Director, CRM Strategy, freelance 8 weeks

INNOCEAN USA

, a full-service advertising agency located in sunny Huntington Beach, CA, is seeking a

Director, CRM Strategy

, to work on a short-term assignment.

We are a hybrid workplace, x3 days week in-office. Candidates local to Southern California highly preferred.

Our ideal candidate has 10+ years CRM Strategy, automotive category and Salesforce Marketing Cloud expertise.

We are seeking a

senior‑level CRM Strategy Director

for a 8-10 week engagement to lead the strategic direction of CRM programs for a key automotive brand. This role will lead CRM strategy development end‑to‑end — from insight and vision through platform‑grounded execution planning — with a strong emphasis on Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).This is a hands‑on strategic role, ideal for someone who can quickly assess an existing CRM ecosystem, elevate the strategic narrative, and translate ideas into

credible, executable SFMC‑based solutions

that resonate with senior client stakeholders. This role requires a strong understanding of database marketing, personalization strategies, and performance analytics.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBLITY

• Develop and lead CRM channel strategies including customer lifecycle and journey strategy, personalization and segmentation frameworks, and channel orchestration across email, SMS, and other CRM touchpoints.
• Shape a compelling CRM strategic vision and strengthen a customer-centric view of CRM leading strategy through all stages of planning, execution, analysis and optimization, constantly improving upon customer relationship lifecycle, acquisition, retention and loyalty.
• Develop executive-ready narratives, frameworks, and slides that clearly articulate value, impact, and differentiation.
• Translate strategy into SFMC‑specific constructs, including: Journey Builder use cases, Data model and audience design considerations
• Automation, personalization, and testing approaches
• Collaborate across internal departments and third-party partners to align technology solutions, processes, and programs to drive a more seamless digital customer journey.
• Analyze primary and secondary research findings to gain clear, polished insights that help inform audience segmentation, personalization and testing strategy.
• Provide strategic frameworks, content ecosystems and communication architecture for campaigns.
• Partner with Data Science to source and recommend new prospect opportunities and technologies to drive new customer acquisition.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of CRM strategy experience preferably within an agency, consultancy, or complex enterprise environment.
• Automotive experience is a MUST.
• Deep, hands-on mastery of Salesforce Marketing Cloud experience is REQUIRED.
• Strong understanding of how data, technology, creative, and operations come together in modern CRM programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in core digital strategy concepts: Customer journey mapping, content marketing, personalization, funnel optimization, conversion testing & optimization, and analytics.
• Demonstrated success working in an integrated cross-functional team environment, providing effective creative direction and strategic feedback to improve campaign performance.
• Excellent presentation building, storytelling, and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Proficient at distilling data to insights to strategies and plans.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to interact with clients and internal stakeholders to clearly articulate strategic direction.

Contract Length: 5/4/26-6/26/26

The salary range is based on an annual compensation of $180,000 - $191,000.Pay is dependent upon several factors including but not limited to: client, experience, training and/or transferable skills.

Who are we? We are explorers. We look out to the edge of the world and ask, "where haven't we been before?" Together, we hunt for an intersection of art and science, creativity bolstered by data. Storytelling layered in strategy. Innovation rich in intelligence. Our adventures are many, our quests, undaunted. Our possibility is as vast as the ocean. Always remembering, the deeper we dive, the greater we become. And the further we go, the more we find.