Head of Performance Marketing

About The Role

This role directly owns Skillz’s most scalable revenue growth lever: paid user acquisition and reengagement across a multi-million dollar ad budget. You’ll drive top-of-funnel volume by acquiring high-LTV, high-intent players across Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic, and SDK networks — converting ad spend into depositing, retained users. Revenue impact is direct and measurable: improving ROAS, reducing CAC, and increasing D30 retention translates immediately into higher net revenue per cohort and shorter payback periods. For an RMG business, even a 10% lift in payor conversion or deposit retention compounds significantly across cohorts.

Responsibilities

• Growth Strategy & Budget Ownership: Own and optimize paid UA and reengagement strategy across Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic, and SDK networks. Continuously improve ROAS, CAC, payback periods, and overall marketing efficiency while managing multi-million dollar annual budgets.
• RMG Compliance & Platform Navigation: Maintain strict compliance with Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and major ad network policies for RMG products. Oversee state-by-state frameworks including age-gating and geofencing protocols across the US, mitigating regulatory and market-access risk.
• Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing growth marketing team. Foster a culture of rapid experimentation, data transparency, and creative excellence.
• Data & Analytics: Analyze acquisition and retention metrics — deposit conversion, D30 retention, LTV, cohort profitability, and attribution data — to identify growth opportunities. Partner with Data Science on MMP integration and build predictive models for high-value user behavior including payor conversion and deposit retention.
• Creative Innovation: Lead creative testing and optimization in partnership with the creative studio. Develop, test, and scale high-performing ad concepts across video and static formats. Drive creative pipeline decisions using rigorous performance data.
• Product & LiveOps Alignment: Coordinate UA campaigns with in-game LiveOps events, feature launches, and economy changes to improve D1–D30 retention and deposit frequency. Serve as a key cross-functional partner across Product, Analytics, Creative, and CRM/Lifecycle teams

Key Competencies

• Performance Marketing Expertise: Deep knowledge of paid acquisition channels, campaign optimization, bidding strategies, audience targeting, and scaling profitable user growth.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Ability to interpret complex performance data, attribution models, cohort analyses, and funnel metrics to drive measurable business outcomes.
• Financial & Commercial Acumen: Strong grasp of ROAS, CAC, LTV, payback periods, deposit conversion economics, and revenue forecasting.
• Strategic Leadership: Develops long-term growth strategies while balancing short-term performance targets and cross-functional priorities.
• Experimentation Mindset: Designs, executes, and scales testing frameworks across creative, audience, bidding, and retention initiatives.

Experience

• Experience: 8–12+ years in performance marketing, growth marketing, or user acquisition with increasing leadership responsibility.
• Budget Management: Proven experience managing multi-million dollar budgets across Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic, and mobile ad networks.
• Track Record: Measurable improvements in ROAS, CAC, LTV, retention, and payback periods.
• Industry Background: UA leadership for mobile apps, gaming, consumer technology, fintech, RMG, or other performance-driven digital businesses.
• Attribution Mastery: Deep expertise in mobile attribution platforms (AppsFlyer, Kochava, etc…) and modern measurement frameworks.
• Retargeting: Sophisticated retargeting and reengagement campaign execution across major platforms and ad networks.
• Analytics: Cohort performance analysis, retention trends, conversion funnels, and player/customer LTV modeling.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success managing partnerships with Product, Analytics, Creative, CRM, and LiveOps teams.
• Technical Proficiency: Proficiency in SQL and BI tools (Tableau, Looker); fluency in CAC, LTV, payback periods, and cohort analysis.
• Partner Relations: Strong track record building and maintaining strategic relationships with ad networks, MMPs, and competitive intelligence vendors (e.g., Sensor Tower).
• Compliance: Familiarity with app store policies, ad platform compliance requirements, and regulated marketing environments.