At Jellyfish we believe that our individual differences are our greatest assets. We are passionate about empowering every employee to reach their full potential and contribute their unique perspectives to our collaborative environment. We are an equal opportunity employer and firmly believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce drives innovation and leads to better solutions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other personal characteristics that make them who they are.

Jellyfish is a global digital marketing agency; a unique fusion of tech enthusiasts, creative minds, and media and data experts all united to empower our clients along their digital journey. Our commitment to embracing diverse perspectives fuels our innovation and strategies that challenge the status quo, reinvent media activation, and craft influential stories for our global clients and their customers. Join us in shaping a future where business growth and personal fulfilment go hand in hand.

Job Description

The Senior Direct Investment Manager is a hands-on, strategic role responsible for the execution, performance, and growth of Direct Buys and Affiliate Partnerships for our client in the insurance industry. Acting as both operator and integrator, this individual ensures campaigns are effectively planned, executed, and optimized to drive measurable business outcomes in a highly regulated financial services environment.

This role plays a critical part in building and managing relationships with premium publishers, (d)OOH vendors, and a diverse network of affiliate partners (such as NerdWallet and Forbes). Working seamlessly across a dual-stack tracking ecosystem (Impact and Everflow) and in close partnership with internal strategy, planning, and paid media teams, this person ensures cohesive execution and strong performance across all direct investment channels. You will Collaborate with Media Strategy, Planning, Paid Media, Analytics, and Client teams.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, understands the technical nuances of long-cycle lead generation, acts as a strict gatekeeper for audience quality, and brings a proactive, ownership-driven mindset.

This is a hybrid position based out of our NYC office. The salary range for the role is between $85,000-110,000 USD, annually and final offer is dependent on experience.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Accountability

– Own performance across direct media and affiliate partnerships, serving as the primary point of accountability.

– Translate complex strategies into clear, actionable plans for clients and internal teams.

– Define KPIs and measurement frameworks to track and improve performance across a delayed underwriting/conversion cycle.

– Operate independently, making informed decisions and driving outcomes with minimal oversight.

Partner Strategy, Vetting & Growth

– Manage and grow key affiliate and publisher partnerships (e.g., NerdWallet, Forbes), leveraging both Impact (for content creators) and Everflow (for lead aggregators).

– Act as a strategic audience gatekeeper, ensuring all onboarded partners align strictly with our core demographic profiles (e.g., middle-class households, family decision-makers, and grandmothers) rather than generic traffic.

– Proactively source, evaluate, and onboard new partners to unlock incremental growth while maintaining strict brand safety.

– Lead or support partner negotiations, contracting, and commercial structuring to protect media efficiency.

– Stay ahead of industry trends and bring forward new ideas across Premium Publishers (including CTV) and (d)OOH.

Campaign Execution, Compliance & Optimization

– Own end-to-end campaign execution, from setup through ongoing optimization.

– Oversee complex tracking infrastructure, ensuring accurate tracking of delayed offline conversions, Server-to-Server (S2S) routing, and postback mechanics.

– Enforce strict regulatory compliance, auditing partner content to ensure adherence to approved life insurance claims, disclosures, and pricing.

– Monitor performance closely, identifying opportunities to improve lead quality (CPQL) and scale.

– Manage budget pacing and ensure alignment with client goals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

– Partner closely with media strategy, planning, paid media, and analytics teams to share insights on publisher quality and backend lead validity.

– Ensure alignment across teams to drive cohesive execution and maximize impact.

Client Leadership

– Serve as a senior, client-facing lead for direct investment and partnership strategies.

– Lead client meetings, clearly communicating performance, technical stack recommendations, and insights.

– Deliver clear, data-driven reporting with actionable insights, translating complex affiliate data into