Sr. Director, Acquisition Marketing

Sr. Director, Acquisition Marketing

Chicago, IL

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JOIN US ON OUR MISSION TO BECOME THE #1 RETAIL TRADING PLATFORM IN THE WORLD

Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're empowering traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Since 2003, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. Through those efforts, our user base has grown to over 2 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide.

But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true? Take it from our employees.

Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform in the world.

What you'll do:

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.

In this role you will:

Own the acquisition function and its strategy

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 tradeoff decisions that come with it

Own 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 and present performance, strategy, and investment cases directly to the executive team

Define how acquisition is planned, measured, and governed at NinjaTrader, setting standards other marketing functions build against

Build international from a standing start

Own the buildout of paid acquisition across Europe and rest of world end to end, from market prioritization and entry sequencing through launch and scale

Determine the operating model for each market — in-house versus agency, channel mix, localization approach, and the economics that justify entry

Build the partnerships, vendor relationships, and internal capability required to run acquisition outside the US

Work with Compliance and Legal to ensure acquisition activity meets local regulatory requirements in every market entered

Establish the measurement framework that makes international performance comparable to domestic rather than anecdotal

Lead the team and the partner portfolio

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

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

Build the bench — develop people capable of owning channels and markets independently, and create the progression paths that keep them

Drive measurement, experimentation, and growth loops

Own a rigorous experimentation program across paid channels, with clear hypotheses, clean test design, and readouts that convert into scaled decisions

Partner with Analytics and Data Science to build multi-touch attribution and predictive cohort models that give the business a single trusted view of channel contribution

Own acquisition reporting end to end, from daily pacing through executive narratives that turn numbers into a clear recommendation

Direct performance creative strategy, running a continuous testing engine across concepts, formats, and hooks in partnership with Creative

Design growth loops that compound paid investment with organic, content, and SEO programs

Stay ahead of new channel launches, betas, and market shifts, and decide where NinjaTrader moves early

What you'll need:

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

Proven experience building paid acquisition in new international markets from the ground up, including market selection, operating model decisions, and navigating local regulatory requirements

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, with the ability to move from raw data to a narrative an executive can act on

Excellent strategic thinking with the ability to prioritize, make trade-offs, and operate decisively in ambiguity

Bonus Points for:

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

Compensation:

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.

Location:

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

Hybrid:

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

Our Core Benefits Include:

Generous PTO

7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually

1 Service Day Annually

401k with 3.5% Company Match

Paid Parental Bonding Leave

Health, Vision, Dental Coverage

Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader