Director Lifecycle Engagement & CRM in Calabasas, California at AmaWaterways, LLC

At AmaWaterways, we believe meaningful careers begin with purpose, passion and a shared commitment to delivering unforgettable experiences. For those who value curiosity, connection and personal enrichment, AmaWaterways offers the opportunity to help craft meaningful river journeys that invite travelers to follow their own current. Built on a foundation of heartfelt hospitality, we treat our guests—and each other—with genuine care, warmth and respect. AmaWaterways fosters a collaborative environment both onboard our ships and across our global network of offices, where team members grow together, support one another and take pride in upholding the high standards and thoughtful service our company is known for.

We invite talented, motivated professionals to explore our career opportunities and begin their journey with AmaWaterways today.

Position Summary

The Director, Lifecycle Engagement & CRM drives the vision, strategy, and performance of a modern, globally enabled lifecycle program across the entire guest journey, spanning prospects, guests, and travel advisor partners.

Reporting to the SVP of Marketing, this leader sets lifecycle strategy and priorities, builds the roadmap to deliver them, and leads the team responsible for execution. The Director establishes a unified approach to engagement across digital and offline touchpoints, ensuring every interaction, from initial discovery through post-cruise advocacy, is coordinated, data-driven, and experience-led.

As a senior cross-functional leader, this role aligns marketing, product, operations, revenue management, sales, and technology around shared goals for engagement, personalization, and long-term value creation. The ideal candidate is a strategic leader and builder who combines customer insight, CRM expertise, and team leadership to drive measurable business impact and influence decisions at the executive level.

Key Responsibilities

Lifecycle Strategy & Journey Vision

• Define, own, and evolve the lifecycle engagement strategy across acquisition, pre-cruise, onboard, and post-cruise experiences, in partnership with the SVP of Marketing
• Set the multi-year lifecycle roadmap, investment priorities, and journey frameworks
• Architect a cohesive end-to-end guest and advisor journey across all touchpoints
• Direct the ongoing optimization of lifecycle programs spanning onboarding, engagement, retention, loyalty, and win-back
• Identify and prioritize the largest opportunities to grow customer lifetime value, repeat engagement, and direct bookings

Cross-Functional Guest Experience Integration

• Serve as the lifecycle lead with Product, Operations, Revenue Management, Sales, and Technology leadership to ensure lifecycle strategies are delivered across the full guest experience
• Bridge marketing strategy with real-world guest interactions, driving alignment across pre-travel, onboard, and service touchpoints
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that connect data, teams, and touchpoints into a unified engagement model

Lifecycle Execution & Journey Activation

• Oversee the delivery of lifecycle programs across core audiences:
  • Prospects: lead generation and nurturing
  • Guests: pre-, during, and post-cruise lifecycle
  • Travel advisors: engagement and retention
• Set the standards for orchestrating lifecycle touchpoints into a seamless and connected experience across channels
• Align lifecycle campaigns with broader marketing and sales strategy in partnership with peer leaders

Lead Generation & Nurturing

• Own the lead management and nurturing strategy and the programs that deliver it
• Define segmentation and engagement strategies that move prospects through the funnel efficiently
• Direct the build-out of behavior-based journeys that improve conversion rates
• Partner with sales and trade leadership to integrate advisor-driven and direct lead flows

Data, Segmentation & Personalization

• Partner with IT and Data leadership to set lifecycle data strategy, standards, and governance
• Hold accountability for lifecycle programs being powered by accurate, unified, and actionable data
• Define audience segmentation strategy to improve targeting and engagement
• Lead the shift toward personalized, dynamic engagement using behavioral and predictive insights

Lifecycle Program Development

• Direct the development and scaling of lifecycle programs across all stages, including:
  • Prospect nurturing and conversion
  • Pre-cruise engagement and preparation
  • Onboard and in-journey engagement
  • Post-cruise retention, loyalty, and advocacy
  • Advisor engagement and enablement
• Champion content-driven and experience-led approaches to strengthen both guest and advisor relationships

Performance & Optimization

• Own performance targets for acquisition, conversion, engagement, retention, and lifecycle revenue
• Report lifecycle performance and insights to senior leadership, translating results into clear strategic recommendations
• Build and lead a test-and-learn culture across lifecycle initiatives
• Monitor performance trends and direct continuous refinement of programs to improve outcomes

Technology & Enablement

• Partner with Digital and IT leadership to shape the CRM and marketing technology roadmap in support of lifecycle goals
• Drive business requirements and prioritization for CRM platform enhancements, data integration, and activation capabilities
• Ensure systems enable seamless, scalable execution across channels

Team Leadership & Budget

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in lifecycle marketing, CRM, or customer engagement, including 3+ years leading teams
• Proven track record of setting and delivering lifecycle strategies across full-funnel customer journeys
• Deep expertise in segmentation, personalization, and customer data strategy
• Experience leading programs across both direct-to-consumer and partner ecosystems
• Demonstrated ability to influence and align senior cross-functional stakeholders beyond marketing, including product and operations
• Experience shaping CRM and marketing technology roadmaps (Salesforce or similar)
• Strong analytical and business acumen, with the ability to translate insights into strategy and investment decisions
• Experience owning budgets and managing agency and vendor relationships

Competencies

• Strategic leader who sets a clear vision and builds the plans and teams to deliver it
• Deep understanding of the customer journey and lifecycle marketing principles
• Influential cross-functional partner who builds alignment at the senior level
• Data-driven and results-oriented, with accountability for business outcomes
• Talent developer who coaches, mentors, and elevates team performance
• Able to manage a broad portfolio of programs and priorities simultaneously

Success Metrics

• Growth in lifecycle-driven revenue and customer lifetime value
• Improved lead-to-conversion rates and funnel efficiency
• Increased guest engagement, retention, and repeat bookings
• Effectiveness and scale of personalized lifecycle programs
• Seamless execution of integrated, cross-channel guest journeys
• Contribution to broader marketing and business objectives through lifecycle strategy
• Team engagement, development, and retention