Director, Growth Palo Alto, CA

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
Director / Senior Director of Growth – responsible for owning the strategy and execution of paid growth for Gist's consumer app. This foundational, hands‑on role will build and lead the UA function from the ground up, shaping channel strategy, creative direction, and the measurement infrastructure that powers it all. The position partners cross‑functionally with product, data, and creative teams to drive scalable, efficient growth at pace.

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.

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 and iterating on performance‑driven ad creative across formats.

Lead hypothesis‑driven, high‑velocity creative testing frameworks.

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).

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 in a startup environment inside a scaled tech company.

Act as a player‑coach, comfortable in both campaign management and strategic planning.

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.

Proven experience 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 post‑iOS 14.

Creative intuition – ability to understand what makes content stop the scroll and evaluate creative effectively.

Analytical rigor – comfortable owning dashboards, modeling scenarios, and presenting to leadership.

Experience building and managing small‑to‑mid UA teams.

App‑install experience in consumer finance, utility, marketplace, or gaming apps; lifestyle, social, or content app experience is a plus.

Familiarity with AppLovin's ecosystem (MAX, AXON) is a plus.

Why Gist, Why Now

AppLovin's data and technology infrastructure gives Gist an advantage in mobile growth.

Ground‑floor opportunity to define the UA function for a platform still finding its ceiling.

Real budget, real backing, and a lean team that moves fast.

Autonomy of a founder with the data, capital, and distribution of a public company.

Direct, visible impact: your work shapes whether a brand‑new consumer platform breaks out.

Compensation & Benefits
Total compensation at AppLovin is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. Depending on the position offered, equity and other forms of incentive compensation may be provided in addition to dental, vision, and other benefits.

Other Types of Pay: Equity eligible

Paid Time Off: Unlimited Discretionary Time Off

Paid Holidays: 10 paid holidays per year

Paid Sick Leave: 80 hours per year

Base Pay Range (CA): $221,000 – $362,000 USD

Equal Opportunity Employer
AppLovin is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, or other legally protected characteristics. AppLovin will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology‑assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers.

#J-18808-Ljbffr