Manager, Audience Analytics

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 5,500 employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 24 additional offices in the US and 25 offices in Europe and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network.

The Manager, Audience Analytics will use in-depth knowledge in quantitative database marketing and an understanding of business processes to develop technical solutions for business issues. The Manager is responsible for ensuring timely delivery of data, analytics and strategic consulting to support the client’s database marketing initiatives. Serves as a resource within area of expertise. Manages others and may take project lead on smaller projects and/or a short-term basis.

Perform advanced analytics tasks, including but not limited to:

• Develops, writes, and presents strategic recommendations and projects that directly address clients' toughest questions
• Participates in brainstorming sessions that identify new marketing opportunities for clients
• Designs, develops, implements, and maintains analytical software programs to support analytical reports and tools
• Assists in developing internal systems that consistently provide all clients with standard reporting and analysis
• Extracts and processes large quantities of data from data warehouses and other data marts in support of assignments
• Applies data mining and analyzes marketing and demographic data. Tracks and evaluates customer acquisition efforts, market trends and customer behavior
• Conducts advanced quantitative analyses of the marketing effectiveness of clients; and builds sophisticated statistical models to segment customer population, to enhance upgrading and deepen retention strategies, and to lift profitability by improving customer channel behavior through marketing drivers
• Works across the business units to leverage leading edge technology and meets client and client team requests on time and with accuracy
• Stays abreast of industry trends and technological advancements by staying informed of advancements in the industry
• Manages project tasks, timelines and deliverables
• Manages junior analysts, contributing to their technical and career development
• Anticipate project risk and constraints and proactively work on solutions to address the risk/constraints; Lead a team to complete large complex analytical project end to end
• Develop best practices, case studies, training class materials, whitepapers

Skills:

• Experience with MS Office (Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required
• Experience with SAS, SPSS and SQL, multi-variate statistics, logistic regression, multiple regression required
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills
• Ability to explain/present complicated/advanced analytical methodology and results to non-technical audiences
• Ability to discover hidden insights or complex patterns through advanced multi-variate data mining techniques on un-structured business problems
• Ability to execute advanced analytic tasks (including but not limited to modeling, segmentation, DOE, forecasting, etc.) and create meaningful analytical outputs
• Ability to identify areas for statistical innovation or process improvement, do independent research,  develop innovative approaches or processes/codes to 1) improve client business results, 2) improve efficiencies, 3) reduce potential errors
• Ability to translate analysis insights into actionable recommendations and strategies for digital marketers 
• Ability to create robust analytics solutions to optimize digital marketing 

Experience:

• Must have experience with modeling and statistical concepts
• Experiences with applying statistical techniques such as regression, ANOVA, cluster analysis, factor analysis, time series forecasting, experimental and design, etc. to solve business problems
• Possess core database marketing knowledge such as understanding of Merkle and client data, relational database concepts, and direct marketing concepts
• Possess core analytical competencies such as ability to formulate an analytical problem; QC data and results; Summarize key findings/insights; Make actionable recommendations; and develop new and innovative analytical solutions to solve challenging business problems
• Understanding of digital data including the systems and processes used to generate and manipulate it by media type web, ad, email, mobile, etc. 
• Development of specific expertise areas within digital and sharing of that expertise through MU classes, white papers, articles, conference presentations, etc. 
• Recognized as a thought leader in a specific digital area.
• Possess client/team engagement competencies such as gather specifications, develop analytical roadmap and approach and manage expectations, and coordinate delivery with internal team

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree (B.S.) or equivalent in statistics, math, economics or related scientific/quantitative field plus several years' experience in applied disciplines; Advanced degree (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.) preferred
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in quantitative marketing arena, in database and/or digital (addressable) marketing 
• Contribute to innovation, process improvement, standardization
• Deliver high-quality analytical solutions on time
• Develop project plan (work plan); manage individual/team day-to-day tasks; and meet project deadlines
• Work effectively across teams to ensure client satisfaction
• Engage, manage and lead a team (including geographically dispersed)
• Develop and retain "A" players
• Deliver constructive feedback to employees; hold difficult conversations with direct reports, in conjunction/with support from project lead and/or people manager(s) present (for "air cover" and documentation purposes)
• Support resource deployment/re-deployment to be able to staff and adapt to resourcing challenges
• Sponsor, support, and/or lead MS initiatives

Merkle fosters a diverse environment that encourages original thinking about our business and empowers us to communicate with a global world of customers. We embrace differences of opinion and diversity of thought as they help us challenge and refine our solutions. Merkle, as a best-in-class marketing agency, welcomes big ideas, and believes they can come from anywhere. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.