About the Marketing Department:
The Marketing team drives brand awareness, customer engagement, and trip bookings through strategic campaigns, compelling content, and data-driven insights. They manage digital and traditional marketing channels, optimize customer outreach, and enhance the brand’s presence to inspire travelers and grow the business.
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.
About the Role:
We’re seeking a Senior Manager of CRM, Direct Mail and Loyalty to lead the strategy, execution, and measurement of customer lifecycle initiatives across both digital and offline channels. This role combines strategic campaign leadership with data fluency – overseeing CRM and direct mail programs that deepen customer engagement, retention, and referrals. You’ll collaborate closely with analytics and creative partners to deliver personalized, high-performing programs that drive measurable impact.
What You’ll Be Doing:
CRM & Lifecycle Strategy
- Own the multi-channel CRM roadmap, encompassing email, and direct mail programs.
- Develop segmentation, targeting, and personalization strategies across customer lifecycle stages (acquisition, onboarding, engagement, retention, and reactivation).
- Build and optimize automated and triggered campaigns that improve engagement, conversion, and retention KPIs.
- Develop and evolve campaigns to achieve LTV or segment targets.
- Collaborate with product and digital teams to integrate CRM touchpoints across web, app, and offline journeys.
Direct Mail Program Management
- Lead strategy, testing, and execution for direct mail as part of the integrated CRM ecosystem.
- Manage audience selection, creative testing, production workflows, vendor relationships, and timelines.
- Oversee campaign QA, ensuring data accuracy and flawless delivery.
- Align direct mail with digital touchpoints to deliver cohesive omnichannel experiences.
Analytics & Insights
- Conduct on-going analysis of the prospect and house file to identify gaps for nurture or conversion.
- Translate data insights into actionable recommendations to improve campaign effectiveness and ROI.
- Lead post-campaign analyses to understand drivers of performance, attribution impact, and long-term customer value.
- Partner with other channels to grow base and build attribution methodology.
- Provide leadership in test design (A/B, holdout, multivariate) to optimize offers, creativity, and segmentation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership
- Partner with creative, product, and operations teams to ensure consistent messaging and operational excellence across channels.
- Communicate performance results and strategic recommendations to leadership.
- Serve as the Subject Matter Expert for Product and IT, directing development and maintenance of functional improvements and tracking across systems and platforms to ensure accuracy.
- Manage and mentor junior marketers or analysts, fostering analytical curiosity and data-driven decision-making.
- Advocate for continuous improvement, innovation, and best practices in CRM and direct mail analytics.
What You’ll Need to Be Successful:
- 7+ years of experience in CRM, lifecycle, or retention marketing with direct ownership of analytics or reporting.
- Proven success managing integrated CRM and direct mail programs end-to-end.
- Advanced proficiency with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Braze, Iterable, Adobe Campaign).
- Strong analytical skills — able to interpret data, create dashboards, and present insights clearly.
- Hands-on experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker, Power BI) and working knowledge of SQL or similar query languages.
- Deep understanding of segmentation, testing methodology, and attribution.
- Excellent cross-functional communication, project management, and attention to detail.
- Experience leading or mentoring a small team preferred.
Work Environment:
- On-site, Berkeley, CA
- 4 days in-office
About Backroads:
At Backroads we’re passionate about connecting our guests with so many of the most beautiful places in the world. We use our four-plus decades of expertise to create exceptional biking, hiking, and multi-adventure trips in over 50 countries for people wanting a deeper and richer travel experience. We travel on land as well as by small luxury ships on active river and ocean cruises. Our trips are for all ages – including dedicated itineraries just for families. We are known for our unwavering attention to quality. We have a dynamic work environment and a strong company culture.
Why Backroads:
At Backroads, we value every single member of our staff, and we’re proud to offer a dynamic work environment that enables growth. Your colleagues will be some of the most dedicated, competent, active, and fun people you will ever meet. A job at Backroads is unlike any other job you will ever have – you will be challenged, you will be inspired, and you will be gratified. No matter what you do here, you will be part of something that makes us all proud – delivering authentic, enriching, and often profoundly life-changing experiences. On top of all that, we have some pretty great benefits and perks! For example our US office employees receive:
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match, flex plan, and parental leave
- Generous paid time off, 8 paid holidays, and additional time off to go on Backroads trips!
- Complimentary trips and trip discounts for employees, and trip discounts for employees’ friends and family!
- Outdoor industry discounts and deals
- Alternative commuter incentives for biking, walking, carpooling, or using public transportation to get to work
- Wellness programs and regular lunchtime bike rides and yoga
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.
