Head of Acquisition and Lifecycle - SMARTLY

A bit about Smartly, a Datacom Company
Smartly helps thousands of Kiwi businesses pay their people right — and we’re on a journey to become one of New Zealand’s most trusted multi-product SaaS brands. We’re passionate about combining smart tech, human insight, and exceptional service to make business simpler, faster, and more connected.

About the Role (your why)

Smartly is seeking a senior GTM leader to join as the Head of Acquisition and Lifecycle Growth, responsible for building and operating the engine that converts market demand into a healthy, qualified pipeline while stewarding the economic performance of early lifecycle outcomes. You will own and optimize all demand generation and performance marketing channels—paid, organic, lifecycle entry funnels, marketing automation, and, if introduced, freemium acquisition—ensuring CAC efficiency, cost per SQL, inbound conversion rates, channel ROI, and the overall quality of marketing-sourced pipeline. This is about more than generating volume; it’s about shaping a durable engine that feeds the entire growth flywheel with customers who are ready to engage, convert, and renew.

Crucially, this role extends beyond top-of-funnel activation. You will own the optimization of early lifecycle economics—from conversion-to-activation handoff quality and early engagement signals to the payback trajectory—so that acquisition investment is measured by the strength, speed, and sustainability of outcomes across the lifecycle. You’ll translate positioning and ICP guidance from the Head of Marketing into actionable campaigns, experiments, and growth programs across channels, ensuring that every touchpoint moves prospects closer to activation and long-term value. The Head of Acquisition and Lifecycle Growth partners closely with RevOps, Sales, and Activation to ensure pipeline flows are seamless and lifecycle transitions are instrumented and continuously improved.

If you’re a data-driven strategist who thrives on building scalable growth engines, love turning insights into repeatable playbooks, and want to influence Smartly’s trajectory through end-to-end lifecycle optimization, you’ll fit right in. This role offers the opportunity to shape how we attract, convert, and cultivate customers at every stage, balancing ambitious growth with rigorous measurement and operational excellence.

What you’ll do

Own Demand Generation and CAC Efficiency
You own all demand generation channels  —  paid media, organic search, content-driven acquisition, lifecycle marketing, partnerships-sourced leads, and marketing automation. You are accountable for the volume, quality, and cost-efficiency of marketing-sourced pipeline. You continuously optimise channel mix, spend allocation, and conversion rates to reduce CAC while increasing the volume of qualified leads entering the funnel.

Drive Early Lifecycle Performance and Payback Trajectory
You own the economic performance of the early customer lifecycle  —  from first engagement through to activation handoff. You ensure that acquisition efforts produce customers who activate quickly, engage meaningfully, and demonstrate early signals of retention. You design and run experiments across acquisition and onboarding entry points to improve payback trajectory and reduce early-life churn risk.

Build and Operate a Scalable Growth Experimentation Engine
You establish a structured experimentation discipline across acquisition and early lifecycle  —  testing channels, messaging, offers, landing experiences, and conversion pathways. You build a repeatable experimentation cadence that generates measurable learning velocity and continuously improves unit economics. You partner with RevOps and Data & Insights to ensure experiments are properly instrumented and results are decision-quality.

Lead Marketing Automation and Lifecycle Entry Funnels
You own Smartly’s marketing automation strategy and execution  —  including lead nurture sequences, behavioural triggers, lifecycle email programmes, and freemium or self-serve entry pathways (if introduced). You ensure automation is used to scale personalised engagement without scaling cost, and that leads are routed and scored accurately to maximise conversion efficiency.

Partner Across the Lifecycle System to Optimise End-to-End Economics
You operate as a key integration point across the GTM lifecycle  —  partnering with the Head of Marketing (positioning and ICP), GM Sales (pipeline handoff and feedback), Head of Activation (conversion-to-activation quality), and RevOps (funnel instrumentation and performance data). You ensure acquisition is not optimised in isolation but contributes to the health of the entire lifecycle system.

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience in growth, demand generation, or performance marketing leadership within a SaaS or technology-enabled subscription business, with a proven track record of scaling acquisition while improving unit economics, including measurable improvements in CAC, conversion performance, and channel ROI.
• Experience designing and operating growth experimentation programmes, marketing automation systems, and data-informed channel optimisation is essential.
• The successful candidate will have operated in a role with clear accountability for pipeline and acquisition economics, and will have demonstrated the ability to connect acquisition performance to downstream lifecycle outcomes (activation, retention, payback).
• Experience in businesses undergoing multi-product expansion, platform evolution, or AI-enabled transformation is highly desirable.
• 7 – 10+ years’ experience in growth, demand generation, or performance marketing leadership within SaaS or technology environments
• Curiosity and Growth Mindset  —  Actively seeks new channels, tests new approaches, and models continuous learning

Why join us at Smartly?
We’re more than just payroll — we’re building tools to make Kiwi business life easier, and we’re growing fast.

As part of the Smartly team you’ll:

• Work on big-impact projects with decision-making room and real ownership.
• Be part of a culture that values curiosity, experimentation, and data-driven insight.
• Enjoy flexibility, social events, and plenty of opportunity to grow your skills.
• Collaborate with talented, passionate people across multiple disciplines.

This is a defining career opportunity to lead at the intersection of creativity, technology, and commercial growth — turning curiosity into conversion and potential customers into long-term advocates