Performance Marketing Manager, Affiliate Program Management

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.

• 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.

• 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 affiliate platform operations including link management, tracking pixel implementation, commission configuration, and evaluation of affiliate management platforms (e.g., TUNE/HasOffers, Cake, Everflow).

• Develop and maintain forecasting models to project channel performance and support budget planning; develop SOPs for affiliate program management to enable scalability.

• Maintain and enforce brand safety standards; ensure all affiliate placements comply with brand guidelines, FTC disclosure requirements, and regulatory requirements.

• 3–6 years of hands-on affiliate marketing experience, ideally within a performance marketing or DTC/e-commerce environment.

• Demonstrated experience managing affiliate programs using affiliate management platforms such as HasOffers/TUNE, Cake, Everflow, or comparable technology.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to work fluently in Excel/Google Sheets, and experience with BI tools (Tableau, Looker, or similar).

• Experience with cross-channel paid media strategy and familiarity with SEM, Paid Social, and Display channel dynamics.

• Proven track record of growing an affiliate program through partner recruitment, relationship management, and data-driven optimization.

• Solid understanding of attribution models, tracking methodologies (pixels, postbacks, SKAdNetwork), and incrementality measurement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present data and strategy clearly to stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SQL for data querying and self-serve analytics.

• Experience in financial services, fintech, or a highly regulated industry.

• Prior experience collaborating within an integrated paid media team environment.

• Knowledge of FTC disclosure guidelines and affiliate compliance best practices.

• This role will be remote (based in the U.S.).

• We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family.

Work Hard, Stay Balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?)

• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents

• Rejuvenation Policy – Flexible Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + holiday company shutdown

• New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

• Mental health support

• Paid sabbatical after 5 years for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge, and pursue their interests

• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution

• Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend (Only remote Nerds are eligible for the Wifi Stipend)

• Work from home equipment stipend and co-working space subsidy (Only remote Nerds are eligible for these stipends)

Have Some Fun! (Nerds are fun, too)

• Nerd-led group initiatives – Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities

• Hackathons and team events across all teams and departments

• Company-wide events like NerdLove (employee appreciation) and our annual Charity Auction 

• Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Take 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter and donate to your favorite causes with a company match

Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people)

• 401K with 4% company match

• Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools

• Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar

• Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, so all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.  

NerdWallet will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice, as well as the Los Angeles Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice.

NerdWallet participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify program for all US locations. For more information, please see:

• E-Verify Participation Poster (English+Spanish/Español)

• Right to Work Poster (English) / (Spanish/Español) 

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