Director, Growth

About this role

About AppLovin

AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end advertising solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com.

To deliver on this mission, our global team is composed of team members with life experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that mirror our developers and customers around the world. At AppLovin, we are intentional about the team and culture we are building, seeking candidates who are outstanding in their own right and also demonstrate their support of others.

Fortune recognizes AppLovin as one of the Best Workplaces in the Bay Area, and the company has been a Certified Great Place to Work for the last four years (2021-2024). Check out the rest of our awards HERE.

About Gist

Gist is a social media platform built for curious people who want real substance in their feed: practical, thoughtful content on the things that actually shape real life. No noise. Backed by AppLovin, one of the most powerful data and technology companies in mobile, Gist is building a new kind of lifestyle platform with the infrastructure and scale to win.

The Role

We're looking for a Director / Senior Director of Growth to own the strategy and execution of paid growth for Gist's consumer app. This is a foundational role. You'll build and lead the UA function from the ground up, shaping channel strategy, creative direction, and the measurement infrastructure that powers it all. You'll partner cross-functionally with product, data, and creative to drive scalable, efficient growth at pace. This is a hands-on role: we want a builder who's close to the work, not removed from it.

What You'll Own

Growth Strategy & Channel Leadership
• Own end-to-end paid UA across app install channels (Apple Search Ads, Google UAC/App Campaigns, Meta, TikTok, Snap, YouTube), programmatic, and emerging channels
• Define channel mix, budget allocation, and bidding strategies to hit CPI, CAC, and LTV targets, with a strong command of app store-native install dynamics
• Build a roadmap for scaling spend efficiently from early-stage to mass-market growth

Creative & Messaging
• Own performance creative end-to-end, building toward an in-house creative team (an agency covers it today), and iterate on performance-driven ad creative across formats
• Lead creative testing frameworks that are hypothesis-driven, high-velocity, and data-backed
• Identify winning hooks, formats, and narratives that resonate with Gist's lifestyle
audience

Measurement & Analytics
• Build and own the attribution and measurement stack (MMP oversight, SKAN/ATT framework, incrementality testing, MMM), with a clear point of view on app install measurement post-iOS 14
• Define KPIs and reporting cadences to surface actionable insights to leadership
• Partner with data science to develop LTV models and cohort-level optimization
frameworks

Team & Org Building
• Hire and develop a small but high-performing UA team as the function scales
• Build agency and vendor relationships; know when to keep in-house vs. outsource
• Operate with speed. This is a startup environment inside a scaled tech company
• Player-coach: as comfortable in the campaign manager and the spreadsheet as setting
the strategy

What We're Looking For
• 8+ years in performance/user acquisition marketing, with meaningful time in consumer mobile apps
• Track record of owning a meaningful UA budget; comfortable being hands-on and in the tools, not just directing
• Proven track record scaling a B2C app from growth stage to broad adoption
• Deep expertise in app install channels (Apple Search Ads, Google UAC, Meta, TikTok) and how each fits into a blended acquisition strategy
• Strong command of mobile measurement: MMPs (Adjust, AppsFlyer, Kochava), SKAN/ATT, incrementality, and probabilistic attribution in a post-iOS 14 environment
• Creative intuition: you understand what makes content stop the scroll and can brief/evaluate creative effectively
• Analytical rigor: comfortable owning dashboards,…