Tealium Sunset & Hightouch Reverse ETL Implementation

Project Overview

Upwork Inc. partnered with our team to modernize its marketing data stack. As Senior Technical Project Manager, I led the strategic migration from Tealium to Hightouch, enabling reverse ETL workflows from Snowflake into key GTM systems like Outreach, Salesforce, and HubSpot.

Tealium lacked the reverse ETL capabilities needed to deliver real-time engagement and personalization. This migration addressed those limitations—unlocking accurate attribution, dynamic lead scoring, and personalized outreach across channels.

Business Challenge

• Tealium supported basic event routing but couldn't support reverse ETL use cases.
• Modeled Snowflake data wasn't accessible to Outreach users, limiting segmentation and scoring.
• Attribution insights were delayed and difficult to act on.
• Redundant platforms increased costs and fractured workflows.

Solution Design

🔁 Reverse ETL via Hightouch
Implemented Hightouch to sync cleaned, enriched data—including attribution tags and firmographic insights—from Snowflake to:

• Outreach.io
• Salesforce & HubSpot
• Marketing automation tools

⚙️ Tealium Sunset Strategy
Executed a phased deprecation plan to reduce risk and ensure a smooth transition:

• Mapped all current tag/event use cases
• Replatformed analytics and triggers
• Managed stakeholder alignment and sequencing

📊 Data Activation & Attribution Overhaul
Enabled real-time lead scoring, funnel-stage targeting, and dynamic personalization using:

• Behavior-based segmentation
• Account-level enrichment
• Real-time sync from Snowflake to GTM platforms

Conclusion

This initiative transformed how Upwork activates and uses its data across marketing and sales systems. By sunsetting Tealium and deploying Hightouch reverse ETL, the team unlocked advanced personalization, better attribution, and reduced tech stack complexity—laying the foundation for smarter campaigns and faster execution.