Head of CRM & Lifecycle Marketing

Job description

## **About Fora** Fora is the **modern travel agency,** empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to build thriving travel advisory businesses. We're modernizing the $100B+ travel industry with AI woven through every part of the advisor's workflow, plus global supplier relationships, personalized training, and a vibrant community, all in one place. That's what lets advisors build businesses that scale, while their taste and service create trips no algorithm alone could plan. At the heart of it all is **our mission: to help the next generation of travel entrepreneurs turn their love for travel into a fulfilling career, whether full-time or part-time.** The same idea shapes how we work. We're mission-driven and obsessed with our customers, and we believe humans and AI are both essential: the best work here comes from people and technology at their best, together. Founded in 2021, Fora has grown to a team of **200+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City**. In 2026, we closed a $60 million Series D led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with continued backing from Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, and Heartcore Capital. We've been named a LinkedIn Top Startup (2024), one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies (2023 and 2025), and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies (2026). Come build something that hasn't existed before. ## **About The Role** As Head of CRM & Lifecycle Marketing, you will own advisor acquisition through outbound and CRM-powered channels, and the full lifecycle engine that activates, grows, and retains Fora's advisor network. On the acquisition side, that means building the outbound prospecting, list development, and targeted outreach programs that drive high-quality leads to Sales. On the lifecycle side, it means designing the onboarding, activation, and engagement journeys that compress time-to-productivity and turn signups into active, revenue-generating advisors — and then partnering with analytics to unlock how to accelerate advisors on the path from $100K to $500K in production. Your primary KPIs are new advisor GMV and acceleration on the path to pro. You'll lead a small high-leverage team and a curated set of specialist partners. The operating model is leverage per FTE, not headcount. You'll partner with VP Growth on self-serve advisor acquisition (which Growth owns), with Sales on outbound execution and lead handoff, and with RevOps and Data on the MarTech stack and attribution infrastructure they own. We want someone who will build this function in an AI-native way — reimagining what lifecycle marketing looks like when AI is embedded in every layer, from how we personalize at scale to how we identify and act on advisor behavior in real time. The ideal candidate is analytical, resourceful, AI-fluent, and has experience scaling CRM, outbound, and lifecycle programs in a marketplace, platform, or network-effects business. ## **Key Responsibilities** ### **Outbound Advisor Acquisition** - Build and scale Fora's outbound acquisition engine with a focus on quality over volume: source and purchase prospect lists, develop lead databases, and execute targeted outreach campaigns to reach high-potential advisor prospects. - Develop clear ICPs for high-performing advisors — experienced agents, high-potential career switchers (e.g., wedding/event planners, sales professionals), and other emerging segments — and use them to sharpen outbound targeting and outreach strategy. - Develop and manage a switcher strategy to attract experienced agents from established travel companies, including crafting compelling value propositions, incentive structures, and competitive positioning. - Partner with Sales to ensure a seamless handoff from marketing-qualified lead to advisor onboarding, optimizing conversion and lead quality at every stage of the funnel. ### **Activation & Time-to-Productivity** - Design and execute segmented onboarding and lifecycle journeys that optimize for time-to-first-booking, time-to-first-commission, and early advisor success — compressing the path to productive GMV. - Segment journeys by advisor type — career switchers, part-time vs. full-time, experienced agents — tailoring messaging, cadence, and channel mix (email, SMS, in-app) to each segment's needs and motivations. - Identify and remove friction across onboarding and early lifecycle stages, partnering with Advisor Experience and Product to ensure advisors have what they need to succeed quickly. ### **Advisor Growth, Retention & Path to Pro** - Partner with the analytics team to develop and test a suite of hypotheses around how to accelerate advisors on the path to pro — unlocking the behaviors, interventions, and product usage patterns that move an advisor from $100K to $500K in production. - Design and execute lifecycle programs informed by those insights — targeted nudges, milestone-based journeys, and personalized recommendations that systematically push advisors up the production curve. - Develop re-engagement strategies for underperforming or dormant advisors to reduce churn and increase advisor lifetime value. ### **Event & Community Lifecycle Support** - Build lifecycle programs that support Fora's event strategy — including pre-event campaigns, attendance reminders, and post-event follow-up journeys designed to convert attendees into signed advisors. - Develop scalable, repeatable playbooks for event-driven