Career guide
CRM Manager Job Description: Templates for Retail, Apps and B2B
A CRM manager job description in marketing describes someone who runs email, SMS, push, in-app and loyalty programs for existing customers and answers for retention and repeat revenue. It should name the channels, the customer data and tools, and the metrics. Postings for CRM systems or Salesforce roles describe a different job, so read the responsibilities before the title. Below are templates for retail, apps and B2B, plus a senior version.
Key takeaways
- A marketing CRM manager job description covers email, SMS, push, in-app and loyalty programs for existing customers, and is measured on retention and repeat revenue.
- A CRM systems or Salesforce manager job description covers configuring and maintaining the software, which is a different job from CRM marketing.
- Retail CRM manager roles focus on repeat purchase and loyalty, app roles on activation and churn, and B2B roles on nurture, onboarding and expansion.
- A CRM and email marketing manager posting usually describes a hands-on role that builds the emails and journeys as well as planning them.
- Strong CRM manager postings name the customer data platform and messaging tools, because hands-on tool experience is often the deciding skill.
Download all 4 templates (Word) Opens in Google Docs too.
Our CRM manager guide covers what the job is and how to get into it. This page is about the posting: templates by business type, how to tell a marketing CRM role from a CRM systems role, and what each line usually means.
What does a CRM manager job description include?
A CRM manager job description in marketing says which customers the person markets to, on which channels, with which data and tools, and which retention numbers they own. Strong postings cover five things:
| Section | What it should say | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Email, SMS, push, in-app, direct mail, loyalty | The mix varies a lot by business |
| Customer data | The customer data platform, warehouse or CRM it lives in | Tells you how much segmentation you can do |
| Tools | [Braze / Klaviyo / Salesforce Marketing Cloud / Iterable / HubSpot] | Often the deciding skill |
| Team | Copy, design, data, an automation specialist, or none | Whether you build or brief |
| Measures | Retention, repeat purchase, churn, revenue per customer | What you’ll be judged on |
If the posting names a messaging tool you’ve used, mention it in your first line. If it doesn’t name any, ask which one in the first call.
Is a CRM manager a marketing job or a systems job?
It depends on the posting. In marketing, CRM means customer relationship marketing: messages and programs for existing customers. In sales operations and IT, a CRM manager or administrator runs the software itself, such as Salesforce or HubSpot, for the sales team.
| Marketing CRM manager | CRM systems manager | |
|---|---|---|
| Owns | Campaigns, journeys, segments, loyalty | The CRM platform, its fields, users and integrations |
| Works with | Marketing, ecommerce, product, data | Sales, sales operations, IT |
| Measured on | Retention, repeat revenue, churn | Data quality, adoption, system uptime |
| Typical verbs | Plan, segment, test, send | Configure, integrate, maintain, train |
Read the “what you’ll do” list. Campaigns and customer segments mean a marketing role; fields, permissions and integrations mean a systems role. Some smaller companies combine them, and the marketing operations manager page covers that hybrid.
Retail or ecommerce CRM manager job description template
Use this for a retailer or direct-to-consumer brand. Replace the [brackets] and cut what doesn’t apply.
Job title: CRM Manager, [Ecommerce / Retention / Loyalty] About [Company] [Two sentences: what you sell, to whom, and the size of your customer base or loyalty program.] About the role You'll own how we market to existing customers across email, SMS and [loyalty / app / direct mail], and grow repeat purchase and customer value. You'll report to [Head of Retention / Ecommerce Director / CMO] and work with ecommerce, merchandising, creative and data. What you'll do - Plan and run the CRM calendar: promotions, launches and seasonal campaigns. - Build and improve automated journeys: welcome, browse and cart abandonment, post-purchase, replenishment, win-back. - Create customer segments with data, such as first-time buyers, lapsed customers and loyalty tiers. - Run tests and holdout groups to measure what CRM really adds. - Manage consent and preferences with legal and keep sends compliant. - Report monthly on repeat purchase rate, CRM revenue and customer retention. What you'll bring - [3-5] years in CRM, email or retention marketing for a consumer brand. - Hands-on experience with [Klaviyo / Braze / Salesforce Marketing Cloud]. - Comfort building segments and reading cohort results. - A record of journeys or programs you launched and measured. How we'll measure success - [Repeat purchase rate or customer retention] - [Revenue from CRM, measured against a holdout] - [List health: active subscribers, deliverability, unsubscribe rate] Pay and benefits [Salary range], [benefits], [location / hybrid / remote].
