Performance Marketing Lead

About the company

Duolingo’s goal is to build the world’s best educational experience and make it accessible to everyone. The company emphasizes learning, bold experimentation, data-backed choices, and inventive problem-solving. Team members work alongside highly skilled colleagues on meaningful projects that are also engaging and enjoyable.

You would be helping advance a mission that reaches more than half a billion learners globally.

Role overview

Duolingo is hiring a Performance Marketing Lead to oversee and scale its global user acquisition efforts across more than 100 markets. This is a hands-on position focused on mobile acquisition and growth, with direct ownership of campaign execution and optimization at an annual budget in the eight-figure range. The role involves close coordination with external agency partners and internal teams to drive efficient, high-quality growth for a widely recognized consumer brand.

What you will do

• Take charge of the daily execution of worldwide performance marketing initiatives, with emphasis on mobile acquisition and growth.
• Plan, run, and refine mobile app install campaigns on major channels such as Google UAC and AppLovin, balancing install quality, spend efficiency, and long-term growth.
• Oversee agency partners, keep them aligned on objectives and pacing, and ensure strong delivery standards.
• Use analytical insights to inform decisions and improve important metrics such as CPI, retention, and monetization.
• Work closely with Marketing Analytics, Creative, Engineering, and Finance to coordinate efforts and maximize business impact.
• Promote a test-and-learn mindset by trying new channels, creative concepts, and optimization tactics to discover additional growth opportunities.
• Prepare and present recommendations to marketing leadership by turning campaign results into clear, actionable strategy.

What the company is looking for

• Proven experience managing large-scale mobile acquisition campaigns across global markets.
• Strong analytical capability, especially in mobile attribution and marketing analytics.
• Direct experience owning substantial performance budgets and optimizing them hands-on.
• Solid understanding of the mobile user acquisition landscape, including platforms, measurement tools, market trends, and best practices.
• Ability to convert data into strategy and explain insights clearly to a range of stakeholders.
• Experience managing agency relationships to meet performance goals.
• A proactive, low-ego, collaborative approach and a strong interest in experimentation and impact.

Preferred background

• A STEM degree is considered an advantage.
• Prior performance marketing experience for a top subscription-based mobile app is preferred.
• Familiarity with incrementality and measurement methods such as geo-lift, incrementality testing, and media mix modeling is a plus.
• Genuine interest in Duolingo’s mission to make education universally available.

Compensation and additional details

The base pay for this role depends on factors such as experience, skill set, and internal peer comparisons, and the range may change over time. Base salary is also complemented by equity compensation. The stated salary range for this position is USD 163,200 to USD 244,800.

Benefits

Duolingo offers employee benefits that support holistic well-being. More details are available through the company’s benefits information.

Accommodations

Duolingo will make reasonable efforts to ensure interview accommodations when needed. Candidates who need assistance or adjustments during the hiring process can reach out to the accommodations contact provided by the company.

Equal opportunity

Duolingo is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, veteran status, disability, or other protected characteristics.

Fraud warning

The company warns applicants to be careful of scammers impersonating its employees. Duolingo will never request Social Security numbers, bank details, passport information, or ask candidates to send money, buy equipment, or deposit checks during interviews. Genuine employees use email addresses ending in @duolingo.com or @recruiting.duolingo.com.