lifecycle marketing that feed into broader CRM and lifecycle systems. - Partner with Revenue Operations to build and maintain the AI-powered MarTech stack that powers outbound and lifecycle — ensuring clean data flows, reliable attribution, and personalization at scale. ### **Data, Measurement & Infrastructure** - Partner with RevOps and Data to build a unified system across outbound and lifecycle — clean data pipelines, reliable attribution, and consistent identity resolution across the full advisor lifecycle - Define and track core metrics: lead quality, activation rate, time-to-first-booking, advisor productivity, and retention. - Partner with Revenue Operations to build and maintain the AI-powered MarTech stack that powers outbound and lifecycle — ensuring personalization at scale. - Continuously test and optimize across channels, segments, and messaging. ## **How Success is Measured** - **Primary metrics:** New advisor GMV and GMV per advisor, e.g., acceleration on the path to pro ($100K → $500K). - **Governing considerations:** We're optimizing for advisors who book real, repeat travel — not signups. - **Leading indicators:** Activation frequency, time-to-first-booking, time-to-first-commission, and lifecycle-touched cohort productivity. - **Health metric:** Leverage per FTE. The operating model is designed so output compounds without headcount compounding. ## **Requirements** - 10–12+ years in growth, lifecycle, or marketplace marketing. - You've built outbound prospecting and lifecycle programs from scratch, with a strong understanding of activation and engagement metrics. - Proficient in marketing automation and CRM platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Braze, Iterable, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or similar). - Highly analytical — you're comfortable building dashboards, running cohort analyses, and making budget decisions grounded in data. - AI-fluent — you're actively using AI tools in your work today and have a point of view on how AI transforms lifecycle marketing, not just optimizes it. - Scrappy and resourceful — you're energized by building in a high-growth environment where not everything is figured out yet. - Excellent written communicator with a sharp eye for messaging that resonates across different audiences. - Strong cross-functional collaborator who can partner effectively with Sales and Product teams. ## Strongly Preferred - Experience in travel, hospitality, or a supply-side marketplace (recruiting providers, hosts, advisors, or independent operators onto a platform). - Familiarity with competitive switching campaigns or win-back strategies targeting a competitor's customer base. - Hands-on experience leading a MarTech stack build or migration at a high-growth company. ## Why Fora - Report directly to the CMO with significant ownership over strategy and execution. - Build a function from the ground up at a company with strong product-market fit and rapid growth. - Competitive compensation, equity, and benefits. ## Compensation Compensation for this role varies based on experience, with an indicative range of $230K–$280K + equity. Final compensation will depend on the level at which the candidate is hired, as we’re considering multiple levels for this role. - Unlimited vacation - Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ) - Dental & Vision Insurance - Wellhub Memberships - 401k plan with company match - Commuter Benefits - Supplemental Life Insurance - Stock Options This role is based in our beautiful New York City office (Tribeca/Fidi) with lots of natural light and great views. ## **Our Values** **We’re forging our own path** Fora has always been about driving change within the industry. We’re not interested in maintaining the status quo. **We’re stronger together** Community is our cornerstone and collective power is our strength. We believe we can all go further when we operate together, using our combined leverage to unlock better opportunities and outcomes for our advisors, partners, and travelers. **We believe in technology** We believe technology is an answer to some of the most fundamental challenges the travel industry faces. We believe advancements in AI, bold investments in our platforms, and a world-class data infrastructure will transform the work of our advisors and our partners, while creating better travel experiences for travelers. **We’re here to serve** We operate in service of our community and believe that when they’re empowered to focus on what they do best, we all win. It’s why we relentlessly advocate for our advisors and prioritize their best interest every step of the way. **We mean business** Fora is equal parts fun, meaningful work and serious travel business. We’re unlocking opportunities for thousands of travel entrepreneurs, delivering a stream of high-quality guests at scale for our partners, and providing a superior travel experience for our travelers. It’s a better equation for the future of our industry. **--** **WORK AUTHORIZATION** Authorization to work in the United States is required for full-time roles based in our New York City office. Fora is unable to sponsor or assist with U.S. work authorization. Roles based outside of the United States are not subject to this requirement. **EQUAL OPPORTUNITY** Fora is committed to an equitable hiring process and an inclusive work environment. BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We will not discriminate and will take action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.