Director, Lifecycle Marketing

Dave vs. Goliath. We’re Dave.

Dave is a financial app on a mission to build products that level the financial playing field. It is redefining the financial landscape by leveraging technology to create an affordable, transparent, and user-centric access to liquidity for millions of Americans. As a leading innovator in the U.S. financial services sector, Dave’s digital financial platform offers products designed to meet the credit needs of those underserved by traditional financial institutions. Dave’s offerings include its flagship ExtraCash product, providing members up to $500 within minutes. The company is on track to launch several new product offerings in 2026, including a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) option.

Dave is focused on serving Americans who are financially vulnerable or living paycheck to paycheck. Dave is leading the charge in creating a new era of credit products that prioritizes speed, affordability, and accessibility, making it the go-to financial partner for those who need it most.

We are looking for a Director of Lifecycle Marketing to define, own, and scale our multi-product lifecycle strategy, driving member engagement, retention, and loyalty across every touchpoint of the Dave experience.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will lead the Lifecycle & CRM function end-to-end, managing lifecycle communications across onboarding, engagement, retention, and reactivation, alongside operational and transactional messaging. Building on a solid technical and operational foundation that successfully scaled our single-product portfolio, you will evolve Dave's lifecycle strategy as we transition to a multi-product ecosystem in 2027.

This is a hybrid strategy-and-execution position where you will establish vision while remaining active in campaign execution alongside your team. Navigating ambiguity, you will shape our multi-product roadmaps, resource allocation, and cross-functional priorities across the Dave ecosystem.

What you build & own

• Lifecycle strategy & roadmap: Develop and execute a comprehensive lifecycle marketing roadmap spanning onboarding, engagement, retention, and reactivation while managing forecasting, budgeting, and leadership reporting.

• Member journey strategy: Design and optimize end-to-end member journeys, establishing effective timing, messaging, and channel distribution across all lifecycle stages.

• Next-best-action framework: Architect and implement a multi-product communication governance framework to deliver timely, relevant messaging that maximizes member satisfaction and lifetime value.

• Transactional & operational comms: Oversee high-trust operational and transactional messaging in close collaboration with Product, Compliance, and Legal teams to ensure accuracy and compliance.

• Cross-functional integration: Partner with User Acquisition, Product Marketing, and Product management to seamlessly integrate lifecycle communications into overall product positioning and in-app user experiences.

• Measurement discipline: Establish KPIs for onboarding, retention, engagement, and revenue per member, fostering a rigorous test-and-learn optimization framework.

• Braze platform ownership: Serve as the primary business owner for Braze, overseeing commercial agreements, feature adoption, experimentation, and deliverability best practices.

• Team leadership: Lead, coach, and mentor a team of 4 lifecycle marketers, driving operational excellence and high team performance.

The impact

Delivering the right message at the right moment builds long-term trust in Dave's financial platform. In this role, you will shape and elevate that experience for over 14 million members.

What we're looking for

• 12+ years of progressive experience in lifecycle, CRM, or retention marketing, with hands-on oversight of both marketing and operational/transactional communications.

• Proven background in fintech, banking, insurance, or another highly regulated consumer-facing industry.

• 5+ years of hands-on expertise with Braze, including building, launching, and optimizing multi-channel campaigns and journeys across email, push, SMS, and in-app channels.

• Experience utilizing mobile measurement platforms (e.g., AppsFlyer) to leverage attribution data for targeted audience segmentation.

• Demonstrated track record of managing and developing high-performing CRM or lifecycle marketing teams.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with Product, Product Marketing, User Acquisition, Data/Analytics, Compliance, and Legal stakeholders.

• Advanced data fluency and consumer analytics capabilities, coupled with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Bonus:

• Experience scaling a lifecycle function with a complex customer data layer.

• Familiarity with SMS and email deliverability and compliance requirements (CAN-SPAM, TCPA, CTIA).

• Experience presenting lifecycle strategy and performance recommendations directly to executive or VP+ audiences.

What to expect

This role operates in a fast-paced fintech environment with significant autonomy to shape our lifecycle marketing function while maintaining compliance and member trust. As our product portfolio continues to evolve, you will ensure our messaging strategy dynamically aligns with changing business priorities through data-informed decision-making.

Why join Dave

• Mission-driven impact - Build communication strategies that empower millions of everyday Americans to achieve financial health.

• Significant scope and leadership - Lead an end-to-end lifecycle function encompassing marketing and operational communications with a dedicated team.

• Strategic autonomy - Define and establish the cross-functional operating model for Lifecycle Marketing across the organization.

• Strong resources and support - You'll have a dedicated team, an established platform in Braze, and strong cross-functional support from product, data, and engineering partners.

• Meaningful scale and challenges - Drive engagement and trust across millions of members while solving complex multi-product messaging challenges.

Ready to build for the underdog?

Reports to: VP of Growth

Don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way of an incredible opportunity. We’re looking for people who can help us achieve our mission and vision, not just check off the boxes. If you’re excited about this role, we encourage you to apply. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why you’ll love working here:

At Dave, our people are just as important as our product. Our culture reflects the values that guide who we are, how we work, and what we aspire to be. Daves are member-centric, helpful, transparent, persistent, and better together. We strive to create an environment where all Daves feel valued, heard, and empowered to do their best work. As a virtual-first company, team members can live and work anywhere in the United States, except Hawaii.

A few of our benefits & perks:

Opportunity to tackle tough challenges, learn and grow from fellow top talent, and help millions of people reach their personal financial goals

Flexible hours and virtual-first work culture with a home office stipend

Premium Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans

Generous paid parental and caregiver leave

401(k) savings plan with matching contributions

Financial advisor and financial wellness support

Flexible PTO and generous company holidays, including Juneteenth and Winter Break

All-company in-person events once or twice a year and virtual events throughout to connect with your team members and leadership team

Dave Operating LLC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is dedicated to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants and do not discriminate on any basis protected by federal, state, or local law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history.