Director of Engagement Programs

Career Guide

A Director of Engagement Programs designs and runs programs that keep customers, members, or employees actively involved over time. The role blends strategy, program management, communication, and measurement to improve participation, retention, and satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Set engagement strategy and define program goals
Design and launch engagement programs across key audience segments
Create program messaging and communication plans
Partner with Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, and Product teams
Build calendars for campaigns, events, and community activities
Develop onboarding and ongoing nurture journeys
Manage vendors, platforms, and external partners
Track performance metrics and report outcomes to leadership
Run experiments to improve participation and retention
Lead and coach program managers and coordinators
Manage program budgets and resource planning
Ensure programs follow privacy and brand guidelines

Top Skills for Success

Stakeholder Management

Executive Communication

Project Management

People Leadership

Program Strategy

Customer Segmentation

Lifecycle Marketing

Campaign Planning

Content Strategy

Community Building

Event Programming

Data Fluency

Experiment Design

Survey Design

Budget Management

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Engagement Program Manager

Community Manager

Customer Marketing Manager

Customer Success Manager

Event Marketing Manager

Transition Opportunities

Head of Engagement

Director of Customer Marketing

Director of Customer Success

Director of Community

VP of Customer Experience

VP of Marketing

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Retention StrategyAttribution MeasurementLifecycle Program DesignMarketing OperationsChange ManagementCross functional Planning

Development SuggestionsBuild a simple engagement scorecard with clear targets, document a repeatable program playbook, and run quarterly tests with a clear hypothesis and measurable outcome. Strengthen measurement by aligning on definitions, setting up tracking, and creating a consistent reporting cadence.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry Level$95,000 to $130,000

Mid Level$130,000 to $175,000

Senior Level$175,000 to $240,000

Growth Trend

Steady growth. Demand is strongest in subscription businesses, customer success organizations, and companies investing in retention and community.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

SalesforceMicrosoftGoogleAmazonHubSpotServiceNowAdobeAtlassianZoomLinkedInStripeShopify

Industry Sectors

Software as a ServiceEcommerceFinancial TechnologyHealthcareEducation TechnologyMedia and StreamingNonprofitProfessional Associations

Recommended Next Steps

Write a one page engagement strategy with target audiences, goals, and success metrics

Audit current programs and map them to the customer or member journey

Create a 90 day roadmap with two quick wins and one larger program launch

Build a monthly performance dashboard and share it with leadership

Collect voice of customer feedback using surveys and interviews

Partner with Product and Customer Success to align programs to key moments

Create a program toolkit with templates for briefs, timelines, and reporting

Strengthen leadership readiness by mentoring a manager and delegating ownership