Sr. Director, Acquisition Marketing

As Sr. Director, Acquisition Marketing at NinjaTrader, you will own paid acquisition as a function: the strategy, the investment, the team, and the results. You are accountable for how efficiently and how far every dollar of a seven-figure monthly media budget scales, and for setting the multi-year direction of how NinjaTrader acquires traders worldwide. 

Our domestic program is established and looking for scale. Our international program does not exist yet. You will sharpen what already works in the US while building paid acquisition across Europe and the rest of the world from a standing start, deciding which markets we enter, in what sequence, with what economics, and what it takes to operate compliantly in each. You will own that expansion end to end.

You will lead a team of performance marketers and a portfolio of agency and platform partners, set the standard for how acquisition work is planned and measured here, and serve as the acquisition voice on the Marketing leadership team. You will decide where we place our bets, and you will be accountable to the executive team for whether they paid off. 

• Set the multi-year vision and operating strategy for paid acquisition, and translate it into annual plans, targets, and investment decisions the business can hold you to

• Own full accountability for a seven-figure monthly media budget, including allocation across markets and channels, in-year reforecasting, and the trade-off decisions that come with it

• Drive acquisition performance against growth and efficiency targets, with deep fluency in CPA, CAC, lifetime value, payback period, and marginal CAC analysis

• Serve as the acquisition voice on the Marketing leadership team, presenting performance, strategy, and investment cases directly to the executive team

• Lead, develop, and grow a team of performance marketers, owning hiring, structure, and capability as the function scales

• Own the agency and platform partner portfolio, including selection, commercial terms, performance standards, and the decision to scale or replace

• Own a rigorous experimentation and measurement program across paid channels, partnering with Analytics and Data Science on multi-touch attribution and predictive cohort modeling, and direct performance creative strategy in partnership with Creative

• Design growth loops that compound paid investment with organic, content, and SEO programs, and stay ahead of new channel launches and market shifts

• 12+ years of experience in growth or performance marketing, ideally in D2C subscription-based or fintech businesses, including significant time leading teams
• Demonstrated ownership of a paid acquisition function at scale, with accountability for budget, team, and results rather than execution of a defined plan
• Track record managing seven figures or more in monthly media spend with strong unit economics
• Deep expertise across web and mobile paid channels, including Google, Meta, YouTube, programmatic, influencer/affiliate, iOS, and Android
• Strong command of CAC, LTV, ROAS, payback period, incrementality, and media mix modeling, with hands-on experience partnering with Analytics and Data Science on attribution design and predictive cohort modeling
• Experience building and developing a marketing team, including hiring, structure, and progression
• Experience owning agency and platform partner relationships, including commercial negotiation and performance management
• Executive presence, with a track record presenting strategy and performance to senior leadership and defending investment decisions
• Exceptional reporting and data storytelling, combined with excellent strategic thinking and the ability to prioritize, make trade-offs, and operate decisively in ambiguity 

• Previous experience in B2C marketing for fintech companies
• Previous experience in the futures or brokerage industry
• Experience running paid and organic as one combined growth system rather than separate channels
• Experience scaling a function through a period of rapid international expansion

The salary range for this role is $175,000 to $215,000.00 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 15%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%). 

Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader offers a 401(k) plan through ADP under which the company will match up to 3.5% of employee contributions. Annual paid time off allowance accrues at a rate of 23 days per year plus seven paid holidays.

This role is based in Chicago, IL. We are not open to remote candidates for this role

For Chicago-based employees, we follow a hybrid work schedule: In-office Tuesday through Thursday, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays. In addition to these weekly remote days, we offer: 20 additional flex remote days annually; 5 Company Wide Office-Optional weeks tied to major holidays