Vice President- Data Management Solutions

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency’s heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,600+ employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the US, EMEA, and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

Merkle, a leading performance marketing agency, is looking forward to hiring a Senior Solution Lead with specialization in cloud-based martech and data management.  The company, with the ever-changing marketing technology landscape, is looking for an individual to join a small team of Solution Leaders to assist the Sales team with selling marketing technology solutions and work with internal delivery teams to ensure the right solution is proposed and sold to our clients. 

Seeking a senior leader recognized for driving corporate vision, client sales and having an “entrepreneurial growth spirit” by leveraging transformational technology solutions and consulting services.  The successful candidate will demonstrate a history of being highly successful at championing, selling and implementing solutions to meet client business imperatives in large and complex corporate environments as well as dynamic and challenging start-ups.  Ideally, a candidate with 10+ years of experience building strong partnerships and relationships in marketing services, technology, or similar resulting in substantial growth – both internally and for clients.  Be an expert at scaling clients’ marketing functions to the next level by building relationships and developing technology solutions from “concept” to implementation.

This role will work with several senior leaders (VP Level) in both Merkle and the client organizations to:

•  envision the right solution for the client’s marketing strategy,
• vision and capabilities and propose the right solution from among Merkle’s offerings,
• Organize the company’s overall technical “pitch” to clients continuously evolving the message and ensure overall pitch success. 
• build and manage close relationships with client leaders (Business, Marketing and IT),
• build client’s trust,
• price the solution,
• present and negotiate the delivery model and timing,
• ·oversee the contracting process leading up to final award, and
• manage the smooth transition to the Merkle delivery team.  

Key job responsibilities: 

• Sales engineering related solution leadership primarily for digital marketing platform services along with supporting services as needed (e.g., analytics, database services). 
• Work closely alliance partners and develop expertise in alliance partner platform solutions to enable transformational customer experiences.
• Managing opportunities through the entire sales cycle including overall client relationship, RFI/RFP responses, pricing, solution presentations, and contract negotiations.
• Strong background in “thinking out of the box” to match technical solutions to business strategies
• Support the technology delivery organization to ensure the solution fits within the existing tool capabilities, reference architectures, delivery approaches, skillsets, strategic technical direction, pricing and delivery models. 
• Match client vision to Merkle’s tech offerings, and play a key and critical leadership to “pitch” a Merkle solution to the client. Be the Tech Team Leader and single point of contact to develop the opportunity through the sales stages for the Sales, Client and Delivery organizations.
• Participate in speaking engagements including “Guru” sessions at Merkle’s C-level invitation-only Executive Client Summits, Annual Client Summits, conference speaking engagements and contribute to Merkle digital marketing blogs.
• National travel will be required (short trips).

Skills Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business, Marketing or Engineering or a related technical field, MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of equivalent experience in sales engineering, solution support, Marketing technology consulting, systems integration, engineering and/or sales. 
• Extremely strong customer relationship and people skills as well as strong presentation skills.
• Excellent oral presentation skills and the ability to successfully work with customers and prospects.
• Ability to influence technical decision makers and executives through technical presentations, and relationship building skills.
• Working knowledge of how to deliver cloud-based data management deployment projects in support of a broader, well integrated martech ecosystem.
• Strong understanding of how marketing cloud platforms integrate into a broader martech ecosystem and how to sell the benefits of a well-integrated martech ecosystem.

We are champions for meaningful progress and we strive to be a force for good—for our people, for our clients, for the industry and for our society. We keep our people at the center, creating space for growth, understanding and learning so they can thrive. We embed diversity, in our mindset, in our solutions and in our teams to empower an inclusive, equitable and culturally fluent environment. Building this culture within our teams makes us better collaborators with each other and with our clients, driving better outcomes for all.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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