Customer acquisition costs have never been higher.

AI driven personalisation, real-time data and a genuine shift from one-off transactions to long-term customer relationships have turned CRM from a supporting function into one of the most commercially important seats in the business.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) marketing is the practice of using data and technology to build long-term relationships with existing customers; driving retention, loyalty and repeat revenue. A Head of CRM is the senior leader responsible for that strategy: owning the platforms, the data, the team and the commercial outcomes behind it.

In this guide, we'll cover what a Head of CRM actually does, the skills that separate good from great, what to pay, and what to look for if you're hiring one.

The UK CRM Market in 2026

The Marketing & CRM market has continued to evolve in 2026, with businesses prioritising customer retention, loyalty and long-term brand engagement over purely acquisition-led growth.

Budgets remain under pressure, and a demand for stronger ROI from leaner teams has increased the need for CRM people who can deliver clear commercial impact, demonstrate data-led decision making and work across both strategy and execution.

Salary growth has stabilised compared to previous years, but businesses offering hybrid working, flexibility, progression and a strong brand identity remain best placed to attract and retain top CRM talent.

Abbie Hirstle - Business Manager, Marketing & CRM at Forward Role

“A couple of stats worth knowing if you're hiring right now:

•        AI-related hiring is growing 30% faster than overall hiring trends, with marketing automation and personalisation among the fastest-growing skill sets

•        As of March 2026, 28% of UK workers are hybrid and 13% are fully remote, with marketing among the sectors leading the way on flexible working”

What Is CRM and Why Does It Matter?

CRM covers the channels a business owns and controls directly; the ones you use to talk to customers you already have, rather than to win new ones.

That typically includes:

•        Email marketing

•        SMS

•        Push and in-app messaging

•        Loyalty programmes

•        Direct mail

•        Marketing automation platforms that tie it all together

Done well, it's genuinely one of the highest-ROI parts of marketing - you're talking to people who already know you. Done badly, it's just another channel firing off emails nobody opens.

What Is a Head of CRM? (Role Overview)

A Head of CRM is a strategic leader responsible for customer lifecycle strategy, retention and lifetime value growth - not just for sending campaigns.

It's worth being clear on the difference: a CRM Executive or Manager is typically hands-on, running campaigns and building journeys day to day. A Head of CRM sits a level above that; owning the strategy, the platform choices, the team, and the conversation with the rest of the leadership team about what CRM is actually delivering commercially.

A modern Head of CRM will typically own:

•        Customer lifecycle strategy

•        Email marketing

•        Marketing automation

•        Customer segmentation

•        Personalisation

•        Loyalty programmes

•        Retention marketing

•        Customer journey optimisation

•        CRM technology platforms

•        Customer insight and analytics

•        Team leadership and development

Ultimately, they're building stronger relationships with your customers and getting more value out of every one of them, over time.

The Skills Every Great CRM Leader Needs

We asked two CRM leaders what's changed. Here's what they told us:

“The biggest shift in CRM has been the pace at which technology is changing the role. We're no longer just looking for great marketers - we need people who are curious, data-literate and eager to embrace AI and automation, while never losing sight of the customer and the commercial outcomes we're trying to achieve.”

Jodie Gardner - Head of CRM Performance & Operations at Awaze

“AI is impacting the CRM space and in a really positive way. It's freed teams from a lot of the manual grind and elevated our insight and reporting, so we can optimise much faster. That means more time for strategic thinking, personalisation and future planning. As a result, we're looking for talent who can think strategically, embrace a fast-changing landscape, get creative with AI, and support their teams through that change.”

Lyndsey Kennerley - Customer Director, SimpliSafe

Core Responsibilities of a Head of CRM

Lifecycle Strategy & Retention

The best CRM people we place understand the whole customer journey, start to finish. They know how to engage customers at every stage:

•        Acquisition

•        Onboarding

•        Activation

•        Engagement

•        Retention

•        Loyalty

•        Win-back

They're not just sending campaigns. They're building journeys that actually move customers through a lifecycle, and taking ownership of churn along the way.

Data, Segmentation & Personalisation

Personalisation is only ever as good as the data behind it. The best CRM leaders genuinely understand:

•        Customer segmentation

•        Behavioural targeting

•        First-party data strategies

•        Customer profiling

•        Audience creation

•        Predictive modelling

And increasingly, they're thinking about where AI fits in - predictive customer journeys, send-time optimisation, automated content generation and next-best-action modelling. Modern CRM runs on data, not gut feel.

Marketing Automation & Platforms

Automation is now one of the biggest parts of the job. Look for candidates with hands-on experience across platforms like:

•        Salesforce Marketing Cloud

•        Braze

•        Bloomreach

•        Klaviyo

•        HubSpot

•        Adobe Campaign

•        Dotdigital

•        Iterable

But the platform list is only half the story - what really matters is whether they can explain how they've used these tools to move the needle commercially.

Commercial Ownership

Great CRM leaders know engagement metrics only tell half the story. They should be genuinely focused on:

•        Customer lifetime value

•        Repeat purchase rates

•        Revenue growth

•        Retention rates

•        Churn reduction

•        Profitability

Open rates and click-throughs are useful. Commercial outcomes are what actually matter.

