📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: CRS Marketing Acquisitions Lead, Director
🔹 Company: Citi
🔹 Location: Wilmington, Delaware, United States
🔹 Job Type: Full-time
🔹 Category: Marketing Program Management
📌 Essential Job Details
🚀 Job Overview
The Director of Partner Acquisition Marketing Growth will lead the strategic direction for acquisition growth across Citi Retail Services (CRS) partners and channels. This senior position is responsible for driving marketing programs, monitoring performance, and developing innovation strategies that fuel account growth. The role sits within the Marketing and Franchise Development team in the U.S. Personal Bank, which focuses on delivering best-in-class marketing campaigns while engaging external partnerships to enhance product solutions.
📋 Key Responsibilities
- ✅ Set and drive the acquisition vision and strategy across priority channels
- ✅ Manage central acquisition functions across multiple partner portfolios
- ✅ Lead centralized planning and performance assessment for CRS acquisition programs
- ✅ Build demand generation and conversion programs for digital acquisition channels
- ✅ Partner with analytics, risk, data, and modeling teams to enhance performance
- ✅ Take accountability for program growth by meeting performance commitments
- ✅ Assess and manage risk while ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
- ✅ Lead and inspire a high-performing team across multiple disciplines
- ✅ Coach and develop team members with proactive feedback and growth opportunities
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's/University degree required, Master's degree preferred
Experience:
- 15+ years of professional experience
- At least 10 years in senior performance/growth marketing acquisition roles with consumer credit products
- 8-10 years of experience managing teams
- Track record driving acquisition programs at scale with focus on digital transformation
- Hands-on experience across all dimensions of digital marketing
Skills:
- Proficiency with marketing technology (Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, Adobe Experience Manager)
- Experience with digital pre-qualification/pre-screen tools and funnel optimization
- Understanding of data and ML techniques for marketing optimization
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to lead teams through ambiguity and gain buy-in for disruptive ideas
- Partner-oriented mindset for delivering mutually beneficial outcomes
- Comfort operating in matrix organizations and complex environments
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $170,000.00 - $300,000.00
Benefits:
- Medical, dental & vision coverage
- 401(k)
- Life, accident, and disability insurance
- Wellness programs
- Paid time off packages (vacation, sick leave, holidays)
- Discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards (for eligible employees)
Industry Comparison: This compensation range aligns with senior director-level marketing positions in the financial services industry, particularly in the credit card and retail services sector.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry Position: Citi Retail Services (CRS) is a leader in the payments industry, managing over 40 million customer accounts through partnerships with major retailers including Macy's, The Home Depot, L.L. Bean, Dillard's, and Best Buy.
Company Size: Citigroup is a global financial services corporation, one of the largest banking institutions in the United States.
Company Stage: Established enterprise with global presence and distribution network.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Senior leadership (Director)
Reporting Structure: Reports to the Head of Citi Retail Services Marketing
Team Size/Composition: Will lead a team across multiple disciplines
Growth Opportunities: Potential for advancement within Citi's marketing organization or broader leadership roles in financial services marketing
ASSUMPTION: The exact team size is not specified in the listing, but given the scope of responsibility across multiple partner portfolios, this likely involves leading a substantial team.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: In-office (based on primary location listing)
Geographic Context: Wilmington is Delaware's largest city and a significant financial services hub, home to many credit card operations due to favorable banking laws.
Work Schedule: Standard full-time schedule
Regional Considerations: Wilmington offers a lower cost of living compared to nearby financial centers like New York or Philadelphia while providing proximity to both.
ASSUMPTION: The work arrangement appears to be in-office based on the specific location listing, though flexible or hybrid arrangements are not explicitly ruled out in the description.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process: Financial services director-level positions typically involve multiple rounds of interviews, including meetings with direct supervisors, cross-functional stakeholders, HR, and potentially senior leadership.
