this individual will partner cross-functionally to align messaging, audience strategy, and campaign execution around the needs of our guests.

This role works closely with the Principal Marketing Analyst, who leads customer analytics, forecasting, attribution, testing frameworks, and performance insights. Together, these leaders bring customer strategy and analytical rigor to optimize the guest experience and drive measurable business results.

What you'll be doing:

• Own Backroads' lifecycle marketing strategy and guest journey, driving engagement from first inquiry through repeat travel and advocacy.
• Develop and execute the lifecycle marketing roadmap, including lead nurture, retention, re-engagement, loyalty, and personalization initiatives.
• Manage and lead a small team responsible for email marketing, marketing automation, guest nurture programs, loyalty marketing, and direct mail.
• Partner with Creative, Content, and Brand teams to deliver compelling, guest-centric communications that strengthen engagement and loyalty. (this role does not craft copy)
• Shape lifecycle communications by leading messaging strategy, audience targeting, journey design, campaign development, and content prioritization across guest touchpoints.
• Collaborate with the Principal Marketing Analyst to translate customer insights, testing results, and performance data into lifecycle strategies that drive engagement, retention, and growth.
• Ensure a seamless, personalized guest experience by overseeing CRM operations, marketing automation, segmentation, and cross-channel journey execution.
• Drive continuous improvement across lifecycle marketing programs through performance optimization, data stewardship, and effective management of external partners and vendors.

What you'll need to be successful:

• Must have 5+ years of experience (inclusive of 2-3+ years of people management experience) within lifecycle marketing, CRM, and retention/loyalty marketing preferably within a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business environment
• Leadership Depth: Experience coaching and developing team members, setting clear priorities and improving performance within a marketing operations or CRM team.
• Platform Expertise: Expert-level proficiency with CRM/Automation platforms (Salesforce Marketing Cloud strongly preferred).
• Analytical Mindset: Proven ability to leverage dashboards, interpret performance trends, and use data to influence roadmap priorities and drive results.
• Executive Communication: Ability to translate lifecycle performance, test results and customer insights into concise, actionable recommendations for senior leadership.
• Team & Partner Management: Experience managing marketing specialists and serving as the primary point of contact for internal and external development partners to support campaign execution, technical implementation, and ongoing platform improvements.
• Collaboration: A track record of driving cross-functional success in a matrixed organization.

Work environment:

• On-Site, Berkeley, CA
• 4 days in-office, 1 day work from home (Wednesdays)

About the Department:

The Backroads Marketing team is powered by strong collaborators, visionaries and creative minds who bring decades of knowledge and experience to showcase the fun-filled seamless adventures our guests love. You’ll be bringing your imagination, strong work ethic and critical eye for detail to a dedicated group of team members who are passionate about sharing the joys of active travel with both returning guests and brand-new audiences. The department is comprised of several teams, which include the below:

• Direct Mail & CRM: Engages past and prospective guests through targeted email campaigns and personalized direct mail, leveraging data to drive bookings and loyalty.
• PR & Partnership: Builds brand awareness and credibility through media outreach, strategic partnerships and influencer collaborations to expand Backroads’ reach.
• Website Management: Oversees the website’s content, functionality and user experience to ensure seamless navigation, accurate information and optimized conversion.
• Brand, Content, Community: Responsible for the creative design, content and social media presence for the Backroads brand.

By joining the Marketing team at Backroads, you’ll be part of a group that values building innovative people processes and fostering a positive, inclusive employee experience.

About Backroads:​

Founded in 1979, Backroads is the world’s leading guest-focused travel company, offering luxury Biking, Hiking & Walking, and Multi-Adventure Trips for active people of all ages and experience levels. But we’re more than a travel company —we’re pioneers in crafting extraordinary experiences that bring people closer to the world and each other. We blend innovation, precision, and an unrelenting drive for excellence, drawing strength from our roots as a long-standing, family-run, global company. ​ We are dynamic, resilient and invest deeply in our people and our guests. We set the benchmark in active travel and raise it every year. ​

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Why Backroads:​

Backroads is built on sustainable growth, a transparent culture and a high-caliber team. We empower employees to deliver exceptional experiences and share our story with pride. You’ll work alongside dedicated, competent and active colleagues in an environment that values collaboration, balance and continual improvement. We move fast, act with integrity and strive for high-quality results.

Backroads is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Salary Ranges:

$140,000.00 - $180,000.00

At Backroads, we uphold a commitment to transparency and fairness within our hiring process, particularly regarding compensation. The salary range posted for each role applies to both employment offers and employees actively working in the role.

New hires are typically offered a starting salary between the minimum and midpoint of the range to ensure there is continued opportunity for salary progression during your employment at Backroads, reflecting our commitment to rewarding ongoing dedication, high performance, and significant contributions to our team. This approach not only supports our budgeting strategy but also our intention to foster an environment that encourages long-term growth and strong relationships between Backroads and our valued employees.

Our office roles are onsite in our Berkeley headquarters, unless specifically noted as 'available for remote'. We do allow one work-from-home day a week, as well as one work-from-anywhere week per year. This pay range is intended for in-person work in our Berkeley, CA headquarters. Pay ranges for remote-eligible roles will be subject to adjustment based on the geolocation of the employee.