Job Advert
Protein Works is looking for a Head of CRM, Loyalty and Retention to own the customer lifecycle end to end. This is a role with genuine scope: you will be responsible for how we communicate with our customers across email, SMS and owned channels, how we grow and retain our subscriber base, and how we use data to make every interaction sharper. If you have spent the last few years running lifecycle programmes and want a role where you are setting the direction rather than following someone else's, this is the right moment to join us.
The business is growing, and CRM is at the centre of how we plan to grow it. You will inherit a strong foundation and a loyal customer base, but the bigger opportunity is in what has not been built yet. We are still writing the playbook on segmentation depth, subscription mechanics and long-term loyalty. The person who joins will have a meaningful say in how that work takes shape, and will be judged on the commercial outcomes they drive, not just the campaigns they send.
Day to day, you will work closely with Trading, Brand, Data and Digital teams to build lifecycle journeys that convert browsers into buyers, one-time buyers into loyal customers, and loyal customers into advocates. You will lead the email and SMS trading calendar, own the reporting, manage the platform relationships and develop the CRM team around you. This is an execution-first role with strategic weight behind it.
About Protein Works
Founded in 2012 on a clear conviction: the sports nutrition industry had become complacent, and there was a better way to do it. Over a decade later, we are a £50m business with five consecutive years of double-digit growth, a brand new £10m campus in Liverpool, and ambitions that go well beyond where we are today.
We are a brand, a retailer, a manufacturer and a fulfilment operation. All in-house, all under one roof. That breadth is deliberate. It gives our people exposure and influence that most businesses simply cannot offer, and it gives us a platform to scale in a way that few companies in this space can match.
We are growing, investing and hiring with purpose. If you want to join a business with the energy of a challenger and the foundations of a market leader, this is the right moment to do it.
What you will be doing
Own and lead the CRM, retention, subscription and loyalty strategy across the UK and international markets.
Build, manage and optimise customer lifecycle journeys, including welcome, onboarding, replenishment, win-back, reactivation, loyalty and VIP programmes.
Drive repeat purchase rate, customer lifetime value, subscription growth and retention rate improvements.
Lead the email and SMS trading calendar, balancing commercial performance with customer experience.
Develop segmentation and personalisation strategies using cohort analysis, customer behaviour, product interest, purchase frequency and lifecycle stage.
Work with Data and Insight teams to understand customer cohorts, churn patterns, purchase behaviour and retention opportunities.
Build and optimise automated CRM flows across email, SMS and other owned channels.
Partner with Trading and Product teams to support product launches, seasonal campaigns, promotional moments and category growth.
Own loyalty and rewards initiatives, identifying ways to increase engagement, advocacy and repeat purchase.
Lead reporting across CRM, retention and loyalty, turning performance data into clear commercial actions.
Manage and develop the CRM team, setting clear priorities, high standards and meaningful development plans.
Work with external platforms and partners to maximise CRM, SMS, loyalty and subscription tool performance.
What success looks like
To be successful in this role, you will bring:
Strong experience in a CRM, retention or lifecycle marketing role, ideally in DTC ecommerce or a subscription business.
A genuine track record of improving customer lifetime value, reducing churn and growing a subscription base, backed by data you can talk to in detail.
Hands-on experience running cohort analysis: you know how to pull the data, read what it is telling you, and turn it into a commercial decision.
Strong platform proficiency across CRM and email tools, with the ability to build and own automated flows without heavy dependency on developers.
The ability to work across multiple customer segments, not just a single persona, and to use that insight to make campaigns more effective.
Data literacy that goes beyond open rates: you are comfortable building retention dashboards, presenting to stakeholders and owning the commercial narrative.
Experience working in a cross-functional environment, with the confidence to align Trading, Brand, Product and Data teams around a shared retention agenda.
The right person for this role is commercially wired. You think in lifetime value, contribution margin and payback periods, not just campaign metrics. You do not wait to be told what the problem is; you find it, frame it and go and fix it. You are comfortable in an environment where the full playbook does not yet exist, and you bring the drive and resilience to build it. You test, you read the data honestly, and you act quickly. At six months, you will have a clear view of the customer base, a segmentation strategy that is sharper than the one you inherited, and retention metrics moving in the right direction. At twelve months, you will have built a lifecycle programme that is a genuine competitive advantage for the business.
What you will get
Exclusive staff discounts
Private healthcare
Birthday day off
Pension scheme
Unique bonus scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Access to retail discounts
Staff socials and events
State of the art PW Campus
WFH on Fridays
Refreshments on-site
