General Manager, Lead Generation at System1

We're launching a new lead generation business to diversify our revenue streams beyond Google. This is a true startup opportunity within an established company—you'll be building from absolute zero: no revenue, no team, no playbook. We're looking for an entrepreneurial leader to serve as the founding GM of this business line, with full ownership to define strategy, build operations, and scale to profitability.Think of this as being a CEO of your own company, but with the backing of our existing technology infrastructure, financial resources, and organizational support. If you've ever wanted to build something from scratch while having enterprise-level resources at your disposal, this is it.This position is an onsite role requiring you to work in our headquarters located at 4235 Redwood Ave. Los Angeles, CA  90066.

What You'll Own

Strategy & Vision:

Define and execute the complete go-to-market strategy for a lead generation business

Identify target verticals, pricing models, and competitive positioning

Build financial models and set ambitious but achievable growth targets

Make all key strategic decisions on product direction and market approach

Business Operations:

Operationalize every aspect of the business from the ground up—sales, operations, technology implementation, vendor relationships, compliance, and more

Design scalable processes and systems before you have a team to run them

Manage full P&L responsibility with targets for profitability and growth

Establish metrics, reporting frameworks, and operational dashboards

Team Building & Leadership:

Recruit and build your team as the business scales and warrants investment

Define roles, responsibilities, and organizational structure from scratch

Create a culture of accountability, experimentation, and rapid iteration

Develop your future leaders as the business grows into a substantial organization

Scale from solo contributor to managing a team that could quickly become significant in size

Product & Market Development:

Shape product strategy based on market feedback and competitive landscape

Work with existing engineering and tech teams to leverage company infrastructure

Identify and evaluate partnership opportunities (supply and demand side)

Iterate quickly based on what's working and what's not

Who You Are

Experience:

7+ years in lead generation, performance marketing, or related digital businesses

Proven track record building or scaling businesses from early stage (ideally $0-$10M+ revenue)

Deep understanding of lead gen economics: CPL, CPA, margin structures, quality metrics

Experience managing P&L and achieving profitability targets

Background in both strategy formulation and hands-on execution

The Operator Mentality:

You're comfortable with ambiguity and building when there's no roadmap

You can do the work yourself before you have a team to delegate to

You move fast, make decisions with incomplete information, and course-correct quickly

You've worn multiple hats before—you're not afraid of work outside your job description

You think like an owner, not just an operator

Skills That Matter:

Strategic thinking with the ability to see around corners and anticipate market shifts

Financial acumen—you can build models, understand unit economics, and make data-driven decisions

Strong network in the lead generation ecosystem (buyers, sellers, technology providers)

Excellent communication skills for securing buy-in from leadership and cross-functional partners

Technical fluency to work effectively with engineering and product teams

The Intangibles:

Entrepreneurial fire—you're energized by building, not just managing

Resilience and grit—you've failed before and learned from it

High bias for action—you'd rather test and learn than analyze forever

Creative problem-solver who finds unconventional solutions

Self-awareness to know when to ask for help or bring in expertise

Why This Role is Unique

True Ownership: You're not inheriting someone else's strategy or fixing a broken business—you're creating from scratch

Resource Backing: Unlike a traditional startup, you have access to enterprise technology, legal, finance, and operational support

Speed to Market: Leverage existing infrastructure to move faster than you could at a standalone startup

Upside: Build something valuable with the resources of an established company and the autonomy of a founder

Career Acceleration: Successfully building a new business line positions you for senior executive roles (VP, C-suite)

Reporting & Organizational Context

Reports to: President & COO

Cross-functional Partnerships: Engineering, Finance, Legal, Compliance, existing business unit leaders

Direct Reports: You'll build your team as needed (initially 0, scaling to 5-10+ over first 18 months)

Apply Now