Founding Growth Manager

I'm helping a Paris-based app studio (pre-seed, €5M funded) find their first growth hire. They're building a portfolio of creator-led Health & Fitness apps.

This role: own paid user acquisition from end to end. Build the strategy, run the campaigns, manage the budget, analyze the data, keep iterating. No one above you doing the real work. No agency handing off reports. Just you, the budget, and the apps.

What you'll actually do

• Plan, execute, and optimize mobile UA campaigns across TikTok, Meta, and Google UAC

• Manage a monthly ad budget north of $1M - allocate across channels, geos, and creative formats based on real performance data

• Build and run a creative testing pipeline: brief concepts, test hooks, identify winners, scale what works, kill what doesn't

• Own the full funnel from ad impression to in-app conversion, including web-to-app onboarding flows

• Work with AppsFlyer or similar MMPs for attribution; use Amplitude or equivalent analytics to understand user behavior and LTV

• Collaborate internally on ASO, CRM, and retention mechanics

• Evaluate and manage creator and influencer partnerships as a distribution channel

• Report directly to the founder on CAC, ROAS, payback periods, and unit economics

What you need to succeed

• 6+ years in mobile user acquisition at companies where the mobile app IS the core product (not an add-on, not a brochure)

• Track record of independently managing $1M+ in monthly ad spend across TikTok, Meta, and Google/UAC - you've owned the budget, not just executed parts of it

• Deep understanding of attribution with hands-on use of tools like AppsFlyer or Adjust, and analytics platforms like Amplitude or Mixpanel

• Experience building web-to-app funnels that convert - you know where drop-offs happen and how to fix them

• Comfort working at pre-seed pace: autonomy, ambiguity, moving fast, no playbook

What I especially value

• Background in Health & Fitness, wellness, or sports apps

• Experience working with creator-led or influencer-driven distribution models

• Multilingual (English required; French is a strong plus but not mandatory)

What this client doesn't want

• Agency-only backgrounds - they need operators who've sat inside the product company

• UA experience limited to web or e-commerce without mobile app depth

• Candidates who've never owned a budget of this scale independently

5 criteria I use for CV screening (in priority order)

1. Mobile app UA depth (non-negotiable): at least 4 of the last 6 years spent acquiring users specifically for mobile apps where the app is the core business model. Screens out web-only, e-commerce, and agency-side candidates.

2. Independent budget ownership of $1M+/month: evidence of personally managing allocation, optimization, and reporting at this scale across at least two of: TikTok, Meta, Google UAC. Not "part of a team that managed" - owned it.

3. Creative testing methodology: the CV should show they didn't just spend money but built testing systems - structured creative iteration, not just turning dials. I look for language around hooks, iterations, kill criteria, scale thresholds.

4. Attribution & analytics literacy: specific tools named (AppsFlyer, Amplitude, or equivalents) with concrete examples of how they used data to shift budget or change strategy. Vague "data-driven" claims without tools or outcomes don't count.

5. Autonomy & startup pace: signals of operating without a safety net - ownership of outcomes, early-stage titles, small teams, broad remit. Long stretches at large orgs with dedicated support teams are a yellow flag here.

EU AI Act compliance note

I use AI-assisted screening tools in this process. You can request a human review of any AI-generated decision by emailing me directly. No automated decisions are final without human sign-off. I do not use facial recognition, emotion analysis, or biometric profiling at any stage.