Senior Manager, edX Lifecycle Marketing

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives. What We’re Looking For: The Sr. Manager, edX Lifecycle Marketing is a strategic, hands-on "player-coach" responsible for owning and executing the full learner lifecycle program for edX.org, from sign-up through retention and subscription conversion. You will be the architect of engagement and retention across all product tiers (free, verified, subscription), building a behavioral lifecycle engine using Segment CDP and Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). This role requires a blend of strategic vision and technical depth to design and build industry-leading lifecycle programs, maximizing learner lifetime value. You will be at the intersection of Marketing, Product, Engineering, and Analytics. Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To: Strategy & Ownership: Own the end-to-end lifecycle strategy across all edX tiers (welcome, activation, retention, win-back, subscription launch). Define the lifecycle stage framework, segmentation logic, and growth playbooks to convert free users to paying customers. Serve as project owner for SFMC/CDP enhancements. CDP Activation: Partner with Engineering to activate Segment CDP, defining traits and audience syncs to SFMC to power personalization and advanced behavioral segmentation. Implement dynamic content and progressive profiling to increase Learner Lifetime Value. Email Leadership & Execution: Lead end-to-end email strategy, designing, building, and deploying sophisticated, automated journeys in SFMC (Journey Builder, AMPscript, data extensions). Own deliverability, A/B testing, and proactive re-engagement strategies to reduce churn. Operational Excellence: Implement robust QA, controls, and risk mitigation for the lifecycle function. Proactively optimize processes and provide transparent incident reporting. Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with Engineering on data architecture (CDP event instrumentation, SFMC integration), Product on the logged-in learner experience, and Analytics on measurement frameworks and attribution. Team Leadership: Lead and develop a small, high-performing team, serving as a practitioner-manager who builds journeys and ships work alongside the team. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Revenue Impact: LTV growth, Freemium-to-Paid Conversion, Subscription Trial Conversion & Renewal, Incremental Revenue. Lifecycle Health: Lifecycle Stage Progression, Engagement Score Trends, Journey Effectiveness, Email Health, Repeat Learners. Things That Should Be In Your Background: 7-10 years of experience in Lifecycle Marketing/CRM, with proven experience building multi-stage automated journeys at scale. Direct, hands-on proficiency with Salesforce Marketing Cloud (Journey Builder, data extensions, Automation Studio). Demonstrated proficiency with AMPscript and SQL for personalization and segmentation. Experience activating Customer Data Platforms (Segment, mParticle, etc.) for marketing personalization. 3+ years of people management experience. Proven ability to translate marketing strategy into technical requirements for engineering teams. Strong analytical skills for interpreting cohort data and deriving strategic insights. Experience designing event-driven, behavioral trigger-based programs. Structured A/B and multivariate testing experience. Exceptional cross-functional communication and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, lean environment. Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role: EdTech, loyalty, subscription, or content platform experience. Experience launching lifecycle programs for new products (greenfield builds). Familiarity with email deliverability management. Experience with engagement scoring or loyalty program design. Proficiency with data visualization tools (Tableau, Looker). While this position is open to remote candidates across the U.S., we will prioritize those who live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area and who are available to come into our Headquarters in Arlington, VA two days a week. Benefits & Culture Our global employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and doers working together to transform lives through higher education. We believe that every employee can advance our shared purpose, and that life at 2U should be fun and meaningful. If you’re excited by the opportunity to provide millions of learners and counting with access to world-class higher education, then join us – and do work that makes a difference. We offer comprehensive benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance. Full-time, U.S.benefits include: Medical, dental, and vision coverage Life insurance, disability, and 401(k) employer match Free snacks and drinks in-office Generous paid holidays and leave policies, including unlimited PTO Additional time off benefits include: volunteer days, parental leave, and a company-wide winter break The anticipated base salary range for this role is ($144,500 - 163,000), with potential bonus eligibility. Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, budget for the position and cost of labor in the market in which the candidate will be hired. 2U Diversity and Inclusion Statement At 2U, we are committed to building and sustaining a culture of belonging, respect, and inclusion. We are proud of the steps we’ve taken to bring together an employee base that embodies diverse walks of life, ideas, genders, ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities and other unique qualities. We strive to offer a workplace where every employee feels empowered by what makes us different, as well as by how we are alike. 2U is committed to providing reasonable accommodations during our recruitment process. If you need assistance or accommodations, please reach out to us at: [email protected] . About 2U 2U partners with the world's top universities and companies to develop and deliver education programs that accelerate careers and transform lives. Through partnerships with the world’s leading colleges, universities, and companies, 2U delivers thousands of online programs to millions of learners worldwide on edX, its global learning platform. From executive education and professional credentialing to master’s degree programs and free, open courses, 2U transforms how top institutions deliver workforce-aligned online education, enabling professionals to advance without pausing their careers. Learn more at 2U.com. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed. 2U is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against applicants or employees and ensures equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of their race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, age, marital status, disability, citizenship, military or veterans’ status, or any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. 2U’s equal opportunity policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, job benefits and pay