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Growth Marketing Lead

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Intro

In 2017, Jan Sapper, Paperlike’s founder and CEO, developed and launched a screen protector for the iPad that became an instant hit with digital artists and notetakers.

Since then, we’ve come a long way.

Today, we sell professional accessories for iPad users worldwide via our Shopify store, Amazon, and in retail stores around the world. We’ve built a global team (24 amazing people from all over the world) and a brand that is well-respected in our community.

And that’s where you come in. We’ve built a solid foundation with 2.4 million customers and lower 8-figure revenue. Now we’re looking for the right individual to take our growth marketing to the next level as our Growth Marketing Lead.

About this Role

As the Growth Marketing Lead, you will own our entire growth marketing engine—managing a couple of million in annual marketing budget across paid acquisition, email marketing, SEO, CRO, and Amazon advertising. You’ll be responsible for both short-term sales efficiency (ROAS optimization) and long-term brand building effectiveness (share of search, baseline growth).

This role is about taking the growth marketing responsibilities currently handled by Sebastian (our CMO) and doing them even better while we’re at it 😉. You’ll manage a complex ecosystem of in-house talent, agencies, and contractors while driving strategic improvements across all our acquisition channels.

You will wear a lot of hats. We’re looking for someone who is self-sufficient, operates independently, and has the flexibility to perform well in ambiguous circumstances while managing significant budget responsibility.

What will you do as Growth Marketing Lead?

Below, you’ll find our candidate wishlist. If you can fill all of those, it officially makes you a unicorn. 🦄

In reality, we don’t expect you to excel in or have expertise in all the areas. In many cases, you’ll have access to resources and team members who can help you achieve your objectives. However, you’ll need to be knowledgeable enough to gauge the viability of the output and assets provided to you.

For example, while you don’t need to be a top-notch video editor, you’ll need to understand and evaluate the quality of creative assets if you’re optimizing our Meta ad performance.

Meta Advertising & Social Channels

  • Own Meta advertising strategy and budget allocation (significant portion of €3M budget)
  • Work with João (ad buying, creative strategy, video production), Pat (copywriting, funnels), and Fire team (agency) to optimize performance
  • Identify and test new social advertising channels beyond Meta
  • Develop creative strategies that balance performance and brand building
You’ll work with a solid team, but you need to provide strategic direction and ensure all efforts align with business goals. Experience managing agency relationships is crucial.

Google Advertising & YouTube

  • Strategic oversight of Google Ads and YouTube campaigns
  • Manage relationship with Florens (agency/contractor) to ensure optimal performance
  • Balance brand and performance objectives across Google’s ecosystem
  • Identify opportunities for expansion within Google’s advertising platforms
We run Google Ads smoothly with an agency, but we need strategic leadership to take it to the next level.

Conversion Rate Optimization & Landing Pages

  • Own CRO strategy for both acquisition and retention funnels
  • Collaborate with Pat (copy), Markus (web design) and Federica (product marketing) on optimizations
  • Design and execute A/B testing programs across all touch points
  • Improve conversion rates to maximize return on paid traffic
CRO is critical when you’re managing millions in ad spend. Small improvements have massive impact.

SEO & Organic Growth

  • Strategic oversight of SEO efforts working with Florens (contractor), Markus (web development), and Kayla (content, blog)
  • Drive organic traffic growth and improve search rankings
  • Align SEO strategy with paid acquisition efforts for maximum efficiency

Email Marketing

  • Own email marketing strategy and performance
  • Work with Pat (email management and copywriting) to optimize flows and campaigns
  • Drive retention and lifetime value improvement through email
  • Expand into SMS if viable
We have a 450,000+ email list with huge untapped potential. This channel needs strategic leadership.

Amazon Advertising

  • Strategic oversight of Amazon advertising efforts
  • Work with Joel (media buying) to optimize Amazon ad performance
  • Align Amazon advertising with overall acquisition strategy
  • Identify opportunities for expansion within Amazon’s ecosystem

Analytics & Attribution

  • Own marketing measurement strategy (MMM, multitouch attribution)
  • Potentially execute geo lift tests and other advanced measurement
  • Make data-driven decisions across all channels
  • Report on both efficiency (ROAS) and effectiveness (brand metrics)
You don’t need to be a data scientist, but you need to understand marketing measurement and make strategic decisions based on data.

This role is for you if:

  • You have significant experience in growth marketing, ideally in e-commerce environments with substantial ad spend
  • You have experience managing teams and coordinating with agencies/contractors across multiple channels
  • You have hands-on experience with Shopify and Amazon advertising and understand how different channels work together
  • You thrive with high autonomy and budget responsibility - we work with little oversight and lots of ownership
  • You can think strategically but also get hands dirty when needed to drive results
  • You get things done - you know when to optimize and when to scale
  • You have near-native English communication skills for managing international teams
  • You 100% identify with our core values (see below)

Bonus points if:

  • You have experience managing €1M+ marketing budgets
  • You understand both performance marketing and brand building
  • You have experience with advanced measurement (MMM, attribution modeling)
  • You’re passionate about creative tools and productivity - just like our customers!

Who will you work with (mostly)?

