US GTM Lead

🚀 Job Overview

As the US GTM Lead at Speak, you will drive growth for their AI-powered language learning app in the United States and other English-speaking markets. You'll be responsible for replicating Speak's existing success in Asian markets, where they've already surpassed 500,000 paying subscribers. This strategic leadership role combines marketing strategy, execution, and cross-functional collaboration to accelerate growth in new territories.

ASSUMPTION: Based on the job description mentioning "GTM lead for the US" and responsibilities around growing the consumer business, this role appears to be a senior marketing position focused on geographic expansion and market penetration.

📋 Key Responsibilities

• ✅ Own growth performance of the US market and other tier 1 English-speaking markets across all key metrics
• ✅ Identify the biggest growth opportunities and lead strategic initiatives for the US market
• ✅ Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies to increase both brand awareness and targeted user acquisition
• ✅ Drive content creation, creative development, and localization efforts to ensure relevance
• ✅ Collaborate with the central marketing team and other markets to ensure alignment and leverage best practices
• ✅ Communicate market-specific product needs, working closely with product/engineering teams
• ✅ Build strong relationships with cross-functional global teams
• ✅ Establish policies that promote company culture and vision locally
• ✅ Coach, mentor, and develop team members to achieve business objectives

🎯 Required Qualifications

Education: Not specified

Experience: 7-10 years in tech startups in a growth or marketing role, with a focus on growth in the US

Skills:

• Generalist marketing abilities with strong technical/quantitative skills
• Proficiency in analytics and using insights to inform decision-making
• Understanding of marketing attribution
• Understanding of local culture and needs in target markets
• Collaborative mindset for cross-team partnerships
• Strong leadership qualities for building high-performance teams
• Passion for language learning and Speak's mission

ASSUMPTION: Given the senior nature of this role and the requirement for 7-10 years of experience, it's likely a bachelor's degree is expected, though not explicitly stated in the listing.

💰 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Not specified

Benefits: Not specified

Industry Comparison: Not specified

ASSUMPTION: Based on the senior nature of this role (GTM Lead), the company's recent Series C funding, and its $1B valuation, compensation is likely competitive for senior marketing leadership positions in the San Francisco tech market. Similar roles at unicorn startups typically offer base salaries in the upper range for marketing directors, plus equity components.

🔍 Company Context

Industry Position: Speak is an AI-powered language learning app, focusing initially on teaching English, Spanish, and French. They've achieved strong market position in South Korea (top-grossing education app) and have expanded to 40+ countries globally.

Company Size: Over 90 employees across offices in San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana

Company Stage: Growth-stage startup that recently raised a Series C round reaching a $1B valuation (unicorn status)

Funding: Well-funded with backing from prominent investors including Accel, OpenAI, Founders Fund, Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, Lachy Groom, and Josh Buckley

ASSUMPTION: The company appears to be in a high-growth phase following its Series C funding and $1B valuation. Their emphasis on expanding from successful Asian markets to Western markets suggests this is a pivotal time in the company's global scaling strategy.

📊 Role Analysis

Career Level: Senior leadership

Reporting Structure: Not specified, but likely reports to a global/head of marketing or directly to C-suite

Team Size/Composition: Appears to involve leading a team, as responsibilities include coaching and mentoring team members

Growth Opportunities: Potential to significantly impact a unicorn-status company during international expansion, with opportunities to scale with the company's growth

ASSUMPTION: Given the responsibilities for owning market performance and leading strategic initiatives, this appears to be a director or senior director level position with substantial autonomy and influence on business outcomes.

🌍 Location & Work Environment

Office Type: Not explicitly stated, but company has physical offices including San Francisco

Geographic Context: San Francisco is a major tech hub with high cost of living but abundant opportunities in the tech sector

Work Schedule: Not specified

Regional Considerations: The job listing mentions having "spent substantial time in target market" (US) is valuable though not a hard requirement to be located there currently, suggesting some flexibility in work location

ASSUMPTION: Given the global nature of the company with offices in multiple countries and the mention that being currently located in the US is not a hard requirement, there may be some flexibility in work arrangements, potentially including remote or hybrid options.

