Head of Performance Marketing

Motorway; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading car marketplace in the UK is seeking a Head of Performance Marketing to spearhead multi-channel acquisition strategies and manage a significant marketing budget. This critical position demands strong leadership, analytical skills, and a proven track record in high-growth environments. Responsibilities include optimizing performance channels, ensuring growth targets are met, and mentoring a high-performing marketing team. Candidates must have senior leadership experience in performance marketing and expertise in managing substantial budgets, particularly in B2C sectors.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in Performance Marketing within a high-growth B2C environment.
• Proven expertise in managing multi-million dollar budgets.
• Deep understanding of Paid Search (PPC), Paid Social, and SEO/App Store Optimization principles.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the strategy for core performance channels including Paid & Organic Search.
• Manage the annual performance marketing budget to meet growth targets.
• Lead and mentor the Performance Marketing team to ensure high performance.

Skills

Performance Marketing

Commercial Acumen

Analytical Skills

Team Leadership

Problem Solving

Communication

Job description

About Motorway

Motorway is the UK’s fastest-growing used car marketplace – our award winning, online-only platform connects private car sellers with over 7,500 verified dealers nationwide, who compete to offer the best price. Founded in 2017, our technology makes the process refreshingly easy, earning us an 'Excellent' Trustpilot rating with over 70,000 reviews. We're not just building a platform; we're changing how people sell cars.

Backed by leading investors like Index Ventures and ICONIQ Growth, and following a successful $190 million funding round, we're on a mission to transform the used car market.

About the role

We are seeking a highly analytical, commercially-minded, and results-driven Head of Performance Marketing to join our Growth team. This is a critical role that directly impacts the company's P&L, requiring strategic ownership of paid and organic acquisition channels and a substantial media budget.

This role requires a balance of deep technical expertise, a willingness to remain hands‑on when necessary for strategic diagnosis and critical execution, exceptional commercial acumen, and strong leadership to foster a high‑performing, resilient team. You will work cross‑functionally with teams across marketing, product, finance and analytics to drive measurable results.

What you'll do

Execution & Channel Management

• Multi‑Channel Strategy: Define the strategy for core performance channels including Paid & Organic Search, Paid Social, Display, and App Campaigns, ensuring campaigns are continuously optimised for ROAS.

• Commercial Acumen: Work closely with the Finance & Analytics team to translate complex channel data into clear, actionable, executive‑level financial insights and drive the strategic inputs for planning cycles.

• Test & Learn: Lead a continuous testing and optimisation roadmap across creative, bidding, and landing page experience to consistently improve performance outcomes.

Strategic Ownership & Financial Performance

• Aquisition Growth and P&L Accountability: Own and manage the annual performance marketing budget effectively. Ensuring we are well set up to achieve our growth targets.

• Advanced Measurement & Incrementality: Continue to evolve the performance marketing measurement framework. Spearhead the strategy and execution of incrementality testing and media mix modelling (MMM) to accurately determine the true Return on Investment (ROI) of each channel and inform optimal budget allocation.

Leadership, Culture & Cross‑Functional Influence

• Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and coach the Performance Marketing team to ensure they have clear progression paths and are empowered to operate at a high level.

• Collaboration: Work as a strategic peer and partner to the Head of CRM, Head of Partnerships & Media, and Head of Brand/Creative, ensuring acquisition strategies are fully integrated with retention and brand initiatives.

• Agency Management: Oversee and manage key external agency relationships (e.g., media buying, creative partners), driving accountability for performance and efficiency, including securing fee reductions and scope optimisation where necessary

Requirements:

Essential Experience

• Senior leadership experience in Performance Marketing, ideally within a high-growth, high-spend B2C/e-commerce or marketplace environment.

• Proven expertise managing and optimising multi-million dollar annual budgets.

• Deep technical understanding of Paid Search (PPC), Paid Social, and familiarity with SEO/App Store Optimisation (ASO) principles.

• Demonstrated ability to strategically unify disparate channels (e.g., Paid and Organic search) for improved efficiency.

• Exceptional commercial, analytical, and modelling skills, with a track record of driving delivering results.

• Proven expertise in advanced marketing measurement, specifically including the design, execution, and interpretation of Incrementality Testing.

Critical Competencies

• Influence & Communication: Outstanding ability to translate technical performance metrics into clear, executive-level business decisions and present to senior stakeholders

• Problem Solving: Ability to work strategically at a senior level as well as being comfortable to roll up your sleeves and be hands-on in the role.

• Leadership: Strong track record of developing talent and building high-performing, resilient teams.

• Adaptability: Proven ability to navigate ambiguity, manage complex projects, and maintain a positive, focused outlook.

• Data Proficiency: Highly competent in leveraging marketing analytics platforms to drive data-led decisions.

• Measurement: Highly competent in leveraging analytics platforms, incrementality testing results, and financial models to prove the true marginal return of marketing investment.