Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention
(ISSA) International Sports Sciences Association · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- United States
Tailored resume — keyword-matched to this role.
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Job highlights
- Drive returning student bookings and retention growth.
- Develop lifecycle strategies across customer journey.
- Partner with Product and Marketing teams.
- Utilize automation, segmentation, and AI.
- Analyze performance and optimize for growth.
About the role
About ISSA
ISSA is an education and certification company for fitness trainers, personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, nutrition coaches, yoga instructors, health coaches, medical professionals, and more! For over 35 years, ISSA has developed a personal fitness training program that combines gym experience with practical and applied sciences. With over 300 employees, we have certified nearly 500,000 trainers in 174 countries. We were recently recognized as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer by The Phoenix Business Journal, Fastest Growing Private Company by Inc. Southwest Regionals, and Top Workplace by USA Today!
Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention
ISSA is seeking a highly strategic, growth-oriented leader to own and drive returning student bookings across the business. This role sits at the intersection of lifecycle marketing, product, automation, AI, and customer growth, with a primary focus on increasing retention, repeat purchases, and customer lifetime value.
So What's the Job?
The Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention, will operate with a strong ownership mindset, waking up every day focused on how to grow returning student bookings and deepen customer engagement across ISSA offerings. This leader will partner closely with Product, Marketing, Analytics, and Operations to identify growth opportunities, improve the customer journey, and develop innovative offers, bundles, and lifecycle programs that drive revenue growth.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own and drive lifecycle contribution to returning student bookings and retention growth
- Develop and execute lifecycle strategies across acquisition, onboarding, engagement, renewal, reactivation, and upsell
- Partner closely with Product to understand customer behavior, identify friction points, and improve customer experiences
- Collaborate with Product and Marketing teams to develop compelling bundles, specialization packages, and offers that appeal to returning students
- Identify creative and data-driven ways to increase repeat purchases across ISSA offerings
- Build and scale lifecycle programs using automation, segmentation, personalization, and AI-driven opportunities
- Own lifecycle roadmap across email, SMS, automation, and retention initiatives
- Guide and prioritize execution through internal resources and contractors, including managing 1 individual
- Continuously analyze performance, test new strategies, and optimize for growth and lifetime value
How you’ll spend your time:
- Approximately 60% focused on strategy, growth initiatives, analysis, and cross-functional partnership
- Approximately 40% focused on guiding execution, reviewing campaigns, prioritization, and ensuring alignment with business goals
This role is responsible for strategy, ownership, prioritization, and business impact, not day-to-day campaign builds.
What Success Looks Like:
- Measurable growth in returning student bookings
- Increased retention and customer lifetime value
- Strong cross-functional partnership with Product and Marketing
- Improved customer engagement and lifecycle conversion rates
- Successful implementation of automation and AI-driven lifecycle improvements
- Clear lifecycle roadmap tied directly to business growth outcomes
What is ISSA looking for?
- 8+ years of experience in lifecycle, retention, CRM, growth, or product marketing roles
- Proven experience owning revenue-impacting growth or retention initiatives
- Strong strategic thinking, analytical skills, and growth mindset
- Experience with marketing automation and ESP platforms, HubSpot required
- Experience using Tableau and GA4 to analyze customer behavior and performance trends
- Strong understanding of lifecycle strategy, segmentation, personalization, and customer journey optimization
- Experience managing 1 or more people and partnering cross-functionally with Product, Analytics, and Marketing teams
- Familiarity with AI tools and automation opportunities within lifecycle marketing
Additional experience (Nice to have):
- Experience in EdTech, education, subscription, or certification-based business models
- Experience driving retention, renewal, upsell, or repeat purchase initiatives
- Experience building lifecycle or growth programs from the ground up
Benefits and Perks:
ISSA offers a friendly and upbeat environment with competitive pay and benefits, including:
- Free Certifications: Access to ISSA courses and certifications for employees, with discounts on industry products. Employees can also enroll up to 5 friends/family members annually for free after 90 days.