Key Assessment Areas:
- Track record of driving growth in acquisition marketing
- Strategic thinking and vision-setting abilities
- Digital marketing transformation expertise
- Leadership capabilities and team management skills
- Cross-functional collaboration experience
- Risk management approach in financial services
Application Tips:
- Highlight specific metrics and results from previous acquisition marketing initiatives
- Demonstrate experience with partnership marketing in retail/financial services
- Showcase digital transformation successes
- Emphasize team leadership and development achievements
ATS Keywords: acquisition marketing, partner marketing, digital transformation, credit card marketing, financial services, team leadership, performance marketing, growth marketing, customer acquisition, Adobe Analytics, marketing technology, retail partnerships
ASSUMPTION: These insights are based on standard practices for director-level marketing positions in financial services companies.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Adobe Marketing Suite (Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, Adobe Experience Manager)
- Digital pre-qualification/pre-screen tools
- Marketing analytics platforms
- CRM systems
- Data analysis and visualization tools
- Machine learning applications for marketing optimization
ASSUMPTION: Beyond the explicitly mentioned Adobe suite, other listed tools represent industry-standard platforms used in enterprise marketing departments for similar roles.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values: Based on the listing, Citi appears to value innovation, performance accountability, risk management, compliance, and ethical judgment.
Work Style: The role requires a highly collaborative approach, working cross-functionally across multiple teams while driving strategic initiatives in a matrix organization.
Self-Assessment:
- Are you comfortable driving innovation within established enterprise frameworks?
- Can you effectively navigate complex stakeholder relationships with partners, internal teams, and leadership?
- Do you thrive in a metrics-driven, performance-accountable environment?
- Are you experienced with balancing growth objectives against risk management requirements?
ASSUMPTION: These cultural elements are inferred from the job description's emphasis on innovation, cross-functional collaboration, performance accountability, and risk management.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Managing multiple partner portfolios with potentially competing priorities
- Navigating a complex matrix organization requiring extensive cross-functional collaboration
- Balancing growth objectives with risk management and compliance requirements
- Driving innovation within established enterprise processes
- Meeting performance metrics across diverse acquisition channels
ASSUMPTION: These challenges are inferred from the responsibilities and organizational context described in the job listing.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
This Director role differs from typical Marketing Director positions by its specialized focus on acquisition marketing within financial services partnerships. It combines elements of:
- Growth Marketing Director: Similar focus on acquisition channels, but with greater emphasis on financial services partnerships
- Partnership Marketing Director: Similar partner focus, but with greater emphasis on acquisition metrics
- Digital Marketing Director: Similar digital focus, but with broader channel responsibility including non-digital
- Financial Services Marketing Director: Similar industry focus, but more specialized in acquisition rather than full marketing mix
ASSUMPTION: This comparison is based on standard industry role structures and the specific description provided.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing a comprehensive acquisition strategy roadmap across in-store and digital channels for multiple retail partners
- Implementing advanced digital pre-qualification tools to improve conversion rates across partner websites
- Creating a performance measurement framework to standardize acquisition success metrics across partner portfolios
- Designing and launching new acquisition offers to increase application volume during key retail seasons
- Building and optimizing omnichannel acquisition journeys to improve customer experience and conversion
ASSUMPTION: These projects are illustrative examples based on the listed responsibilities and typical acquisition marketing initiatives in retail credit card partnerships.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- How do Citi's retail partnerships differ in their acquisition strategies, and what approaches have been most successful across the portfolio?
- What are the most significant challenges and opportunities for acquisition growth in the current economic and retail environment?
- How does the organization balance short-term acquisition targets with long-term customer value and risk considerations?
- What digital transformation initiatives are prioritized for acquisition marketing, and how do they integrate with existing systems?
- How does the acquisition team collaborate with other marketing functions and business partners to ensure a cohesive customer experience?
- What development opportunities exist for the team, and how is success measured both for individuals and the acquisition function?
ASSUMPTION: These questions are suggested based on the role description and would need adaptation for specific interview contexts.
📌 Disclaimer
⚠️ This enhanced job description was AI-generated based on the original job listing. Information has been organized and supplemented with industry-standard insights where details were not provided. All assumptions are explicitly labeled. Applicants should verify all details directly with the employer before making decisions based on this content.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
- Research Citi's retail partnerships – Understand the major retail partners mentioned (Macy's, The Home Depot, etc.) and their credit card programs.
- Prepare a portfolio of acquisition marketing achievements – Gather metrics and examples demonstrating your success in driving growth through marketing channels.
- Update your resume with ATS-friendly keywords – Ensure terms like "acquisition marketing," "partner marketing," "digital transformation," and "performance marketing" appear in your application.
- Review LinkedIn profiles of current Citi marketing leaders to understand organizational structure and backgrounds of successful team members.
- Prepare specific examples demonstrating your ability to lead teams, drive innovation, manage partnerships, and deliver results in complex environments.
- Be prepared to discuss your approach to balancing growth objectives with risk management considerations, particularly relevant in financial services.