Customer Retention Manager

At Hearst UK, we don’t just create content – we shape culture. Our workplace is driven by passion, shaped by authenticity and powered by creativity. We back bold ideas, act with an entrepreneurial mindset and continually evolve to meet the moment – while respecting the legacy that’s brought us here. We believe in each other’s potential and push boundaries together to create meaningful impact, both across the media landscape and in people’s lives.

Hearst UK operates an in‑office policy with flexible Fridays. Our office is based at House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 4AJ, where teams collaborate in person and connect across brands and functions.

The Customer Retention Manager sits within the Customer Value team and reports to the Head of Customer Value. This team is responsible for retaining and maximising the value of Hearst UK’s subscriber and membership base, playing a central role in our subscription and membership growth at an exciting time in our proposition development. With a strong focus on driving customer lifetime value, reducing churn, and delivering sustainable net growth, the team leads the strategy and execution that underpins the ongoing success of our subscription and membership business.

As Customer Retention Manager, you will play a key role in the planning and delivery of the retention and engagement strategy across Hearst UK’s portfolio of 13 brands, spanning paid digital, bundle, and premium membership products. You will be supported by a team of Retention Marketing Executives to deliver best‑in‑class lifecycle marketing across the full customer journey, with a clear focus on maximising customer lifetime value, reducing churn, and accelerating subscriber net growth.

You will take day‑to‑day ownership of contact centre performance, ensuring our external partner consistently meets KPIs, delivers best‑in‑class customer experiences, and executes against our retention strategy to a high standard. You will identify opportunities to optimise save and winback performance through this critical channel, directly contributing to conversion, retention, and the continued growth of our subscriber membership business.

Main Duties

• Support in owning and evolving the customer retention and engagement strategy across all lifecycle stages (welcome, in‑life, save and winback).
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of Retention Marketing Executives, fostering a high‑performing, collaborative culture.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs, and priorities aligned to overall customer revenue and subscription growth goals.

Lifecycle Marketing & Delivery

• Oversee the planning and execution of lifecycle campaigns across all touchpoints, ensuring consistent, personalised, and high‑quality customer communications.
• Drive best practice in segmentation, targeting, and personalisation across channels.
• Ensure campaigns are aligned across 13 Hearst brands while allowing for brand‑specific nuance.

Contact Centre & Save Performance

• Own the relationship with the contact centre from a retention perspective, ensuring alignment on goals, messaging, and customer experience.
• Develop and optimise save and winback strategies within the contact centre channel to maximise retention performance.
• Partner with contact centre teams to improve scripts, offers, and processes, using data and insights to increase save rates and reduce churn.
• Monitor and report on contact centre retention performance, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Data, Insights & Optimisation

• Use customer data, behavioural insights, and performance metrics to inform strategy and campaign optimisation.
• Own testing roadmaps (A/B and multivariate) to continuously improve engagement, retention, and conversion.
• Monitor and report on key metrics such as churn, retention rate, engagement, and lifetime value, translating insights into actionable improvements.

Customer Journey & Experience

• Identify opportunities to enhance the end‑to‑end customer journey across all touchpoints, including both digital and assisted channels.
• Champion a customer‑first mindset across all retention activity.

Cross‑functional Collaboration

• Work closely with teams across Customer, Editorial, Data, Design, and the Contact Centre to deliver integrated retention initiatives.
• Act as a key stakeholder in broader subscription and customer value projects.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven experience in lifecycle marketing, retention, CRM, or customer marketing, ideally within a media or subscription‑based business.
• Experience managing or mentoring team members, with strong leadership and coaching skills.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret data and translate insights into strategy and action.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling, personalised customer messaging across both digital and assisted channels.
• Strategic thinker with a test‑and‑learn mindset and a focus on continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of CRM platforms and segmentation techniques.
• Highly organised, with strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Collaborative and stakeholder‑focused.
• Creative problem solver with a proactive approach to improving customer experience and retention outcomes.
• Strong awareness of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in retention marketing.

Benefits

Your benefits at Hearst UK are more than just extras – they are tools to help you thrive in every part of life.

• Stay healthy with Specsavers eye care, a company‑funded Health Cash Plan, and access to mental health support.
• Get active and stress‑free with discounted gym memberships and the Cycle to Work scheme.
• Embrace flexibility with a Location Flex and Holiday Exchange to take time when you need it.
• Take time to give back with a Charity Day and access wellbeing resources whenever you need them.

Hearst UK is deeply committed to using our influential brands to reflect the world we want to live in – one that respects, protects, represents and uplifts the voices and opinions of all people. As a business, we recognise the significant benefits of creativity, collaboration and innovation that comes with diverse teams.