Tin Can
International Expansion Lead at Tin Can in Seattle
Job Description
About Tin Can
Tin Can is building a safer, simpler way for kids to connect — without smartphones. We're creating screen-free, delightful devices and services that let families call the people who matter most, free from the noise of today's digital world.
We're building a bold, authentic, nostalgic, and kinda quirky brand that resonates with folks who want something simpler & better for their kids than the tech-infused lives we're currently living (and who have a sense of humor about it). As we gear up to reach more families both at home and abroad, we're looking to bring on an International Expansion Lead to help make it happen.
The Role
A kid in another country wants exactly what a kid here wants: to call their best friend without a smartphone in the way. Our first international markets are close to launch — devices are on their way, the compliance work is underway, the phones will work when they arrive. What we don't have is anyone whose whole job is making families over there want one.
That's this role. On day one you pick up growth in our first expansion markets. As those markets find their footing, you'll take full ownership of them — not just demand, but everything it takes to operate there. Every country after that is yours end to end. You'll report to one of our co-founders and work alongside the people already deep in this: ops on fulfillment and hardware, engineering on making the service work abroad, legal on the regulatory maze. Early on, success will look less like a brilliant strategy and more like a willingness to run through walls.
What You'll Do
Own demand in our first international markets from day one, turning early traction into a base that compounds
Build local go-to-market strategies and campaigns that make Tin Can land culturally, using some mix of your own two hands, partnering with our marketing teams, and outside resources
Find the channels that actually work in each country — influencers, press, communities, paid, hollering at people from a street corner— and kill the ones that don't, quickly
Grow into full ownership of those first markets, becoming the conductor that partners with fulfillment, support, compliance, product, engineering, and the rest of what it takes to operate there
Quarterback every country launch after that end to end
Turn the first markets into a written playbook, so the fifth country costs a fraction of what the first one did
Determine what resourcing we need to be successful, both in the short-term and as international efforts scale.
Keep the company honest about where international stands: what's working, what's stuck, and what you need
What We're Looking For
Autonomy above all else. The first 6–9 months won't be won by a genius strategy; they'll be won by figuring out the top N things to test, and running at them as fast as you can.
6+ years in growth, general management, or international expansion at a consumer business—you've carried a number, not just written a plan
You've led expansion into new countries and can speak to multiple versions of the problem: how do we sell more of these, how do we get them there, what needs to be different about the product/service and how we operate to succeed there?
Real marketing instincts. This isn't a marketing role, but you'll live or die on GTM; you can partner closely with marketers and be dangerous enough to run something yourself when it comes to that
An ownership mentality; you think about P&L, growth, and customer experience as one thing, and you're comfortable being the person accountable for the result
Fluency using AI as a multiplier across research/analysis/execution, paired with the judgement to know when AI is not the solution.
A global mindset; you know what doesn't translate, and you'd rather ask someone local than guess
Low-ego and collaborative vibes; you share credit and pitch in on problems that aren't yours
Why Join Tin Can
We're building tech that enriches childhood: We're on a quest to give kids a more analog childhood — one with real conversations, real connection, and way less screen time. No doomscrolling, data mining, or dopamine traps — just a simpler, better way for kids to stay in touch. This is a rare opportunity to build something that truly matters.
You'll own a country, then the map: You'll take over our first markets while the launch is still warm, and every country after that is yours to open — in whatever order you can make the case for.
Small, high-trust team: Every company says "team," but at Tin Can it means something different. We're a small, mission-driven group that genuinely has each other's backs — professionally and personally. You'll be joining a tight-knit crew where your ideas and instincts matter from day one.
Room to explore, not just execute: You'll have the space to explore new ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape a business that reflects our values of trust, simplicity, and care.
If you're excited by the idea of making Tin Can something families ask for in countries we haven't reached yet, please reach out. We can't wait to meet someone who's ready to jump in, draw the map, and help us grow.