Team & Vendor Leadership

As the function scales, a Head of CRM is also managing people and partners - building out in-house specialists, and overseeing external platform or agency relationships to make sure the whole stack works together.

What Separates Good CRM Professionals From Great Ones?

They Understand Customers

Sounds obvious. It's surprisingly rare. The best CRM people combine hard data with real customer empathy. They get what motivates people, what makes them switch off, and what keeps them coming back.

They Obsess Over Testing

CRM is a discipline built on constant optimisation, and strong candidates should be genuinely excited to talk about A/B testing, journey optimisation, subject line testing, personalisation experiments and segmentation improvements. The best CRM leaders never stop chasing marginal gains.

They Balance Creativity and Data

CRM sits right at the crossroads of marketing, tech and analytics. The strongest candidates bring creative thinking and analytical rigour in equal measure, they understand both the science and the art of customer engagement.

They Think Beyond Email

This is the real difference between an average CRM hire and an exceptional one. Great candidates know CRM now stretches across email, SMS, push notifications, in-app messaging, loyalty platforms, direct mail and customer service touchpoints. They think about the whole customer experience, not just the channel in front of them.

Key Skills & Qualifications Needed to Succeed

Hard Skills

•        Mastery of CRM and automation platforms

•        Data, segmentation and attribution modelling

•        Customer analytics and reporting

•        Budget management

Soft & Leadership Skills

•        Commercial acumen

•        Stakeholder management

•        Balancing creativity with data-led decision making

•        Team leadership and development

Salary Benchmarks & Career Progression

Salaries shift depending on industry, team size and platform expertise. Based on Forward Role's 2026 Marketing & Digital Salary Guide (2026 Marketing & Digital Salary Guide UK | Forward Role), here's what UK employers are actually paying for CRM talent:

 

Level	Salary	Contract Day Rate
CRM Assistant	£27,000	£250 - £280
CRM Executive	£32,000	£280 - £380
CRM Senior Executive	£37,500	£310 - £380
CRM Manager	£53,500	£380 - £420
Senior CRM Manager	£65,000	£420 - £500
Head of CRM	£83,000	£500 – £600

Senior salaries at Director and C-Level can vary significantly depending on business size and scope. Get in touch directly for market-specific guidance at that level.

The typical step-up pathway runs CRM Executive > CRM Manager > Senior CRM Manager > Head of CRM > CRM Director — though candidates with strong platform experience, customer data strategy and retention-led growth under their belt are increasingly commanding premium salaries and skipping rungs along the way.

Worth noting: if you're hiring a more data-heavy CRM & Campaign Analytics specialist rather than a generalist CRM lead, benchmarks run higher across the board, from around £35,000 at junior level up to £97,500 for a Head of CRM & Campaign Analytics, reflecting the added technical skillset.

Hiring a Head of CRM: Key Challenges & What to Look For

Good CRM leaders are genuinely hard to find right now. There is a tangible skills shortage, and there's high competition for people who combine technical depth; data, platforms, automation with commercial and creative instinct. The best candidates rarely stay on the market for long.

A few things worth doing as an employer:

•        Structure a genuinely competitive package - strong CRM leaders know their worth and will benchmark you against multiple offers.

•        Offer hybrid flexibility where you can - it's a standard requirement for most candidates at this level now

•        Focus interviews on commercial outcomes, not just campaign metrics, to properly evaluate strategic thinking

Try asking:

•        How do you measure CRM success?

•        What role does AI play in the future of CRM?

•        Tell us about a customer retention strategy you've implemented.

•        How do you approach customer segmentation?

•        What CRM platform have you had the most success with, and why?

•        How would you reduce churn in a subscription business?

•        What does great personalisation look like in 2026?

Here's the tell: the strongest candidates will talk about business outcomes, not campaign metrics.

Looking For A Head of CRM?

A Head of CRM is no longer just an email marketer; they're a key driver of predictable, retention-led growth.

Whether you're building your first CRM function from scratch or bringing in a senior leader to drive retention and loyalty, getting this hire right can genuinely shape your growth for years to come.

At Forward Role, we help businesses hire exceptional CRM, Customer Marketing, Lifecycle Marketing and Retention specialists across the UK.

If you're planning a CRM hire and want an honest steer on salaries, market trends or building a best-in-class team, we'd love to talk.

FAQs

What's the difference between CRM and email marketing?

Email is one channel within CRM. CRM is the broader discipline - the strategy, data and technology behind every channel you use to build relationships with existing customers, including email, SMS, push, in-app and loyalty.

How much does a Head of CRM earn?

In the UK, Head of CRM salaries typically range from £80,000 to £120,000+, depending on industry, team size and platform expertise. CRM Directors can earn upwards of £120,000.

What does a Head of CRM do day to day?

Day to day, a Head of CRM sets lifecycle and retention strategy, oversees the CRM platform and data, leads a team of CRM specialists, and reports on the commercial impact of retention activity - things like lifetime value, repeat purchase rate and churn.

Who can I speak to about advice on hiring a CRM professional?

If you're planning a CRM hire and would like advice on salaries, market trends or building a best-in-class CRM function, we'd be happy to help. Get in touch with Abbie Hirstle today!