Email Marketing Operations Consultant - Contract

We're looking for a hands-on Email Marketing Operations Consultant to run the backend of our email program - ESP configuration, the data and segmentation layer, template systems, automations, and reporting. You'll optimize what's in place, recommend and implement new tooling where it's needed, and train the marketing team to create and send campaigns day-to-day across brand and lifecycle email.

This is a systems builder and execution role. You own how the machine is built and our marketing team owns the strategy and content. What you'll do - Collaborate closely with the marketing function - Build and maintain the connections between our database / BI tools and the ESP so customer attributes and behavioral events flow in reliably and are available for targeting. - Build segmentation and targeting logic so any list can be pulled and any send targeted without manual data work. - Configure the template system - a well-structured set of dynamic marketing and transactional templates so global changes propagate cleanly across the program. - Build automated lifecycle flows that run consistently without ongoing team intervention. - Configure easy-to-pull reporting on standard email performance metrics. - Set up QA and deliverability - catch rendering issues before they ship, test across major email clients, and maintain sender reputation. - Document the system and train the marketing function so they can build and send campaigns on their own.

What we're looking for - 4+ years in marketing operations with deep experience in email campaign operations. - Deep, hands-on expertise with major ESPs / marketing automation platforms - campaign structures, segmentation and list management, and lifecycle configuration. SendGrid / Twilio experience required. - Experience across both transactional and marketing providers is a plus - e.g.

Mailgun, Postmark, or Amazon SES (transactional) and Braze, Iterable, Klaviyo, or Customer.io (lifecycle). - Deep command of email systems architecture - dynamic/modular templates, automation logic, triggers, and building for long-term maintainability rather than one-offs. - Experience connecting data sources to an ESP - syncing a database, warehouse, or BI tool so attributes and behavioral events are available for segmentation and triggers (via native integrations, API, reverse ETL, or similar). - Strong segmentation and targeting skills - building dynamic, attribute and behavior-based segments. - Excellent cross-functional communication - able to translate technical and operational constraints for non-technical stakeholders. - Sharp eye for email design, rendering, and QA in a brand where details matter. - Self-directed and low-ego - excited to come in, build, document, and hand off.

Nice to have - Multivariate & A/B testing - structuring experiments and holdouts and turning results into actionable reporting. - Hands-on HTML/CSS for email and templating languages (e.g. Liquid). - Deliverability depth - SPF/DKIM/DMARC, sender reputation, and inbox placement. - SQL and comfort querying data directly to build and validate segments. - Experience enabling support or ops teams to send consistent, branded customer email (e.g. via Zendesk). - Experience evaluating or migrating between ESPs.

Engagement We're starting this as a contract engagement - project-based or hourly, with flexibility depending on scope.