Contara: Hiring a Retention Strategist to Build a Subscription Retention Function

Finding a Retention Operator, Not Just an Email Marketer

Many retention-focused candidates specialize primarily in campaign execution, measuring success through weekly revenue generated from email sends.

Contara needed someone who understood retention at a systems level, including:

• Designing lifecycle frameworks
• Decreasing churn for subscription products
• Increasing long-term customer lifetime value

Candidates would not have been a fit if they:

• Focused only on open or click rates
• Had only worked brand-side without agency experience
• Lacked subscription product knowledge
• Required heavy management rather than operating independently

The role required someone who could own retention strategy while managing multiple clients simultaneously.

Defining the Role and Targeting Subscription Retention Experts

Constant Hire worked closely with Contara to define the scope of the role and determine the right type of candidate.

Key qualifications included:

• Retention experience within CPG subscription brands
• Advanced Klaviyo expertise
• Strong understanding of audience segmentation and lifecycle flows
• Experience designing cancellation and churn prevention flows
• Comfort leading client-facing conversations

Candidates were also evaluated on their ability to translate churn data into actionable retention strategies.

During the interview process, the founder walked candidates through live Klaviyo accounts from existing clients, discussing account health and real-time optimization strategies.

The selected candidate stood out not only for her technical retention expertise but also for her confidence in leading client discussions and serving as a subject matter expert.

Process

• 14 candidates screened by Constant Hire
• 9 candidates submitted to the client
• 6 candidates interviewed by the founder
• 3 interview rounds
• 1 stakeholder managed
• 13-day interview cycle from first interview to offer

Reference checks were conducted directly by the client before finalizing the hire.

Contara’s First Dedicated Retention Strategist

• Finalists: 1
• Offers: 1
• Time to offer: 28 days

The hired Retention Strategist brought the technical expertise needed to build lifecycle systems across multiple subscription brands while confidently managing client relationships.

With the role now established internally, Contara was able to strengthen its retention capabilities across its growing portfolio of clients.

Recruiter Perspective

Recruiter: McKinzie Welschmeyer

“Connor (the founder) was so great to work with. The interview process was efficient, every candidate that interviewed had great things to say about Connor and the company, and he provided insightful feedback at every step of the process. Working with clients that are engaged is crucial to finding a perfect fit for the role and team.”