Performance Marketing Manager

At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to bring clarity to all of life’s financial decisions and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We’ve built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you’re empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself (cape optional). Whether remote or in-office, we support how you thrive best. We invest in your well-being, development, and ability to make an impact because when one Nerd levels up, we all do. The Performance Marketing Manager owns and drives growth across NerdWallet's affiliate and strategic partnerships channels. This role is responsible for end-to-end program management — from partner recruitment and relationship development through rigorous performance analysis and reporting. Sitting at the intersection of partnership management and performance marketing, the Performance Marketing Manager collaborates closely with the broader Paid Media team to ensure optimal budget allocation and channel synergy. The ideal Nerd brings deep knowledge of affiliate ecosystems, strong analytical instincts, and a collaborative approach to cross-channel strategy. This role reports to the Senior Director, Media Strategy. # **You are:** - A data-driven performance marketer who owns affiliate channel analytics end-to-end — building dashboards, identifying trends, and translating data into actionable optimization decisions that move the business forward. - A relationship builder and primary point of contact for NerdWallet's affiliate and strategic partner ecosystem — managing publisher relationships, leading business reviews, and negotiating structures that maximize mutual value. - A cross-functional collaborator who shows up in weekly paid media syncs, contributes meaningfully to integrated budget discussions, and aligns affiliate strategy with SEM, Paid Social, Display, and other performance channels. - A program operator who keeps the engine running — managing platform configurations, tracking integrity, fraud monitoring, and brand safety compliance across all affiliate placements. - A strategic planner who builds annual roadmaps, develops forecasting models, and presents performance and recommendations clearly to senior leadership. - A growth driver who actively recruits and onboards new affiliate partners, launches co-marketing campaigns, and brings industry intelligence back from 2–6 conferences per year. # **Where you can make an impact:** - Own affiliate and partnerships channel reporting including daily, weekly, and monthly performance dashboards tracking clicks, conversions, CPA, revenue, and ROI; analyze data to identify trends, anomalies, and optimization opportunities. - Serve as the primary point of contact for all affiliate and strategic partners (publishers, networks, sub-networks, technology platforms); conduct regular business reviews to assess performance, align on goals, and identify growth opportunities. - Recruit, onboard, and activate new affiliates aligned with business growth objectives; negotiate commission structures, promotional placements, and performance incentives to maximize partner value and ROI. - Conduct incrementality testing and attribution analysis to accurately measure affiliate channel contribution and avoid cannibalization; monitor for fraudulent activity and maintain traffic quality. - Partner with SEM, Paid Social, Display, and other paid media channel owners to evaluate and optimize the overall paid media mix; contribute to integrated budget allocation discussions leveraging efficiency metrics. - Plan and execute affiliate/partnership promotional campaigns including seasonal pushes, product launches, and co-marketing initiatives; develop creative briefs and manage affiliate assets that drive conversion. - Develop annual affiliate/partnerships channel roadmap with partner growth targets and program enhancements; present channel performance and strategic recommendations to senior leadership on a regular cadence. - Manage aff…