Fast Facts

The Tech Communications Specialist role focuses on designing and managing data automations within Salesforce Marketing Cloud to enhance student communications. This position requires expertise in SQL, data modeling, and collaboration with various stakeholders to improve student engagement and retention.

Responsibilities: Design and implement data automations for student communications, write SQL queries for data management, and collaborate with teams to optimize recruitment and retention strategies.

Skills: Proficiency in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, advanced SQL skills, knowledge of data models, and experience with API integrations are essential.

Qualifications: An Associate's degree in a relevant field and 2+ years of experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and SQL are required, with a preference for experience in higher education and relevant certifications.

Location: The job is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $65,000 - $95,000.

The Tech Communication Specialist designs, builds, and maintains data automations for student-focused communications in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC). Leveraging Journey Builder and Automation Studio, this role writes and optimizes SQL queries, orchestrates data automations, manages subscriber data/preference centers, and closely partners with internal and occasionally external stakeholders to help deliver data for personalized messages that improves recruitment, retention, and engagement.

Responsibilities

Journey&Automation Development

• Build data for single?send, multi?step, and transactional journeys that incorporate Entry Events, Decision/Random/Engagement Splits, Wait, and Update Contact activities to guide students through recruitment, onboarding, and retention touch?
• Configure data to help implement predetermined Goals and Exit Criteria so journeys automatically evaluate success and remove contacts who achieve their objective.
• Orchestrate data for scheduled or event?triggered automations that import files (SFTP, API), refresh Data Extensions, execute SQL activities, and invoke Journey
• Monitor run history, concurrency limits, and error logs in Automation Studio; restart or roll back failed workflows and communicate incident status.

SQL & Query Development

• Write and optimize complex queries (joins, CTEs, window functions) for segmentation, suppression, data hygiene, and journey branching logic.
• Document queries in a version?controlled repository; schedule them as discrete activities or bundle inside automations with data extracts and email sends.

Subscriber Data & Preference Management

• Design scalable Contact Builder data models, attribute groups, and data relationships to support large student populations.
• Maintain Publication Lists, Suppression Lists, and self?service Preference Centers that honor FERPA, CAN?SPAM, and GDPR?like requirements.
• Leverage API or Automation Studio File Import activities to keep subscriber attributes, consent flags, and mobile opt?ins synchronized with SIS/CRM systems.

Testing, QA & Troubleshooting

• Use Journey Builder test mode, validation, and Query Studio to test the data powering dynamic content.
• Implement automated alerting (email/SMS/Slack) for automation failures; analyze Journey Health, drop?off points, and deliverability metrics to recommend fixes.

Collaboration, Enablement & Reporting

• Gather requirements from Communications, Learner Services, and Academic Engagement; translate them into journey data maps and schemas.
• Build dashboards in Marketing Cloud Intelligence or BI tools alongside the Communications Team to help track campaign performance, goal achievement, and student?lifecycle KPIs; present data insights and next?step data optimizations.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Required

• Knowledge of SFMC modules (Journey?Builder & Automation?Studio, Query Studio. Analytics Builder, Contact?Builder, etc.).
• Skill in writing advanced SQL (joins, sub?queries, CTEs) for segmentation and data hygiene.
• Ability to architect Data?Extensions and relational data models that support large student datasets.
• Skill in AMPscript/SSJS and basic knowledge of HTML.
• Knowledge of REST/SOAP APIs and Marketing?Cloud?Connect for CRM integrations.
• Ability to analyze KPIs (open, click, conversion) and translate data insights into iterative improvements.

Preferred

• Salesforce admin certification in Marketing Cloud or other similar Salesforce Product
• Knowledge of higher?education communication cycles and student?lifecycle marketing best practices.
• Skill with BI tools (Tableau, Power?BI) or Python for advanced analytics.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Education: Associate’s degree in Communication, Information Science, or related field
• Experience:2?+?yrs hands?on SFMC (Audience Builder & Automation?Studio), SQL scripting, and data?driven decision-making

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience:Experience in higher education environment
• SFMC certifications (Journey Builder & Automation Consultant)