- Health & Wellness Reimbursement: Up to $50/month ($600/year) for fitness purchases (gym memberships, equipment, classes) and professional/mental health purchases (courses, apps, art classes).
- Work-Life Synergy: 3 weeks of PTO annually, plus 9 paid national holidays and 1 floating holiday.
- Parental Time Off: Up to 12 weeks paid leave for birth mothers and up to 6 weeks paid bonding leave for other parents.
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance: Eligibility begins the 1st of the month after start date, with HSA/FSA options.
- Team Building: Monthly virtual team activities, town halls, and brown bag lunches.
- Growth Opportunities: Leadership training, coaching/mentoring, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Tools To Do The Job: Provision of necessary tools, equipment, and systems, plus a monthly work-from-home allowance.
- 100% Remote Work: All roles are remote, fostering a camera-friendly culture for effective communication.
- Additional Benefits: 401(k) company match, 100% company-paid life/AD&D insurance/short-term disability, and an employee assistance program.
Key skills/competency
- Lifecycle Marketing
- Retention Strategies
- CRM
- Growth Marketing
- Product Marketing
- Marketing Automation
- Customer Lifetime Value
- Data Analysis
- AI in Marketing
- Customer Journey Optimization
Skills & topics
- Director
- Lifecycle Marketing
- Retention Marketing
- Growth Marketing
- CRM
- Product Marketing
- Marketing Automation
- Customer Lifetime Value
- ISSA
- Remote
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 8+ years of lifecycle, retention, CRM, growth, or product marketing experience, emphasizing revenue-impacting initiatives.
- Showcase technical skills: Detail your proficiency with marketing automation (HubSpot required), Tableau, GA4, and familiarity with AI tools.
- Demonstrate strategic thinking: Provide examples of your strong analytical skills and growth mindset, focusing on customer journey optimization.
- Highlight leadership experience: Mention your experience managing people and collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Analytics, and Marketing.
- Quantify achievements: Use metrics to showcase measurable growth in bookings, retention, and customer lifetime value in your application.
Technical preparation
Master HubSpot for automation and ESP.,Analyze customer behavior with Tableau/GA4.,Develop AI-driven lifecycle strategies.,Understand segmentation and personalization techniques.
Behavioral questions
Describe a successful retention strategy you led.,How do you foster cross-functional collaboration?,Share an example of data-driven growth.,How do you handle managing a direct report?
Frequently asked questions
- What states are eligible for the remote Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention position at ISSA?
- The Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention position at ISSA is a 100% remote role. To be eligible, candidates must reside in one of the following ISSA-eligible states: AZ, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, NC, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI.
- What are the primary responsibilities of the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention at ISSA?
- The Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention at ISSA is responsible for owning and driving returning student bookings and retention growth. This involves developing and executing lifecycle strategies, collaborating with Product and Marketing on offers, leveraging automation and AI, and analyzing performance to optimize customer lifetime value.
- What experience is required for the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention role at ISSA?
- ISSA requires candidates for the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention role to have 8+ years of experience in lifecycle, retention, CRM, growth, or product marketing. Key requirements include proven experience with revenue-impacting initiatives, strong strategic and analytical skills, proficiency with HubSpot, Tableau, GA4, and experience managing people.
- What marketing tools and platforms are essential for the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention at ISSA?
- For the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention role at ISSA, experience with marketing automation and ESP platforms is crucial, with HubSpot being a required platform. Additionally, proficiency in using Tableau and GA4 for customer behavior and performance analysis is essential. Familiarity with AI tools for lifecycle marketing is also expected.
- What kind of benefits does ISSA offer to its employees, particularly for the remote Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention position?
- ISSA offers a comprehensive benefits package including free certifications, health & wellness reimbursement, generous PTO and holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, and a 401(k) match. They also provide a remote work allowance and focus on professional growth opportunities.
- How does ISSA foster a sense of community for its remote employees in the Director, Lifecycle Growth & Retention role?
- ISSA actively fosters community among its remote employees through a camera-friendly culture for meetings and monthly virtual team activities. These include town halls, brown bag lunches, and other special events designed to connect and support team members despite the distance.