Brutal AI Performance Marketing Engineer

GoStudent; Vienna (VA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Growth & Development program

Team-based bonus

Job summary

GoStudent in Vienna is seeking a Performance Marketing Engineer who blends strong performance marketing fundamentals with an AI-native, builder mentality. You will own and continuously improve our paid acquisition engine across Google, Meta and other paid channels.

You will use data, experimentation, automation and AI to optimize channel mix, budgets, bidding and creative testing. You will work closely with growth, creative and product teams and take ownership of performance outcomes.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Google Ads and/or Meta Ads.
• Proven track record of improving CAC, ROAS, CPA or CVR.
• Strong understanding of paid acquisition and performance marketing.
• Comfortable managing meaningful budgets.

Responsibilities

• Own Paid Performance: Manage and optimize acquisition across Google, Meta and other relevant paid channels.
• Optimize Channel Mix: Use data and AI to determine where and how acquisition budget should be allocated.
• Control Spend: Continuously optimize budgets, bidding and spend based on performance and business goals.
• Drive Performance: Improve CAC, ROAS, CPA, CVR and overall unit economics.
• Build Testing Systems: Run continuous experiments across campaigns, audiences, creatives, offers, landing pages and bidding strategies.
• Scale Winners: Identify what works and scale it while protecting efficiency.
• Automate Analysis: Use AI to analyze performance, identify patterns and surface opportunities faster.
• Build AI Workflows: Create AI-powered workflows, agents and automations that improve how performance marketing gets done.
• Use AI in Execution: Leverage AI across research, forecasting, reporting, optimization, ideation and day-to-day execution.
• Think Beyond Campaigns: Look at the entire acquisition funnel and identify opportunities to improve growth.
• Move Fast: Turn insights into experiments quickly. Test, learn, iterate.

Skills

Performance marketing fundamentals

AI-native mindset

Ownership & accountability

Analytical thinking

Tools

Google Ads

Meta Ads

AI tools

Job description

Are you obsessed with performance, numbers, and finding smarter ways to grow?

Someone who sees an opportunity in the data, builds a hypothesis, tests it, and uses AI to make the entire process faster and better?

We are looking for a Performance Marketing Engineer to join us in Vienna.

You will help build and optimize an AI-powered performance marketing system across Google, Meta and other paid channels.

This is not a traditional Performance Marketing role.

We want someone who combines strong performance marketing fundamentals with an AI-native, builder mentality — someone who doesn't just operate campaigns, but constantly looks for ways to use AI to make better decisions, automate execution and improve performance.

Your role:

You will own and continuously improve our paid acquisition engine.

Your goal is simple: maximize profitable growth.

You will use data, experimentation, automation and AI to continuously improve: Channel mix. Budget allocation. Bidding. Campaign performance. Creative testing. Conversion.

Think: AI-powered channel mix. AI-driven bidding. Smarter spend allocation. Automated analysis. Faster experimentation. Better decisions.

You will work closely with the team across growth, creative and product, while taking strong ownership of the performance side of the business.

What You’ll Do:

• Own Paid Performance: Manage and optimize acquisition across Google, Meta and other relevant paid channels.
• Optimize Channel Mix: Use data and AI to determine where and how acquisition budget should be allocated.
• Control Spend: Continuously optimize budgets, bidding and spend based on performance and business goals.
• Drive Performance: Improve CAC, ROAS, CPA, CVR and overall unit economics.
• Build Testing Systems: Run continuous experiments across campaigns, audiences, creatives, offers, landing pages and bidding strategies.
• Scale Winners: Identify what works and scale it while protecting efficiency.
• Automate Analysis: Use AI to analyze performance, identify patterns and surface opportunities faster.
• Build AI Workflows: Create AI-powered workflows, agents and automations that improve how performance marketing gets done.
• Use AI in Execution: Leverage AI across research, forecasting, reporting, optimization, ideation and day-to-day execution.
• Think Beyond Campaigns: Look at the entire acquisition funnel and identify opportunities to improve growth.
• Move Fast: Turn insights into experiments quickly. Test, learn, iterate.

Who you are:

Performance Marketing Expert

• Hands-on experience with Google Ads and/or Meta Ads
• Proven track record of improving CAC, ROAS, CPA or CVR
• Strong understanding of paid acquisition and performance marketing
• Comfortable managing meaningful budgets

Numbers Obsessed

• Constantly looking for the next 10–20% improvement
• Thinks in hypotheses, experiments and measurable outcomes
• Wants to understand why performance changes
• Extremely analytical and data-driven

AI-Native

• Uses AI as part of your daily workflow
• Excited about AI-driven optimization, automation and decision-making
• Constantly asks: “How can AI make this better?”
• Comfortable experimenting with new AI tools, agents and workflows

Builder Mentality

• Highly hands-on and execution-focused
• Doesn't wait for someone else to solve problems
• Figures things out independently
• Strong bias for action and experimentation

Hustler & Owner

• High energy, ambition and intrinsic drive
• Takes ownership of outcomes, not just tasks
• Entrepreneurial mindset
• Not satisfied with “good enough”

What does success look like? Lower CAC. Higher ROAS. Smarter spend allocation. Better channel mix. Faster testing. More efficient scaling.

Ultimately: More profitable growth.

We also believe exceptional performance should come with exceptional upside — which is why we are looking at a meaningful performance-based incentive structure tied to the value you create.

Our Path to unlock your full potential:

• Compensation: You can earn up to €70,000 gross base salary (full-time equivalent), complemented by an attractive team-based bonus, rewarding collective performance and success.
• Flexible & Focused Work: Benefit from our hybrid work model with 2–3 flexible days per week and a Meeting-Free Friday for uninterrupted productivity.
• Grow With Us: Advance your career through clear development paths and our Spark! Growth & Development program. Gain access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning, our Spark! Mentorship Program, and monthly learning sessions. Enjoy 30 free learning units to experience GoStudent firsthand.
• Work Smart, Play Hard: Our regular team and office events keep the energy high. We believe in bonding, celebrating together, and having lots of fun.
• Strength Through Community: Get involved in one of GoStudent’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and champion the causes that matter most to you.

Our Commitment to full Openness:

We value your unique skills and your passion. We do not hire based on age, gender, nationality, or political views — what matters to us is your talent and your motivation. Even if you’re a unicorn — just like GoStudent — if you believe you can make a positive impact, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet every single requirement.

Diversity makes us more creative, innovative, and stronger.

Want to learn more? Visit our careers page and check out „Wer wir sind“.

If that sounds like you, we want to hear from you.

We are looking for: Performance Marketing expertise + AI-native execution + numbers obsession + entrepreneurial drive.