How to do it right: Use Notion or Google Docs for explainer and requirements. Mock up user flow diagrams (Miro, Figma). List third-party APIs you expect to use (e.g., Stripe, Auth0).

Founders and indie app owners need more than a campaign-runner. In 2026, hiring a mobile marketing manager with one-dimensional skills is a waste—platforms shift faster than you can set up a campaign. Here’s what matters now in this role, in plain terms founders use when they’re burned out and worried about users and ROI.

Startups and scaleups want LLM-powered ops, but finding someone who can ship (without torching your data or budget) keeps proving harder than feeding a GPT the right Stripe docs. Job boards talk up AI automation,” yet demand signals and real-world pain say something else.

A decent one won’t just hand you cozy CPI numbers—the last Toptal hire “hit goals” by buying in the Philippines, with 3-day 99% churn. Wake up: you want someone who pulls LTV, not just installs, and pushes you to use Data.ai or SensorTower so you’re not flying blind.

Hiring a PPC manager in 2026: What skills still matter when Google Ads runs itself

Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Ukraine: $30-55/hr for solid operators, can sometimes find a “full funnel” nerd for $3k/mo flat.

Move up the stack once you hit:

Example: An AI productivity tool founder on HN paid a “growth hacker” to drop $5k/mo on Quora and Brave browser ads. No one patched GA4 or Segment flows. Data disappeared, churned users weren’t captured, and the board was furious after a non-attributable spike.

How people mess this up: job posts dripping with buzzwords (“growth orchestrator,” “pixel whisperer”) but no automation, no real analytics, and the same Google Ads playbook as 2022.

Getting this wrong: many founders just crank up Smart Campaigns and miss edge-case compliance (think wellness brands on Meta flagged for claim language the AI never caught). By month two, ad accounts are restricted and nobody knows why.

Right move: hire to own fraud, or automate the grind with tools like Rewardful or Tapfiliate set to strict approval.

Build a working MVP in four hours by skipping proprietary infrastructure and leveraging existing code. You do not need a team, a budget, or a registered company to validate an idea. This guide targets developers and technical marketers who want to deploy a Claude based application before midnight.