Who is Understory?

Understory is a vertical-focused software solution built for experience businesses - from kayak tours to cooking classes. With our operating system, experience creators manage their operations, grow their bookings, accept payments and run their business with more clarity and less stress.

We move fast, change course when needed, and expect everyone to bring proactive solutions on a daily basis. You will learn faster here than almost anywhere else, because the challenges are real and the pace is high.

This is not about clocking in and out. The right candidate will receive a lot of trust and flexibility - and it's all about building something that matters to creators around the world, and shaping a company that can redefine an industry. If that excites you, you will feel at home. If it does not, this will not be the right place for you.

We have recently raised a €12m Series-A funding round, and are scaling fast. With customers in 10+ countries and a growing presence in the US, our focus is global, our ambition is high, and our team is all in on building the go-to solution for experience creators worldwide.

About the role

We are looking for a VP of Growth to own the full growth engine; leading initiatives spanning our PLG (self-serve) and SLG (enterprise) motions. You'll build scalable, repeatable systems to drive acquisition, conversion, and retention across paid, owned, and earned channels. You’ll work closely with product, design, engineering, sales and customer support to ensure we optimize across funnels and loops. If your flow zone is in building rapid growth plays that boosts revenue, this role is for you.

What you'll do

• Own and scale the growth engine: Work hands-on across the funnel to maximize conversion and revenue, while building systems and processes that make growth repeatable and scalable as we expand across markets.
• Make product-led growth a core driver: Design and optimize onboarding, behavior-based flows, and lifecycle programs that drive activation, monetization, retention, and expansion. 
• Collaborate across teams: Work closely with design, engineering, product, sales and customer support to unlock growth opportunities and bring solutions to life.
• Experiment fast and rigorously: Test systematically to uncover insights, double down on what works and sunset what doesn’t. 
  
• Master growth math: Be on top of your levers and funnel metrics, and how they impact CAC, CAC payback and realized revenue. Know your data and make reporting crystal clear.
• Stay customer-obsessed: Combine data with deep customer and market insights to shape how we grow globally.

What you won't do

• Be the head of marketing. This is not a kitchen-sink role. You get to focus purely, obsessively on growth. 
• Manage a big team of human specialists to do the work for you. You need to be hands-on yourself. 
• Own core product development. Your focus is on optimizing our current product for growth, not shipping foundational product features.

We think you'll thrive if you…

• Have a proven track record of leading rapid growth in a SaaS company across multiple markets, ideally including the US.
• Are AI-native and versed in using automation to experiment faster, qualify leads smarter, and scale what works. 
• Are completely fluent in funnel levers, metrics and how they impact each other.
• Enjoy playing on a strategic level, building hands-on, and switching between the two.
• Are resourceful, decisive and make things happen.
• Love a big challenge and ambitious targets.

What it’s like to work at Understory

We are building the leading platform for experience businesses - and we approach that with the same energy and ambition as the people we serve.

At Understory, you’ll join a team that moves fast, thinks long-term, and takes pride in doing work that matters. We are product-minded, mission-driven, and serious about quality - whether that is in the product, the strategy, or how we work together.

We care deeply about outcomes, not hours. We trust each other to lead, take action, and keep evolving - as individuals and as a company. There is room to grow here, and the chance to help shape something truly category-defining.

Start date

What matters most is finding the right fit. We’ll align on a start date together.

If you have any questions about the role or the process, feel free to reach out to Audrey@understory.io.