Head of People & PA to CEO at My 1st Years

About Us.

My 1st Years is the UK’s leading personalised baby and kids gifting brand, offering high-quality, beautifully designed personalised products through eCommerce, retail, and 3rd party marketplaces. We have built a strong direct-to-consumer presence in the UK and are now expanding into premium physical retail with partners such as Harrods and Selfridges alongside growing marketplace channels such as Next. International expansion is also underway, making this a pivotal and exciting stage in our journey as we bring the My 1st Years experience to more customers around the world.

With personalisation at the heart of what we do, our business thrives on exceptional customer experiences, innovation, and premium quality. Acquisition of new customers is critical to our growth, and we are looking for an experienced, commercially-minded leader to drive this forward.

Role Overview

The Head of Acquisition Marketing, with support from the Marketing Director, will lead the strategy and execution of customer acquisition across My 1st Years\' growing portfolio.

You will be responsible for delivering new customer volume at an efficient CPA, optimising the CPA:LTV ratio, and building sustainable long-term value. The focus will be on digital performance channels (paid social, paid search, display, affiliates, partnerships), with scope to explore additional new channels (including ATL) as part of a test-and-learn approach.

Collaboration with CRM and Retention teams will be key to ensuring a seamless customer journey and maximising lifetime value, while a close partnership with Brand, Creative, Product, and Commercial teams will ensure campaigns are integrated and customer-centric. This is a high-impact role for someone with strategic vision and hands-on expertise in performance marketing.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the customer acquisition strategy, aligned with UK and international growth objectives.
• Deliver new customer volume at target CPA and maintain healthy CPA-to-LTV ratios.
• Build a robust test-and-learn roadmap to identify new digital opportunities and scale proven tactics.
• Develop localised acquisition strategies for priority markets (Germany, Ireland, UAE, USA), adapting global playbooks to local channels, platforms, and cultural nuances.
• Oversee all digital acquisition channels, including paid social, paid search, display, shopping, affiliates, and partnerships
• Manage agency relationships, ensuring accountability and delivery against KPIs.
• Collaborate with retail and international teams to support acquisition opportunities and expansion into new markets.
• Explore additional scalable media opportunities (e.g., ATL, influencers, partnerships, testing).

Performance & Optimisation

• Own acquisition reporting dashboards and share insights with senior leadership.
• Monitor performance daily/weekly, driving continual optimisation across channels and creative.
• Use audience, market, and competitor insights to refine targeting, messaging, and campaign planning.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Retention/CRM team to optimise handover from first purchase to repeat customer.
• Collaborate with Brand, Product, Creative, and Commercial teams to ensure campaigns are aligned.
• Work with Finance to forecast acquisition spend, revenue, and ROI.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and inspire a small, high-performing acquisition team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven track record in customer acquisition within a DTC/eCommerce environment, ideally with experience in premium consumer or gifting categories.
• Deep expertise in performance marketing and digital channels, with hands-on experience across paid social and paid search.
• Strong understanding of acquisition economics (CPA, CAC:LTV, ROI).
• Strong experience managing agencies and significant acquisition budgets, with the ability to constructively challenge technical experts, ask the right questions, and ensure delivery against commercial objectives.
• Strategic experience in taking a brand from strong UK foundations into international markets, shaping acquisition approaches that balance local nuance with global scale.
• Commercially astute, with strong analytical skills and a data-driven mindset.
• Confident communicator, able to influence at senior levels and collaborate cross-functionally.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment, with a test-and-learn mindset.
• Leadership experience with the ability to coach, inspire, and grow team capability.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to shape and scale the acquisition strategy of a leading gifting brand.
• A collaborative, innovative, and supportive team culture.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• 25 days holiday increasing to 28 days with service, plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid working: 2-3 days per week in our Northampton HQ, 2-3 days remote.

At My 1st Years, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.