Sr. Manager, Demand Generation (UPDATED)

Role Overview:

Neon One is engaging an experienced demand generation contractor to run integrated, multi-channel campaigns and to lead our shift from demand capture toward brand awareness and demand creation. This is a hands-on, senior individual-contributor engagement: you will directly own a set of channels, work closely with the contractor that runs paid search, and be the person in Marketing closest to Sales, BDR, and RevOps.

You will be the voice of the pipeline inside Marketing: tracking how MQLs convert, where sales velocity is improving or slipping, and what is driving the change. You will tell that story clearly to leadership using unit economics, including LTV, CAC, and payback period by channel.

This is a contractor engagement, not an employee role. You set your own working methods, but you operate within Neon One’s planning cadence, budget, and reporting rhythm, and report directly to the Director of Growth Marketing.

This role owns:

• Integrated, multi-channel campaign strategy and execution
• Shifting channel mix from demand capture toward brand awareness and demand creation
• Direct, hands-on ownership of publisher marketing, email marketing, and CTV
• Pipeline, MQL conversion, and sales velocity analysis and reporting
• The LTV, CAC, and payback-period story by channel for leadership
• Day-to-day partnership with Sales, BDR, and RevOps on lead quality and follow-up
• Demand gen budget tracking, pacing, and proactive issue flagging
• Briefs and direction to the paid-media agency and the full marketing team at Neon One

This role does not own:

• Hands-on management of paid search or paid social (our agency partner runs these; this role directs and holds them accountable)
• Brand strategy, creative production, or design
• Content writing or SEO/AEO strategy (owned by Content and our Organic Growth Manager)
• Product positioning and messaging (owned by Product Marketing)
• Marketing systems administration, attribution models, or CRM configuration (owned by RevOps)
• Managing BDRs or setting sales quotas
• Managing employees or other contractors
• Final approval of budget changes (recommends; Director of Growth Marketing approves)

Responsibilities:

• Integrated campaign strategy and execution
  • Plan and run integrated, multi-channel campaigns that sequence awareness, demand creation, and capture for our nonprofit audience segments.
  • Lead the rebalancing of our channel mix from demand capture (search, retargeting) toward brand awareness and demand creation, with a clear hypothesis, test plan, and measurement approach for each shift.
  • Identify and pilot new channels and growth levers; recommend scale, hold, or kill decisions backed by data.
• Directly owned channels
  • Own publisher marketing end to end: partner selection, negotiation, placements, creative handoff, and performance management (newsletters, sponsored content, review sites, nonprofit media).
  • Own email marketing for demand generation: campaign and nurture strategy, segmentation, send calendar, testing, and performance, coordinated with the customer marketing calendar.
  • Own CTV: audience strategy, platform and partner selection, creative requirements, budget pacing, and measurement.
• Agency direction (paid search, paid social, programmatic)
  • Set goals, budgets, audiences, and campaign briefs for the agency or contractor managing our other paid channels; review performance weekly and hold them to pipeline and efficiency targets.
  • Ensure agency-run channels are integrated with the campaigns and messaging you own, so the buyer experiences one coordinated program rather than disconnected ads.
• Sales, BDR, and RevOps partnership
  • Serve as Marketing’s primary day-to-day partner to Sales, BDR, and RevOps. Run regular feedback loops on lead quality, MQL follow-up, and conversion through each pipeline stage.
  • Drive the conversation around pipeline generated, MQL-to-opportunity conversion, and sales velocity. Identify trends and root causes (source, segment, offer, timing, follow-up) and bring recommended fixes, not just observations.
  • Partner with RevOps on lead routing, scoring, and handoff rules so campaign changes land cleanly in the CRM and in BDR workflows.
• Pipeline storytelling and reporting
  • Own the demand gen narrative for leadership: MQL and pipeline health, LTV, CAC, and payback period by channel, and what the numbers mean for where the next dollar goes.
  • Present on leadership calls with a clear point of view, and prepare concise reporting the Director of Growth Marketing can forward without rework.
• Budget management
  • Track and pace the demand generation budget across owned and agency-run channels; reconcile monthly against plan.
  • Flag overspend, underspend, pacing risks, or performance problems early and proactively, with a recommended course of action.
• Cross-functional collaboration
  • Brief and work with the Creative, Content, and Product Marketing teams so creative and messaging match the buyer journey and campaign goals. You provide the brief, the audience, the offer, and the feedback; they produce the assets.
• AI-enabled ways of working
  • Use AI workflows and tools throughout your work (analysis, reporting, campaign QA, audience research, drafting briefs) to sharpen results and speed up deliverables, while applying judgment to everything that ships.

How Success is Measured:

• Pipeline generated and pipeline contribution from marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced channels.
• MQL-to-opportunity conversion rate and sales velocity trends, with documented causes and actions.
• Progress of the channel mix shift toward awareness and demand creation, measured against agreed leading indicators (branded search, direct traffic, self-reported attribution, engagement) and lagging indicators (pipeline, CAC, payback).
• CAC, LTV:CAC, and payback period by channel, reported accurately and on time.
• Budget pacing within plan, with issues surfaced before they become problems.
• Sales and RevOps partners describe Marketing as responsive, data-driven, and easy to work with.

Qualifications:

• 6+ years in B2B marketing with at least 4 years in demand generation, including senior-level ownership of integrated campaigns.
• Proven track record of generating pipeline and revenue, and of shifting a program from demand capture toward brand awareness and demand creation.
• Direct, hands-on experience owning at least two of: publisher/newsletter marketing, email marketing for demand gen, CTV/streaming advertising.
• Experience directing an agency or contractor on paid search, paid social, or programmatic, including setting targets and managing performance.
• Fluency in pipeline and unit economics (MQL conversion, sales velocity, CAC, LTV, payback period by channel) and the ability to explain them to executives.
• Demonstrated history of working closely with Sales, BDR, and RevOps teams, and with Creative, Content, and Product Marketing teams.
• Hands-on experience with marketing automation and CRM tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pardot, or similar).
• Experience managing and pacing marketing budgets, with a habit of flagging issues early.
• Active use of AI tools and workflows to improve analysis, speed, and campaign quality.
• Self-directed and comfortable operating with autonomy as a contractor in a fast-paced, fully remote environment.
• Preferred
• Experience marketing to SMB B2B buyers; nonprofit or mission-driven software experience is a plus.
• Experience with brand-lift or incrementality measurement for awareness channels.
• Prior contractor or fractional engagements with a track record of clear scoping and clean handoffs.

Company profile:

At Neon One, we believe that technology is the key to building vibrant communities of generosity. As a leader in nonprofit software since 2004, we create intuitive solutions that help small to midsize nonprofits connect with people, build trust, and make good happen every day. Our culture is powered by empathy, innovation, and a shared mission to empower organizations making a difference.