Lifecycle Marketing Manager

About Us

Barkbus is the nation's premier mobile dog grooming company. We are dog-loving creatives, operators, technologists, and entrepreneurs taking a Silicon Valley startup approach to disrupt and modernize the fragmented legacy pet grooming industry. Driven by our mission to deliver joy to pets and their people, we're proud to operate across Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. We’re the fastest-growing pet health & wellness startup in the country and would love for you to join us in building the nation’s beloved pet brand.

Who We Are

We’re a collaborative, high-quality team of dog-lovers that solves problems with thoughtfulness, empathy, and speed. We have a big dream: to build a generational company that remakes the pet health & wellness industry nationally. We’re a fun, ambitious group that is working to build something new in pet care. We move with high velocity, collaborate closely, and deliver results faster than anyone in the market. We want your time at Barkbus to be the greatest time of your career. If you’re ready to build the future of pet care with high standards and speed, come on board. We need exceptional people to help us build something new in the world.

About This Role

Barkbus is seeking an experienced Fractional Lifecycle Marketing Manager to own and scale our customer lifecycle marketing strategy across email and SMS. This is a hands-on, execution-focused contract role for a Klaviyo expert who can design, build, and optimize automated customer journeys that drive appointment bookings, improve retention, increase subscription engagement, and reactivate lapsed customers.

This role owns the end-to-end lifecycle marketing program—from strategy and segmentation through execution, testing, analytics, and optimization. You will use customer data and behavioral insights to deliver personalized, high-performing campaigns that increase lifetime value and generate measurable revenue impact.

Role & Responsibilities

Lifecycle Strategy & Automation

• Own the email and SMS lifecycle marketing strategy and calendar, balancing promotional, educational, seasonal, and retention-focused initiatives.
• Build, optimize, and maintain automated lifecycle flows, including:
• Welcome Series
• Appointment Booking & Reminder Flows
• New Customer Onboarding
• Post-Appointment Follow-Up
• Grooming Reminder Flows
• Customer Reactivation (Win-Back)
• Subscription & Membership Communications
• Review & Referral Campaigns
• Develop and manage advanced customer segmentation based on behavior, appointment history, engagement, and lifecycle stage.
• Continuously test and refine messaging, timing, frequency, offers, and creative to improve performance.

Campaign Execution

• Create, build, test, and launch ongoing email and SMS campaigns that drive bookings and customer engagement.
• Write clear, compelling, customer-centric copy aligned with the Barkbus brand voice.
• Design mobile-first, high-converting emails in Klaviyo using best practices for layout, accessibility, and deliverability.
• Ensure all campaigns and automations are thoroughly QA'd before launch.

Analytics & Optimization

• Monitor, analyze, and optimize lifecycle performance across key metrics, including:
• Appointment bookings
• Customer retention and repeat booking rate
• Subscription engagement
• Customer reactivation
• Email- and SMS-attributed revenue
• Open, click-through, and conversion rates
• Deliverability and send reputation
• Run A/B tests on subject lines, content, offers, timing, and segmentation.
• Build recurring performance reports and provide clear, actionable recommendations.

Platform & Data Management

• Own and maintain Barkbus' Klaviyo account.
• Build and manage dynamic lists, advanced segments and event-based triggers.
• Ensure accurate customer data, event tracking, and integrations.
• Maintain strong list hygiene and deliverability best practices.

Compliance

• Ensure all email and SMS programs comply with CAN-SPAM, TCPA, and industry best practices.
• Proactively monitor deliverability and sender reputation.

Qualifications

Required

• 3+ years of hands-on experience managing email and SMS marketing in Klaviyo.
• Proven experience building and optimizing automated lifecycle marketing programs.
• Strong understanding of lifecycle marketing, retention strategy, and customer segmentation.
• Experience designing responsive, conversion-focused emails within Klaviyo.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze campaign performance data to drive continuous improvement.
• Excellent copywriting and communication skills.
• High attention to detail with rigorous QA standards.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Preferred

• Experience with subscription-based or recurring service businesses.
• Familiarity with A/B testing frameworks and experimentation best practices.
• Basic HTML/CSS knowledge for email customization.

Engagement Details

• Position Type: Fractional Independent Contractor
• Time Commitment: Approximately 25-30 hours per week
• Location: Fully remote (global candidates welcome)
• Language: Fluent written and spoken English required
• Availability: Significant overlap with U.S. Eastern Time business hours
• Compensation: $35-45/hr DOE

Equal Opportunity Employer

Barkbus is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.