Position Summary:

This role is responsible for the development and execution of NW Natural marketing strategies and programs with primary emphasis on cross-channel direct response efforts targeting residential and commercial customers.

The Marketing Manager leads the planning, development, and execution of marketing strategies and campaigns, using data-driven analysis and financial evaluation to inform decisions and maximize business outcomes. This position is accountable for establishing campaign objectives, tracking performance, and optimizing strategies to improve customer retention, encourage adoption of new services and equipment offerings, and support targeted customer growth initiatives.

The role also leads development and implementation of direct response marketing capabilities, best practices, and processes. Responsibilities include building and developing marketing team expertise while leveraging AI-enabled tools and workflows to enhance audience targeting, campaign personalization, testing, performance measurement, and next-best-action marketing strategies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Leads and develops marketing team members, with responsibility for coaching, training, performance management, and talent acquisition. Fosters a high-performing, collaborative team environment while supporting employee growth, accountability, high-level of customer service, and achievement of business objectives.
• Allocates resources (people and financial) to achieve marketing objectives.
• Primary emphasis on cross-channel direct response marketing programs (email, direct mail, digital, outbound calling, paid media, website journeys, partner channels). The role is accountable  for delivery of short and long-term marketing programs:
  • Customer reactivation and customer retention campaigns
  • Single Family Home New Construction marketing
  • New gas service or equipment customer adoption programs
  • Marketing programs to support HVAC and Hearth channel partners
  • Various other marketing programs as needed.
• Leads the development and execution of direct response marketing capabilities, processes, and best practices. Responsibilities include customer data analysis and enhancement, audience segmentation and targeting, campaign automation, test-and-learn optimization, performance analytics, and next-best-action planning. This role partners closely with internal technology and customer experience teams and is responsible for identifying, engaging, and managing third-party agencies and vendors as needed to support marketing objectives.
• Oversees the NW Natural Service Solutions channel partner equipment service referral program.
• Collaborates with Community Relations to enhance the NW Natural interests and activities that support marketing objectives.
• Collaborates with Corporate Communications to develop and execute integrated marketing and communications plans that support promotional campaigns. Ensures consistent messaging, coordinated campaign delivery, and alignment of market positioning across channels and customer audiences as well as alignment with NW Natural messaging objectives.
• Works closely with the NW Natural research manager and the marketing team data analyst as well as third-party data sources to conduct data analysis, leverage customer insights, and complete performance measurement that supports of marketing strategies and campaigns. Utilizes data, analytics tools and reporting platforms to evaluate campaign effectiveness and track key performance indicators (KPIs) that inform decisions. Data will be used for lead generation, segmentation strategy, message development, and for reporting campaign results. Applies data-driven insights to optimize campaign performance and maximize marketing budget effectiveness.
• Responsible for developing and managing marketing measurement frameworks and performance analytics to evaluate campaign effectiveness and business impact. Monitors and analyzes key metrics, including campaign ROI, cost per acquisition/conversion, equipment adoption rates, customer response, and channel performance, using insights to optimize marketing strategies, improve results, and inform future investment decisions.
• Builds positive relationships with contractors, builders and NW Natural departments. Ensures resolution and mediation of problems between internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepares budget, analyzing costs/benefits; continuously evaluates cost reductions and financial performance enhancement opportunities.
• This position may require some travel in region and North America.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor degree in business, marketing, communications or other related field or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.  MBA is a plus but not required.
• 5–10 years of progressively responsible cross-channel direct response marketing experience including expertise in customer targeting, direct marketing automation, testing, analysis practices and techniques. Demonstrated ability to develop and execute marketing strategies and programs to meet organizational objectives.
• Digital marketing experience with a focus on email marketing, social media marketing,  content marketing strategy and development, as well as search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO).  Demonstrated ability to plan, execute, and optimize digital campaigns that drive customer engagement, lead generation, and business results.
• Experience with emerging direct marketing trends, including execution of direct marketing AI-assisted practices.
• Requires demonstrated leadership experience in directing and leading a team; delegating and coordinating team activities with a strategic focus; skill and commitment to coaching and developing team members. Demonstrated ability to develop and manage marketing functions then coach and motivate others to successfully implement.
• Ability to think strategically. Skilled at defining issues, selecting and organizing appropriate information, presenting recommendations to leadership and identifying alternative solutions.
• Understanding of utility industry dynamics and conditions (including utility regulation and rate making) preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated leadership, interpersonal, consensus building and presentation skills including a proven ability to interface with all levels including executive management.
• Demonstrated business acumen and reasoning skills through effective oral and written communications, research and analysis, technical documentation and report preparation and delivery of presentations—usually through MS PowerPoint.
• Integrative thinker who uses inclusive communication techniques to incorporate diverse opinions and points of view into workable, comprehensive solutions.
• Strong digital and technology proficiency, including experience with business productivity applications such as Microsoft 365, marketing technology platforms, CRM systems, and analytics tools. Demonstrated ability to leverage data and technology to inform decision-making, optimize marketing performance, and improve business outcomes.