💼 Interview & Application Insights

Typical Process: Growth-stage startups typically conduct initial screening calls, followed by interviews with marketing leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and possibly case studies demonstrating marketing strategy skills

Key Assessment Areas:

• Growth marketing expertise
• Strategic thinking and market analysis
• Data-driven decision making
• Leadership abilities
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Cultural fit with a mission-driven startup

Application Tips: Emphasize quantifiable growth results from previous roles, demonstrate understanding of user acquisition channels, highlight experience with data-driven marketing, and show appreciation for the mission of language education

ATS Keywords: GTM strategy, growth marketing, user acquisition, market expansion, analytics, marketing attribution, leadership, cross-functional collaboration, localization, consumer marketing

ASSUMPTION: These insights are based on industry standards for senior marketing roles at growth-stage tech companies and are not specifically mentioned in the job listing.

🛠️ Tools & Technologies

While not explicitly mentioned, this role likely requires familiarity with:

• Marketing analytics platforms
• User acquisition tools and channels
• Attribution modeling software
• CRM systems
• Marketing automation tools
• Performance marketing platforms
• Data visualization tools

ASSUMPTION: These tools are industry-standard for GTM and growth marketing roles and are not explicitly mentioned in the job description.

👔 Cultural Fit Considerations

Company Values: Mission-driven approach to making language learning more accessible, thoughtful growth, high standards for team members

Work Style: Collaborative, global mindset, entrepreneurial with emphasis on individual impact

Self-Assessment Questions:

• Are you passionate about language education and accessibility?
• Do you thrive in fast-paced growth environments where individual contributions matter?
• Can you effectively collaborate across global teams and cultures?
• Are you comfortable balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution?
• Are you data-driven but also appreciate the human element of marketing?

ASSUMPTION: These cultural elements are inferred from the company's mission statement, their description of their team building approach ("thoughtfully adding new team members"), and the need to work across multiple global offices and markets.

⚠️ Potential Challenges

• Replicating success from Asian markets to Western markets may require adapting strategies for different consumer behaviors
• Balancing "centralized playbook with domestic market needs" suggests navigating some tension between global consistency and local customization
• The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution, requiring versatility
• Working across global teams in different time zones (San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, etc.) may require flexible scheduling
• High-growth, venture-backed environments often come with ambitious targets and expectations

ASSUMPTION: These potential challenges are identified based on the job description's mentions of balancing central playbooks with local needs, the global nature of the team, and the typical demands of growth-stage startups.

📈 Similar Roles Comparison

This GTM Lead role appears similar to:

• Growth Marketing Director: But with more specific geographic focus and potentially broader scope beyond acquisition
• Country Manager: But with stronger emphasis on marketing rather than full P&L responsibility
• Marketing Director: But with more specific focus on growth and geographic expansion
• Head of User Acquisition: But with broader strategic responsibilities beyond paid channels

ASSUMPTION: This comparison is based on standard industry patterns for marketing leadership roles in tech companies.

📝 Sample Projects

• Developing a comprehensive US market entry strategy with specific KPIs and milestones
• Building and optimizing multi-channel user acquisition campaigns tailored to US consumer behaviors
• Creating a localization framework to ensure product and marketing materials resonate with US audiences
• Establishing a US market feedback loop to inform product development priorities
• Developing a competitive analysis and positioning strategy against established language learning apps in the US market
• Building and mentoring a US-focused marketing team

ASSUMPTION: These projects are illustrative examples based on the listed responsibilities and common initiatives for market expansion roles.

❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview

1. What are the key differences you've observed between your successful Asian markets and the current state of your US market?
2. How do you balance centralized marketing strategies with local market customization?
3. What are the current team structure and resources dedicated to the US market?
4. What are your primary growth metrics and targets for the US market in the next 12-18 months?
5. How does the product roadmap align with US market expansion priorities?
6. What have been the biggest challenges in replicating your Asian success in Western markets so far?

ASSUMPTION: These questions are suggested based on the role type and may need adaptation for specific interviews.