A well-structured UA team can be the difference between profitable growth and wasted ad spend. Whether you're building from scratch or scaling an existing team, getting the structure, roles, and processes right is crucial.
Team Structure by Stage
Early Stage (1-3 people)
- UA Generalist: Runs campaigns across all channels
- Key skills: Platform expertise, basic analytics, creative sense
- Focus: Finding product-market fit for UA
Growth Stage (4-8 people)
- UA Manager: Strategy and team leadership
- Channel Specialists: Meta, Google, programmatic
- Creative Producer: Ad creative production
- Analytics: Attribution and optimization
👥 Team Sizing Rule
Rule of thumb: 1 UA manager per $2-5M annual ad spend. At $10M+, you need specialized roles for creative, analytics, and each major channel.
Core Roles
UA Manager
- Campaign strategy and execution
- Budget allocation and optimization
- Partner and vendor management
- Performance reporting
Creative Strategist
- Ad creative concepting
- Creative testing frameworks
- Trend analysis and ideation
- Production coordination
Growth Analyst
- LTV modeling and prediction
- Attribution analysis
- A/B test design and analysis
- Dashboard and reporting
"The best UA teams combine channel expertise with strong analytics capabilities. You can't optimize what you can't measure accurately."
Key Skills to Hire For
Technical Skills
- Platform certifications (Meta Blueprint, Google Ads)
- MMP familiarity (Adjust, AppsFlyer, Branch)
- SQL for data analysis
- Excel/Sheets mastery
Soft Skills
- Analytical thinking
- Curiosity and testing mindset
- Attention to detail
- Cross-functional communication
Processes That Scale
Daily Operations
- Morning performance checks
- Budget pacing reviews
- Anomaly detection and response
Weekly Cadence
- Performance reviews with stakeholders
- Creative pipeline review
- Channel optimization planning
Monthly Activities
- Strategy review and planning
- Budget reallocation
- Partner performance evaluation
Partner with ClicksFlyer
We work closely with UA teams of all sizes to maximize campaign performance and efficiency.
Get StartedCommon Mistakes
- Hiring channel specialists before generalists
- Underinvesting in analytics capabilities
- Separating UA from product/retention
- No creative testing process
- Over-reliance on agencies
Building a UA team is an iterative process. Start lean, hire for potential, and continuously refine your structure as your spending and complexity grow.