Senior Email Retention Marketing Strategist

Kontak Recruitment; Remote; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Part time

Job summary

A recruitment agency seeks a Senior Email Retention Marketing Strategist to own strategies for established DTC eCommerce brands. This fully remote role involves leading retention efforts and working closely with clients primarily located in the US. Candidates must have over 3 years of advanced experience with Klaviyo and a strong grasp of retention marketing analytics. It also requires a proactive, strategic mindset to manage multiple accounts independently and provide meaningful insights and recommendations.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on experience using Klaviyo at an advanced level.
• Proven experience working with Shopify-based DTC eCommerce brands.
• Strong background in retention marketing, confidence with data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own the retention strategy across email and CRM channels.
• Lead advanced email programmes focused on repeat purchases.
• Analyze performance data for actionable insights.

Skills

Klaviyo

Retention marketing

Data analysis

Client management

AI tools usage

Tools

Shopify

Analytics tools

Customer insight platforms

Job description

Overview

Senior Email Retention Marketing Strategist (JB5815)

Location: Remote for South African candidates

Salary: R60 - 65 000 CTC (negotiable)

Working Arrangement: Contractor (with clear pathway to full-time), working with primarily US-based DTC eCommerce brands. This is a senior-level retention marketing role for an experienced strategist who owns outcomes end to end. Youll work with established direct-to-consumer (DTC) eCommerce brands, leading retention strategy across email and CRM channels and acting as a trusted, client-facing partner. The role is fully remote and open to candidates based in South Africa. Youll collaborate with a distributed team and work primarily with US-based clients, requiring consistent overlap with US business hours. The position starts on a contractor basis with a structured 90-day probation period and a clear pathway to a long-term, full-time engagement. Youll be responsible for retention strategy across a small portfolio of high-revenue DTC eCommerce brands (typically 58 clients). These are sophisticated businesses with strong acquisition engines and high expectations around performance, insight, and communication. This is not a junior execution role. Youll be trusted to operate autonomously, make strategic decisions, and clearly and confidently represent retention performance to clients.

Minimum Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience using Klaviyo at an advanced level.
• Proven experience working with Shopify-based DTC eCommerce brands (agency or in-house).
• A strong background in retention marketing (not just email production).
• Confidence working with data, metrics, and performance analysis (LTV, repeat purchase, cohorts, testing).
• Experience in presenting strategy and performance insights directly to clients.
• Comfort managing multiple accounts and priorities without heavy oversight.
• Active, practical use of AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) to improve speed and quality of work.
• Experience with retention-related tools such as subscription platforms, analytics tools, or customer insight platforms is beneficial but not required.

Key Responsibilities

• Owning the retention strategy across email and CRM channels, from planning through optimisation.
• Leading advanced email programmes focused on repeat purchase, customer lifetime value, and engagement.
• Developing testing frameworks with clear hypotheses, observations, and recommendations.
• Analysing performance data and translating insights into clear, commercially grounded recommendations.
• Acting as a senior, client-facing point of contact for strategy discussions, performance reviews, and roadmap planning.
• Creating email and retention briefs for copy, design, and technical teams to execute.
• Collaborating closely with internal delivery teams to ensure strategy is executed accurately and efficiently.
• Taking full ownership of outcomes, work quality, and client satisfaction.
• While execution is supported by specialist teams, you must be hands-on enough to validate feasibility, troubleshoot issues, and step in when required.

Application Note

Please do not apply using scanned CVs; no supporting documentation is required at this point. This will be requested later.

Disclaimer

Kontak Recruitment Disclaimer: Equal opportunity: All backgrounds are welcome, with no bias. All are considered based on requirements. Job specifics: Requirements mirror advertisement, duties may adjust for client needs. Fair process: Fair assessment, only shortlisted candidates contacted due to volume. Privacy: Data processed as per Privacy Policy. By applying, you agree to data handling. We safeguard applicant info. Candidate verification: Candidates selected by the client are verified. False info may disqualify or end employment with the client. Offer clarity: The Advert is not a binding offer. Written offers based on pre-employment conditions. No direct link: Advert is not tied to Kontak Recruitment. We assist in the employment process ONLY. Applicant Responsibility: Upon applying, confirmation of receipt for a specific advert is given. If no confirmation is received, you must verify with Kontak Recruitment.