App or subscription CRM manager job description template
Use this when CRM means push, in-app and email for users of a product, often called lifecycle marketing.
Job title: CRM Manager, [Lifecycle / Engagement] About the role You'll own messaging to our users across push, in-app, email and SMS, to improve activation, engagement and retention. You'll report to [Head of Growth / Lifecycle Lead] and work with product, data and design. What you'll do - Build onboarding and engagement journeys in [Braze / Iterable / Customer.io]. - Use product data to trigger messages at the right moment, such as a first action or a drop-off. - Run A/B tests and holdouts on message, timing and channel. - Work with product on in-app messages and paywall or upgrade prompts. - Report on activation, retention cohorts, churn and conversion to paid. What you'll bring - [3-5] years in lifecycle or CRM at an app or subscription business. - Experience with event-based messaging and product analytics.
Our lifecycle marketing manager page covers this version of the job in depth.
B2B CRM marketing manager job description template
In B2B, CRM marketing usually means nurture, onboarding and expansion programs for leads and existing customers.
Job title: CRM Marketing Manager, [Customer / Lifecycle] What you'll do - Run nurture programs that move leads toward sales in [HubSpot / Marketo / Salesforce Marketing Cloud]. - Build onboarding and adoption emails for new customers with customer success. - Plan renewal and expansion campaigns with sales and account management. - Keep contact data, lead scoring and lifecycle stages accurate with marketing operations. - Report on conversion between stages, product adoption and renewal rates.
Senior CRM manager job description template
A senior CRM manager or head of CRM sets the retention strategy, owns the budget and tools, and leads a team. Add these lines to any template.
What you'll do (senior) - Set the CRM and retention strategy and yearly targets with leadership. - Own the messaging platform, the customer data roadmap and the CRM budget. - Lead a team of [CRM specialists / an automation specialist / copywriters]. - Build the measurement approach, including holdouts, so CRM's contribution is clear. - Present customer and retention results to leadership each quarter. What you'll bring (senior) - [6+] years in CRM or retention, including a program you built or rebuilt. - Experience managing people and a platform migration or rebuild.
How is a CRM manager measured?
A CRM manager is usually measured on what existing customers do, not on how many messages go out. Good postings name two or three of these.
| Measure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Repeat purchase rate or retention | Whether customers come back |
| Churn | How many customers or subscribers leave |
| Revenue from CRM, against a holdout | What CRM adds beyond what would have happened anyway |
| Customer lifetime value | How valuable each customer becomes |
| List health | Active subscribers, deliverability, unsubscribes |
If a posting only mentions open rates, ask how the team knows CRM drives revenue. It’s a fair question, and the answer shows how mature the program is.
How do you use the job description when applying?
Use the posting’s channels, tools and measures as the checklist for your resume. Lead with the journeys and results closest to the business type.
- Match the tool by name if you’ve used it, or the nearest equivalent.
- Lead with a retention result: “Raised repeat purchase rate from [x]% to [y]%”, “Cut 90-day churn by points”.
- Name a journey you built and what changed after it launched.
- Bring one test story to the interview, ideally with a holdout.
When you talk about your programs, explain them the way you’d explain them to a friend, with the detail that only you would know. That’s what makes a hiring manager picture you running their program. The email marketing interview questions page covers what you’re likely to be asked, and Recon can match your resume to the posting line by line using only facts already on it.
Some states now require pay ranges in job postings, and Virginia and Maine added the rule in 2026 (Cooley’s summary of new state pay transparency laws). If you’re hiring, check the rules where the role is based.
FAQ
What qualifications does a CRM manager need?
Most postings ask for several years in CRM, email or retention marketing, hands-on experience with a messaging platform and comfort with customer data. A marketing or business degree is common, but a record of journeys you built and results you measured counts for more.
What’s the difference between a CRM manager and an email marketing manager?
An email marketing manager focuses on one channel. A CRM manager owns the relationship with existing customers across several channels, plus the data and segments behind them. See email marketing manager for the single-channel role.
What is a CRM and email marketing manager?
It’s a hands-on version of the CRM role, common at smaller brands, where the same person plans the program and builds the emails and journeys. Expect more building and less managing than at a large company.
What tools does a CRM manager use?
Usually a messaging platform such as Braze, Klaviyo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Iterable or HubSpot, plus analytics and the company’s customer data platform or warehouse. Retail roles may add a loyalty platform.
Is a CRM manager a sales job?
In marketing, no. A marketing CRM manager markets to existing customers. A CRM systems or Salesforce manager supports the sales team’s software, which is a different job. Read the responsibilities to tell which one a posting means.