Manager, Growth & Retention Strategy

Buffalo Sabres; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sabres Experience tickets

Wellness programs

401(k) plan

Job summary

Buffalo Sabres seeks a Manager of Growth & Retention Strategy to oversee CRM strategy, data integrity, and marketing automation across ticketing, partnerships, and marketing. You will lead system integrations, automation, and performance reporting to boost fan engagement and revenue.

You will standardize segments, create lead scoring, and establish golden records in your first year, working with cross-functional teams to achieve organizational goals.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in CRM, database marketing, or marketing automation.
• Experience in sports, entertainment, or e-commerce preferred.
• Strong knowledge of audience segmentation and customer lifecycles.
• Proven ability to drive data-driven marketing strategies.

Responsibilities

• Oversee CRM data integrity and integration across platforms.
• Standardize campaign tracking and KPI reporting.
• Lead marketing automation for email and digital ads.
• Develop customer journeys and lead scoring models.
• Own CRM and pipeline strategy for B2C and B2B.
• Provide executive insights on audience segments and health.

Skills

CRM strategy

Marketing automation

Data warehousing

SQL

Team leadership

Audience segmentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Marketing/IS

Master’s degree a plus

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics

Salesforce

KORE/Two Circles

Agilitek/Leap

Tableau

Job description

Summary

The Manager of Growth & Retention Strategy will be responsible for the strategic and technical oversight of the customer database and CRM. This individual will lead all CRM-related initiatives across ticketing, partnerships, and marketing, ensuring our CRM platform enables exceptional fan engagement, revenue generation, and operational efficiency. This role combines high-level strategy with hands-on technical execution, including automation, system integration, and performance reporting. In their first year, this leader will play a central role in establishing golden records, standardizing customer segments, and developing lead scoring.

Summary

The Manager of Growth & Retention Strategy will be responsible for the strategic and technical oversight of the customer database and CRM. This individual will lead all CRM-related initiatives across ticketing, partnerships, and marketing, ensuring our CRM platform enables exceptional fan engagement, revenue generation, and operational efficiency. This role combines high-level strategy with hands-on technical execution, including automation, system integration, and performance reporting. In their first year, this leader will play a central role in establishing golden records, standardizing customer segments, and developing lead scoring.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Oversee data integrity, hygiene, and integration across sales, marketing, and partnership platforms
• Standardize campaign tracking and performance marketing metrics through KPI development and reporting
• Assist with marketing automation efforts for email and digital advertising campaigns
• Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to develop effective customer journeys
• Own and evolve the organization’s CRM and pipeline strategy across B2C and B2B verticals
• Partner with ticketing, marketing, and partnerships to align strategies and resourcing with broader organizational goals
• Develop ticket holder retention models to identify at-risk accounts
• Create lead scoring models to identify new business opportunities
• Assess the impact of campaign efforts and present learnings to department leaders
• Deliver regular executive-level insights on key audience segments and overall database health
• Provide strong leadership to direct reports, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Develop goals and objectives for direct reports and provide coaching and feedback as needed.
• Maintain upmost confidentiality
• Perform additional ad-hoc tasks as necessary

Minimum Qualifications for the Position

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Information Systems, or a related field; Master’s degree a plus
• 5+ years of CRM, database marketing, or marketing automation experience, ideally in sports, entertainment, or e-commerce.
• Deep knowledge of CRM providers (Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, KORE/Two Circles, etc.) and customer data platforms (Agilitek, Leap, KORE/Two Circles, etc.)
• Strong understanding of audience segmentation, customer lifecycles, and personalization
• Proven experience leveraging data warehouses (Microsoft SQL Server, AWS Redshift, Snowflake, etc.) to drive sales and marketing strategies
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.

Preferred Qualifications for the Position

• Advanced analytical skills, including querying or programming languages (SQL, R, Python) and the ability to create and implement effective statistical or ML models
• Previous experience with business intelligence and data visualization tools (Tableau preferred)
• Previous experience managing people a plus
• Ability to work non-traditional hours, including nights and weekends as needed

Critical Competencies

• Growth mindset, process driven leadership and ability to articulate technical solutions to business executives
• Strong work ethic and high intellectual curiosity
• Team player who thrives in a collaborative environment
• Great communication skills and ability to manage multiple projects at a given time
• Possesses knowledge of and passion for the National Hockey League

Compensation

• This role will pay between $75,000 - $80,000 annually. Note: Wages will be determined based on factors such as candidate experience, qualifications, skill set and internal equity.

Benefits & Incentives

• Medical Plans: Comprehensive and affordable medical plans; supplemental vision care, dental care, life insurance coverage, fully paid, short and long-term disability and life insurance coverage.
• Investments: 401(k) with employer matching; annual discretionary defined employer contributions
• Paid Time Off: Vacation, Sick, Volunteer and Diversity days
• Sabres Experience: (up to 4) Comp tickets to Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits, Rochester Americans when available
• Wellness: Annual Health & Wellness fair, monthly wellness initiatives including but not limited to lunch & learns, fitness classes and challenges.
• Sabres Family: many annual social events for employees and their families to enjoy, including various holiday parties and activities. DEI committee with annual initiatives, ERG (Employee Resource Groups), Community Volunteer opportunities and more.

Hockey Western New York,, LLC is an equal opportunity employer.