Executive Director, CRM Technology & Operations - EMEA

Dept; London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A global digital agency is looking for an Executive Director of CRM Technology & Operations in London. This leadership role focuses on building and executing CRM strategies to drive conversion and revenue growth across various platforms. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in CRM technology and campaign operations, coupled with a strategic mindset to enhance client engagement. DEPT offers a flexible hybrid working policy and is committed to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Flexible, hybrid working policy

Buddy Program

Opportunities for training and development

Global DEPT Cares Month

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of campaign execution teams and/or platform enablement functions.
• Experience working in matrixed models with engineering/product teams.
• Strong project/process governance expertise.

Responsibilities

• Own the activation infrastructure of DEPT's CRM proposition across EMEA.
• Lead the design, delivery, and governance of CRM execution systems.
• Build and scale CRM operations and martech enablement teams.

Skills

CRM technology

Campaign operations

Marketing automation

Project governance

Stakeholder management

Education

10+ years in CRM operations

Tools

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Adobe Campaign

Braze

Job description

Executive Director, CRM Technology & Operations - EMEA

London

CRM at DEPT

At DEPT, you won’t be working in a CRM silo;

• Engineering and executional depth – we build the ecosystems others only design.
• Brand and campaign fluency – we create stories that connect and convert.
• Behavioural and data insight – we decode what really drives decision-making.
• Marketing-meets-technology muscle – we connect vision to action, and journeys to outcomes.

Together, we design systems that turn relationships into revenue — and one-off interactions into lifetime value.

JOB PURPOSE

At DEPT, CRM is not a silo or a system — it's a strategic layer that powers growth across marketing, sales, commerce, and service. For that strategy to deliver, it must be executable — through platforms, data flows, tooling, and governance.

We’re looking for a senior operational and technology leader to shape how we bring CRM strategies to life through activation. As Executive Director, CRM Technology and Operations, you’ll lead the design and execution of our activation layer — enabling scalable, orchestrated, and real-time experiences across every customer touchpoint.

You’ll own how DEPT connects strategic ambition with operational reality, ensuring our teams and clients can deliver personalised, efficient, and consistent CRM journeys.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the activation infrastructure of DEPT's CRM proposition across EMEA — spanning campaign operations, journey orchestration, audience execution, and platform tooling.
• Lead the design, delivery, and governance of the systems that power CRM execution across marketing, sales, commerce, and service use cases.
• Build and scale CRM operations and martech enablement teams — shaping roles, workflows, and tooling standards.
• Define best-in-class delivery processes — including orchestration frameworks, QA protocols, automation blueprints, and contact governance methods.
• Partner closely with Engineering — ensuring CRM platform architecture supports activation models, data flows, and journey logic.
• Represent CRM activation strategy in client settings — helping shape implementation roadmaps, operational models, and platform selection decisions.
• Champion platform neutrality — enabling our teams to activate CRM strategies across Salesforce, Adobe, Braze, Twilio, CDPs, and other ecosystems.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• A proven leader in CRM operations and marketing technology with the vision and experience to make strategy scalable. You see the operational layer not as a backend, but as a key enabler of customer experience and commercial growth.
• Bring 10+ years in CRM technology, campaign operations, or marketing automation, ideally across agency, consultancy, or global environments.
• Built and led activation and orchestration models across lifecycle touchpoints — from acquisition to loyalty, service to reactivation.
• Understand the difference between platform ownership (Engineering) and platform activation (CRM Practice) — and can define the connective tissue between both.
• Fluent in platforms like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe Campaign, Braze, CDPs, and journey orchestration tools, and you can lead activation in platform-agnostic environments.
• Delivered governance, scale, and operational efficiency across complex CRM programmes.
• Led and coached multidisciplinary teams — building a delivery culture of rigour, collaboration, and curiosity.
• Highly cross-functional — collaborating with strategy, engineering, creative, and data partners to align on delivery excellence.

Must‑Have Qualifications

• 10+ years in CRM operations, marketing technology, or customer activation tooling
• Proven leadership of campaign execution teams and/or platform enablement functions
• Deep experience managing or integrating marketing activation platforms (MAPs, CDPs, journey orchestration tools)
• Experience working in matrixed models with engineering/product teams — with a strong understanding of RACI boundaries
• Strong project/process governance expertise — with playbooks and operational design experience
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills — able to lead clients and collaborate cross-functionally

WE OFFER

• A flexible, hybrid working policy
• Buddy Program: You will be paired with a ‘Buddy’ to help you through your first weeks at DEPT.
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and named ‘Agency of the Year’ at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small, local or global — at DEPT you’ll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training, development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHO ARE WE?

We are pioneers at heart. What does that mean? We are always looking forward, thinking of what we can create tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in tech and marketing. That’s why we hire curious, self-driven, talented people who never stop innovating.

Our culture is big enough to cope and small enough to care. Meaning, that with people across 30+ countries, we’re big enough to provide you with the best tools, global opportunities, and benefits that help you thrive. While acting small by investing in you, your growth, your team, and giving you the autonomy to solve our clients' problems, no matter where you are in the world.

DEPT is committed to making a positive impact on the planet and since 2021 has been Climate Neutral and B Corporation certified.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

At DEPT, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.