Senior Manager, Growth Marketing

About the role

Stepful is actively searching for a Senior Manager for Growth Marketing to spearhead critical paid acquisition initiatives and shape the future of our student acquisition strategy. In this capacity, you will own the end-to-end performance of key paid channels, ensuring that every dollar spent drives measurable and scalable outcomes for the business. You will leverage a blend of analytical rigor and creative problem-solving to design experiments that push performance boundaries and expand our footprint across digital touchpoints. A core part of this position involves collaborating closely with cross-functional partners to align acquisition efforts with overarching company objectives and student needs. You will be responsible for transforming raw data into actionable insights that fuel continuous optimization and sustainable growth. This role requires a proactive mindset and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities evolve quickly. Ultimately, you will play a pivotal role in scaling our reach to thousands of students and reinforcing Stepful's market position through intelligent media investments.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Manage the complete paid media strategy for platforms like Meta, Google, and new channels, from initial planning to launch, optimization, and scaling.
• Design and implement a continuous testing plan for tactics, audiences, creative content, messaging, and landing pages, converting findings into practical strategies.
• Oversee the Search agency, ensuring they meet performance targets and execute the defined roadmap.
• Monitor daily performance, aiming for optimal customer acquisition cost (CAC) and return on investment (ROI), while proactively identifying new growth avenues.
• Prepare weekly KPI reports, highlighting trends, efficiencies, and scaling opportunities, and share insights across the team.
• Analyze performance changes to pinpoint the underlying channel and business factors.
• Collaborate with creative teams and external agencies to quickly produce effective video, user-generated content (UGC), influencer, and static assets.
• Stay informed on platform updates, algorithm changes, and industry trends to maintain a leading paid social strategy.
• Generate new acquisition and full-funnel growth concepts, actively participating in experiment design and execution.
• Partner with product and sales teams to align messaging, offers, and user experience improvements that enhance conversion rates.
• Conduct in-depth cohort and funnel analysis to understand user behavior and guide retention-focused acquisition strategies.
• Establish clear documentation for all campaigns, processes, and learnings to ensure continuity and institutional knowledge.
• Evaluate emerging ad formats and inventory sources to determine suitability for our goals and budget efficiency.
• Lead budget forecasting and pacing discussions to maximize impact while maintaining disciplined spend.
• Act as the primary point of contact for performance reviews with external partners and stakeholders.

Requirements

• At least 4 years of direct experience in scaling paid social and paid search for a direct-to-consumer startup.
• Experience managing monthly budgets exceeding $1M.
• Proven success in achieving efficient growth (CAC, ROI, LTV) while increasing spending.
• Strong project management abilities, capable of handling multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Comfortable with both strategic planning and hands-on execution.
• Excellent communication skills for informing internal stakeholders of risks and opportunities, and managing agency relationships.
• High attention to detail, consistently preventing errors.
• Experience managing external creative agencies, including effective briefing and providing clear, actionable feedback for improved ad performance.
• Highly analytical, capable of deep diving into performance data to uncover insights and optimize campaigns at scale.
• Ability to translate data into clear narratives for daily decisions and broader team alignment.
• Demonstrated experience working with analytics tools and data visualization platforms to track and report on performance.
• Familiarity with A/B testing methodologies and conversion rate optimization principles.
• Understanding of privacy regulations and cookie-less tracking environments, and how they impact measurement.
• Track record of meeting deadlines and delivering results in a fast-moving, iterative environment.

Nice to have

• Experience in EdTech, healthcare, or another mission-driven B2C sector.
• Interest in testing frameworks, UGC trends, and performance marketing communities.

Skills & tools

• Meta Ads
• Google Ads
• YouTube advertising
• Paid social media
• Paid search
• Performance marketing analytics

Practical notes

This role offers meaningful equity, subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance options, 401(k), FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits. The vacation policy is open, with guidance for 15 days PTO annually, 15 work-from-anywhere days, and 10 observed public holidays for 2025. Stepful also closes the last week of December. The interview process includes an introductory call, hiring manager interview, take-home assignment, virtual panel interview, and an on-site panel interview.