Email Marketing Specialist

Overview

COMPANY SUMMARY:

At Holiday Vacations, our mission is to enrich lives with valued travel experiences. We offer inclusive guided tours led by professional Tour Directors to more than 80 destinations on six continents. We travel by air, motor coach, trains, and cruises on itineraries that bring the destination alive for our guests. We are headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and are a subsidiary of Xanterra Travel Collection, the largest national park concessionaire in the U.S. Xanterra also owns other tour operator and cruise line brands including VBT Bicycling Vacations, Country Walkers, and Windstar Cruises.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Email Marketing Specialist is a hands-on lifecycle marketer on Holiday Vacations’ in-house, high-performance Marketing Communications team. This collaborative, innovative, and fun team values new ideas, and the successful candidate will bring curiosity, innovation, and personality to help elevate how we communicate with guests through email.

The role blends strategic thinking with technical execution to build, automate, and optimize targeted email campaigns in HubSpot. The Email Marketing Specialist designs and tests campaigns, segments audiences, tracks performance, and refines workflows so the right content reaches the right traveler at the right time.

While email and lifecycle marketing are the primary focus, this position also supports broader digital efforts, aligning email with web and social content, supporting landing pages and basic website updates, contributing to analytics and reporting, and helping ensure digital channels work together to tell a consistent story and drive results.

WELCOME TO “THE HV WAY”:

Honesty & Integrity: We act with honesty and accountability, building trust with every guest, partner, and teammate. We keep our promises.

• Create Community: We create community by treating each other and our guests like extended family, fostering belonging, celebrating, and supporting one another.

Surprise & Delight: We go beyond expectations to create meaningful experiences. We make every effort to exceed expectations. Grow Together: We embrace curiosity, feedback, and continuous learning – always striving to be better and do better. Innovate Boldly: We seek fresh ideas, adapt to change, and look for ways to stay ahead in a dynamic travel landscape

Protect What Matters: We prioritize safety and sustainability for our people, our guests, and the places we explore. Celebrate the Team: We succeed together, value each person’s gifts and contributions, and take time to enjoy the journey along the way.

Responsibilities:

CORE COMPETENCIES:

Lifecycle and Campaign Thinking by seeing the big picture, planning thoughtful sequences of messages, and connecting daily tasks to longer-term goals and relationships. Technical and Platform Proficiency by learning and using digital tools confidently, navigating systems with ease, and troubleshooting issues with a calm, solutions-focused approach.

Data-Driven Optimization by being curious about results, using data to understand what is working, and making steady, informed adjustments to improve outcomes over time. Communication and Collaboration by sharing information clearly, listening to others, asking good questions, and working well across teams to support shared priorities.

Attention to Detail and Quality by carefully reviewing work, following established standards, and taking pride in delivering accurate, polished, and reliable outputs. Initiative and Continuous Improvement by being open to feedback, seeking out new skills and ideas, and looking for practical ways to make processes, tools, and outcomes better.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Develop and manage a comprehensive email marketing strategy that supports brand awareness, lead nurturing, guest engagement, and revenue goals, including promotional, nurture, lifecycle, and transactional emails.
• Design and build marketing emails in HubSpot using templates, personalization tokens, and dynamic content, ensuring emails are aligned with the marketing calendar and consistent with web, social media, and other digital content.
• Coordinate with designers and copywriters, including Content Marketing and Loyalty/Content teams, to build engaging, on-brand content and digital assets for email and related landing pages.

Set up and maintain automated workflows for lead nurturing, lifecycle campaigns, and guest communications, continuously refining email and marketing processes to improve efficiency and personalization. Segment lists for targeted messaging based on behavior, demographics, tour interest, and lifecycle stage, partnering with data owners to ensure list quality, accuracy, and proper consent practices.

• Ensure all emails are thoroughly tested for layout, links, personalization, deliverability, and device compatibility prior to deployment.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of HubSpot’s Marketing Hub features and how they integrate with data from Peak 15 and other systems to support segmentation, reporting, and automation.
• Work with IT or third-party support to resolve technical issues affecting email performance, deliverability, or tracking, in coordination with the Senior Digital Marketing Specialist.

Use A/B testing and analytics to inform continuous improvements to subject lines, content, design, send times, calls-to-action, and audience segments.

• Ensure compliance with CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and other relevant data privacy regulations; manage contact lists, opt-outs, and database hygiene to maintain list health and deliverability.
• Support broader digital marketing efforts by assisting with website updates and basic site audits in coordination, ensuring alignment between email content and website messaging.
• Assist in building and maintaining landing pages and simple web forms used in email campaigns, ensuring a cohesive guest experience from inbox to website.

Keep pace with email and digital marketing standards, tools, and developments, proactively sharing ideas, testing new approaches, and recommending enhancements that support The HV Way and company goals. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in marketing, communications, digital media, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 3+ years of professional experience planning, building, and deploying email marketing campaigns, preferably in a multi-channel or ecommerce/retail environment.

Experience with CRM and email marketing tools, including setting up and managing automated email workflows and lifecycle journeys; direct experience with HubSpot (Marketing Hub) is strongly preferred.:

Experience with website analysis and digital analytics using tools such as Google Analytics and email platform reporting.:

Understanding of email marketing best practices, including segmentation, responsive design, subject line testing, deliverability, and KPI measurement. Familiarity with data privacy and compliance requirements for email marketing, such as CAN-SPAM, GDPR, and consent management. Strong proficiency in MS Office, especially Excel, Adobe Suite and Photoshop; ability to work with digital assets for email and basic web use is preferred.

High levels of integrity, autonomy, and self-motivation, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality, with excellent organizational and time management skills.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS:

Working Location: The location for work is the Holiday Vacations corporate headquarters in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with a hybrid work arrangement. The standard expectation is three days onsite and the option to work from home up to two days per week within the State of Wisconsin, based on business needs. Travel may be required occasionally.

• Schedule: Work hours are generally during the regular business week, but there may be variations due to the time of year, campaign timelines, and department demands. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support deadlines, deployments, or events.

Physical Requirements: The job requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time, as well as the ability to frequently walk and lift or carry up to 35 lbs. The role may require bending, twisting, stooping, grasping, and reaching outward or above shoulders, and the ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 lbs. Intense mental and visual concentration is required for computer usage.

Technical and Home-Office Requirements: Must have a distraction-free workspace/environment with space for a desktop computer with two monitors. Must have a stable power source and internet connection, including a dedicated high-speed internet and ethernet connection. The connection cannot be wireless, Wi-Fi extenders, Wi-Fi repeaters, or hotspots. The employee must be able to plug in equipment directly to the modem or router during work times.

BENEFITS:

For full-time employees, Holiday Vacations offers a comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Dental and Vision; HSA and FSA; Life and Disability; Accident, Hospital and Critical Illness; Pet Insurance; Paid Time Off and Holiday Paid Time Off; 401(k) with Company Match; Employee Assistance Plan; Education Assistance; and Employee Discounts and Travel Deals.

EEO Holiday Vacations is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.