Our Result

In 6 weeks, we sourced, screened, and helped hire a TikTok Shop Strategist who can lead a brand-new pod from day one, with a clear path to Head of Department.

WEEK 1

Role briefed; active outbound sourcing across agency operators and DTC TikTok Shop leads

WEEKS 2–5

Initial screening calls; 14-strong candidate longlist shared with client, 5 candidates presented; practical assessment and final interviews

WEEKS 6

TikTok Shop Strategist hired 🚀

The Starting Point

Smart Marketer was setting up a brand-new TikTok Shop pod, separate from their existing Paid Social team. Their Director of Media Buying had become the bottleneck, handling client strategy across six US brands solo. They needed someone senior who could take that strategic load, set KPIs for the team already in place, and write the playbook for how TikTok Shop fits with Shopify. Effectively, the future Head of TikTok Shop Department once the pod scales.

Our Solution

To attract applicants with the desired qualities, we at Prosana worked closely with our client to come up with selling points, requirements, and skills necessary for this position.

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Selling Points

Founding role in a brand-new TikTok Shop pod
Two direct reports already in place
Clear path to Head of TikTok Shop Department
Working across six high-growth US DTC brands

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Requirements

Agency or direct TikTok Shop experience, no exceptions
Senior or Lead level, able to build a department from scratch
Shopify and API literacy
System-builder instincts

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Skills We Looked For

Hands-on TikTok Shop scaling with creator and affiliate strategies
Commercial thinking around pricing, unit economics, and affiliate stacking
Confident client communication with founders and CMOs

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Our Winning Approach

Filtered out the platform AMs early

TikTok internal Account Managers looked great on paper. But in the first calls it became clear they are really salespeople, managing 100+ brands and recommending strategies they never actually execute. We pivoted fast and went after candidates with hands-on agency or DTC operator experience instead.

Used a practical assessment to surface real depth

LinkedIn profiles weren't enough to separate the strong candidates from the really strong ones. A 90-day strategic plan, creator brief, KPI dashboard, and short Loom walkthrough did. The hire wasn't the obvious first pick on paper, but the assessment surfaced strategic depth that wouldn't have shown up otherwise.

Key Insights That Helped Us Hire The Perfect Candidate

For new departments, seniority isn't a years-of-experience question. It's a "have you built one of these before" question.
TikTok Shop is still a small operator pool. Sourcing has to combine LinkedIn search with real intel about which DTC brands are scaling TikTok Shop and who actually runs it.
A well-designed practical assessment is the great equalizer. The candidate who isn't first on paper often turns out to be the right hire.

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