You will have significant independence in your work, but these are the people you’ll probably work with most:

  • Sebastian, CMO - Currently handles all these responsibilities. He will be your direct manager and will be responsible for onboarding. Your success means he can see his children more.
  • João - handles ad buying, creative strategy, and video production for Meta campaigns. You’ll provide strategic direction for his excellent execution.
  • Pat - Our copywriter who handles direct response copy, email marketing, and funnel optimization. Key collaborator for CRO and email strategy.
  • Markus - Web design and development. Critical partner for landing page optimization and technical SEO implementation.
  • Joel - Manages Amazon media buying. You’ll provide strategic direction for Amazon advertising efforts.
  • Florens - Agency/contractor handling Google Ads and SEO. You’ll manage these relationships and strategic direction.
  • Fire team - External agency supporting Meta advertising. You’ll manage this relationship and strategic alignment.
  • Federica – Product Marketing. Leads audience insights and product communication. You’ll work closely together to align messaging and positioning.

Money, Time & Position Type

  • This role can be filled anywhere in the world, but we’d need at least 4 hours overlap with CET for team coordination
  • This is a full-time position (30+ hours), although you’re absolutely flexible in when and where you work
  • No travel required - One annual team retreat and occasional project meetings in Hamburg or offsite locations
  • Pay is highly competitive and commensurate with experience
  • Either freelance (international) or employed (Germany), see more in the FAQ

About Paperlike

Why Paperlike?

  1. Leave your mark on the company. With only 24 people, you’ll have a huge impact on Paperlike’s future. You’ll own €3M+ in marketing budget and directly influence company growth.
  2. Join an incredible team. You’ll work with highly skilled individuals who are experts in their fields. We provide what you need to succeed and get out of your way. Great talent and strict focus create a calm work environment.
  3. Work remotely with flexible schedule. Paperlike is 100% remote with team members worldwide. You’ll have freedom to travel, work, and explore your passions whenever and wherever you like.
  4. We’re profitable and investment-free. Paperlike has been profitable since 2017, and we’ve never taken equity investment. No external pressure for unrealistic growth. We focus on products we’re good at and enjoy.

Company Mission

At Paperlike, we provide top-quality iPad accessories designed specifically for creators and doers. Whether we create them ourselves or source them from trusted partners, you can trust that when you shop with us, you get the best accessories to help you do your best work.

Our Products

We started Paperlike as a screen protector brand that accidentally (then deliberately) created a new category in iPad accessories.

Today the Paperlike Screen Protector is still our flagship product and what we’re most known for. In its third iteration, the Paperlike helps creatives, students, teachers, and productivity geeks achieve a better experience while writing and drawing on their iPads.

The surface technology, called Nanodots, gives users more precision, better stroke resistance, and increased endurance when writing or drawing while maintaining minimal light refraction to keep the display as clear as possible.

We’ve extended our product line to other accessories that assist prosumers and professionals using iPads for work and play.

The Company

Jan founded Paperlike in 2017 as a side business to solve his own need for a better iPad and Apple Pencil experience. Since he loves crowdfunding, he launched a Kickstarter for the Paperlike and was blown away by the response. He soon left his job and made Paperlike a full-time endeavor.

Jan grew the business quickly with minimal outside help, using laser focus and tons of automation, before bringing in additional help to continue scaling.

Now in 2025, we’re a team of about 24 people. However, at our core, we still operate the same way. We relentlessly focus on things that matter and automate whatever we can to free our time and minds.

Our team is 100% remote and spread all over the world — from New York to Serbia, from Germany to China.

Our Core Values

🐣 Small Giant

Paperlike is a small giant. We strive to be the best in our niche but are comfortable not reaching for the stars. We look for healthy growth with as few people as possible. We’re thrifty, not cheap. We leverage technology to achieve our goals wherever possible.

👑 Ownership

We take ownership of our roles and think like entrepreneurs. That means taking responsibility, self-organizing, and operating with a “get shit done” attitude. We are brave and take risks. We own issues and handle them.

👩‍⚖️ Honorable & Human

We are honest and vulnerable and proud of a safe work environment where everyone can be themselves. We care about mental health. We run a strict no-asshole policy. We’re honorable. Our word and handshake count, and we put action where our mouth is. We treat customers and partners as people, not numbers.

💎 Growth Mindset

We strive to be content, but we’re never satisfied. We want to be the best in class. Continuous learning and staying on top of trends is ingrained in our DNA. Bringing learnings into action is key. We use creativity to solve complex situations and don’t rely on standards.

FAQ

  • What does the hiring process look like? After submitting your application, qualified candidates will be invited to an initial interview. If we decide to move forward with you, we will follow up with a final interview with Jan, Felix, and Sebastian.
  • Why is this a freelance position outside of Germany? Simply put: We’re a German company, and it’s much easier to work across borders with the best candidates using a freelance structure. The majority of our team works on a freelance basis. We’re still one team and it doesn’t feel like internal vs. external. If you NEED an employee contract, please let us know and we’ll try to find a way.

Any other questions? Write sebastian@paperlike.com.

Apply

Please fill our the Typeform below, or fill out externally: https://paperlike.typeform.com/growth-lead