AI-native Performance Marketing Lead

📋 Description

• • Hercules is seeking a highly motivated and results-oriented AI-native Performance Marketing Lead to spearhead our paid growth initiatives across key digital channels. This pivotal role is designed for an individual who thrives in a fast-paced, data-driven environment and possesses a unique blend of strategic thinking, analytical prowess, and a deep understanding of leveraging artificial intelligence to drive exceptional performance. You will be instrumental in shaping and executing our end-to-end performance marketing strategy, with a primary focus on achieving aggressive customer acquisition cost (CAC) and payback period targets.
• • As the AI-native Performance Marketing Lead, you will own the complete performance marketing lifecycle. This includes developing and owning channel strategy and budget allocation across major platforms such as Google (Search and YouTube), Meta (Instagram and Facebook), TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). Your responsibilities will extend to meticulously designing campaign architectures, encompassing account structure, audience targeting, bidding strategies, and optimizing landing page performance to maximize conversion rates.
• • A critical aspect of this role involves building and managing a robust creative system. You will be responsible for the rapid iteration and testing of ad creatives, focusing on compelling hooks, user-generated content (UGC) style concepts, static visuals, short-form video content, and persuasive ad copy. The ability to generate winning ad angles and continuously refine creative assets based on performance data will be paramount to success.
• • You will lead a rigorous experimentation framework, defining clear hypotheses, designing and executing A/B tests, and accurately measuring the value and impact of each initiative. This data-informed approach will be the bedrock of our continuous optimization efforts.
• • Furthermore, you will be responsible for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive measurement and tracking infrastructure, ensuring seamless data flow from initial click-through to paid user acquisition. A key objective will be the continuous improvement of attribution quality to provide a clear and accurate understanding of campaign effectiveness and ROI.
• • A defining characteristic of this role is the proactive and innovative use of AI to scale operations. You will leverage AI tools and workflows to automate various aspects of performance marketing, including market research, creative production and variant generation, performance analysis, and the reduction of manual operational tasks. Your ability to identify opportunities for AI-driven automation and implement these solutions efficiently will be a significant differentiator.
• • We are looking for a candidate who is performance-first, comfortable with direct accountability for key performance indicators like CAC and payback. You should possess a strong creative sensibility coupled with sharp analytical skills, enabling you to not only conceptualize effective campaigns but also to execute precise, data-backed experimentation.
• • The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of hands-on experience managing paid acquisition campaigns with significant budgets and demonstrable, measurable outcomes. A deep understanding of creative testing methodologies and the ability to build a repeatable, scalable “creative machine” are essential.
• • Strong analytical skills are a must, including expertise in analyzing conversion funnels, cohort retention, CAC/payback metrics, and Lifetime Value (LTV) projections. You should be adept at translating complex data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• • Proficiency in AI workflows, including advanced prompting techniques, automation strategies, familiarity with relevant tooling, and a discerning eye for what aspects of performance marketing are best suited for AI augmentation versus human oversight, is highly valued.
• • Comfort and experience collaborating closely with product and engineering teams on critical areas such as tracking implementation, landing page optimization, and broader Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) initiatives are expected.
• • This role offers a unique opportunity to work within a company that operates on strong principles of urgency, excellence, and a hunger for achievement. You will be empowered to move with speed, iterate rapidly, and correct mistakes quickly, fostering a culture of continuous learning and customer delight. We strive for excellence in all our outputs, ensuring simplicity, self-serve capabilities, and a high degree of pride in our work. The “hungry” principle means we are willing to work hard, break through barriers, and operate at any level necessary to achieve our desired outcomes, demonstrating polite relentlessness in pursuit of goals.
• • This position is open to either full-time or contractor arrangements. For full-time roles, we prefer candidates located in San Francisco, but are open to remote candidates within US time zones. Contractors will be remote within US time zones. This is an exceptional opportunity to join a forward-thinking company and contribute significantly to our growth trajectory.