Founding Growth Marketer — AthenaHQ

Location: San Francisco, CA (Onsite, 5 days/week)
Compensation: $100,000 – $220,000 base + 0.1% – 0.4% equity
Visa Sponsorship: None available
Experience Level: 2–5 years
Employment Type: Full-Time

AthenaHQ is the leading platform for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), helping brands gain visibility within AI search surfaces such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude. YC W25, backed by the creator of Google Image Search and angels from DeepMind, Anthropic, and OpenAI. Customers include Coinbase, SoFi, and Twilio. AthenaHQ treats distribution like an engineering problem — built on systems, experimentation, and compounding growth loops.

AthenaHQ is hiring its Founding Growth Marketer to build the engine that takes the company from early revenue to $10M+ ARR. You will work directly with the CEO and own the entire growth function end to end — organic growth, events, and partnerships — with full responsibility for how those functions are built and scaled. This is a technical growth role for someone who builds systems, ships experiments, and uses AI tools daily to increase output and accelerate growth.

• Design and run growth experiments across channels with measurable hypotheses, reporting, and iteration
• Build and scale the organic growth motion end to end
• Stand up the events function — strategy, execution, and attribution
• Build and manage growth partnerships that create long-term leverage
• Own the marketing to sales to customer success handoff process
• Implement and manage tooling, automation, and analytics infrastructure
• Serve as a power user of the AthenaHQ platform and provide daily product feedback

• Deep daily fluency with AI tools, especially Claude or Claude Code
• A shipped end-to-end project built in Claude Code or a similar platform that can be demonstrated live
• High agency and ownership mentality
• Technical growth mindset focused on systems, loops, and compounding outcomes
• Based in San Francisco and willing to work in office five days per week

• Computer science background, technical coursework, or technical side projects
• Experience building growth, events, or partnerships from zero at a seed through Series B startup
• Strong Clay experience
• Ability to learn and implement new tools quickly

• Traditional campaign-focused marketers without systems thinking
• Profiles with limited AI tool usage
• Candidates who need structured direction to execute
• Those with no evidence of experimentation ownership or startup environment experience

1. Pending approval
2. Initial screen
3. First principles assessment / take-home
4. Onsite
5. Onsite follow-up
6. Work trial
7. Offer

• Role is fully onsite in San Francisco — 5 days/week — please only apply if you can commit to this
• No visa sponsorship available

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by David Joseph & Co., the recruiting partner managing this search on behalf of AthenaHQ.