---
title: 'Performance Marketing & Paid Acquisition Lead at Harper'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/performance-marketing-paid-acquisition-lead-harper-san-francisco-vnyv1ms7gyzk'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-07'
---

# Performance Marketing & Paid Acquisition Lead at Harper

- **Company:** Harper
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $150k–$180k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-05-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure/36888318-e7b0-43a4-ac62-6e5babc829a6

## Job description

Performance Marketing & Paid Acquisition Lead

Harper is an AI-native commercial insurance company in San Francisco. We're not bolting AI onto insurance — we're rebuilding the entire business as software, on a simple bet: turning expert human judgment into compute is one of the largest transitions left to make, and a trillion-dollar industry still run 90% by hand is the place to prove it. We've grown ~100x in the last year and we move at that speed — on-site, in person, long days, very high standards. Almost no one joins Harper for insurance; they join to build the company that replaces how it works.

## The role

Harper's growth engine runs on speed, precision, and automation, and you own the digital channels that feed the sales floor — accountable for turning spend into revenue. You own Harper's paid growth machine end-to-end: channel strategy, experimentation, funnel optimization, and automation. The job is simple to state and hard to do — drive qualified demand efficiently and at scale across Google, Meta, and lead-bidding marketplaces, optimizing the full funnel from click to bind.

This is not a brand role — it's a numbers, systems, and scale role. You sit alongside sales and engineering, see how leads convert in real time, and continuously refine campaigns based on what actually closes, not what looks good in a dashboard. Winning in 6–12 months looks like a predictable, scalable paid-growth engine, automation handling large portions of campaign management, and performance playbooks powering rapid vertical expansion.

## What you'll do

- Own paid acquisition. Manage and scale campaigns across Google, Meta, and lead-bidding marketplaces, with vertical-specific strategies for construction, med spas, manufacturing, and new segments — controlling budget against CAC, conversion, and throughput.
- Optimize the full funnel. Work landing pages, messaging, and conversion flows; track performance from click → quote → bind; and partner with sales to read lead quality and adjust targeting in real time.
- Experiment relentlessly. Run A/B tests across ads, creative, audiences, and landing pages; scale what works, kill underperformers fast, and build playbooks for new vertical launches.
- Automate everything. Work with engineering to automate bidding, pacing, attribution, and reporting; use AI tools to generate and test creative at scale; and build systems that let performance marketing run continuously and efficiently.

## Who you are

- You think in CAC, conversion rates, and throughput — and you enjoy owning revenue-impacting systems.
- You're hands-on and comfortable operating without layers.
- You love testing, iterating, and scaling what works — and killing what doesn't, fast.
- You want tight feedback loops with sales and product.
- You have 5+ years in performance marketing, paid acquisition, or growth, with hands-on Google Ads and Meta experience at meaningful budgets.
- You're comfortable owning outcomes tied to pipeline and revenue, not impressions or clicks.
- You're based in San Francisco or willing to relocate.

The reality — read this before you apply

This is a revenue seat, measured in CAC, qualified pipeline, and what actually binds — not impressions, clicks, or spend deployed. It's on-site in San Francisco, in person, long days, high standards. You own the paid machine end-to-end, which means when a channel's CAC creeps or lead quality drops, finding and fixing it is yours — often the same day. You'll calibrate spend against what sales can actually close and automate the rest, so the job is as much systems thinking and operational discipline as it is media buying.

This is explicitly not a brand or top-of-funnel-only role, and it isn't a place for slow cycles and fixed annual plans. Almost no one takes it for insurance — they take it because owning every paid channel for a company growing ~100x, with a direct line from your spend to closed revenue, is a rare seat. If accountability to revenue is the appeal, apply. If it's a deterrent, it won't get easier here.

## Compensation & logistics

- Salary: $150,000–$180,000, plus performance bonus and equity.
- Location: On-site, San Francisco. Based here or willing to relocate.
- Schedule: Monday–Friday, long days, in the building with the team.

## Benefits

- Uber commuter benefits
- Meals provided — breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Snacks, drinks, and coffee stocked daily
- Free gym membership
- Health, dental, and vision insurance

## Requirements

- 5+ years of experience in performance marketing, paid acquisition, or growth marketing roles
- Hands-on experience managing Google Ads and Meta (Facebook/Instagram) campaigns with meaningful budgets
- Experience running and optimizing lead-based acquisition funnels, ideally for B2B, SMB, or high-consideration products
- Strong understanding of CAC, conversion rates, attribution, and funnel economics
- Experience with analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics / GA4), conversion tracking, pixels, and UTM frameworks
- Ability to run structured experiments across creatives, audiences, landing pages, and channels
- Comfort owning performance outcomes tied to pipeline and revenue, not just impressions or clicks
- Highly analytical mindset with strong spreadsheet skills and the ability to turn data into decisions
- Willingness to work on-site in San Francisco and collaborate closely with sales and engineering
- This is not a brand role

## Nice to have

- Experience with lead bidding marketplaces or third-party lead sources
- Familiarity with tracking systems and closed-loop attribution
- Experience supporting multi-vertical acquisition strategies
- Exposure to automation, scripting, or AI tools for creative generation or campaign optimization
- Prior startup or high-growth company experience

Process

- People screen — fit and alignment
- Lead screen — skills and judgment
- Super day — how you operate in real time

To apply

Send your resume and one channel or campaign you scaled efficiently — the CAC and conversion before and after, and what you did to move them.

## About Harper

## Company Overview

- **One-liner**: Harper is an AI-native commercial insurance brokerage that uses data and automation to help mid-sized businesses secure optimal coverage faster and at lower cost.
- **Entity Type**: Private startup (Y Combinator Winter 2025, raised $47 million)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Dakotah Rice (CEO) and Tushar Nair (CTO)

## Core Business

- Primary industry: Commercial insurance (Excess & Surplus lines brokerage)
- Target customers: Mid-sized businesses with complex insurance needs, spanning technology, life sciences, aerospace, construction, and consulting
- Mission: "We want to become the largest insurance brokerage in the world with the best NPS." (Source: [Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/harper))

## Products & Services

- **Harper Hub**: Proprietary AI-native platform that automates form filling, carrier matching, and client communications, cutting weeks from the traditional quoting timeline.
- **Brokerage Services**: Comprehensive commercial insurance products including General Liability, Professional Liability (tech E&O with no AI exclusions), Cyber Insurance, Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, Umbrella, and Bonds – all placed through an AI-enhanced workflow.
- **Specialty Expertise**: Deep coverage for regulated industries such as FDA‑regulated labs, aerospace contractors, and security guard firms.

## Market Standing

- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$47 million** (confirmed on company website and Y Combinator profile; some third‑party sources list a lower figure but official sources indicate $47M)
- **Notable Investors**: Y Combinator (pre‑seed lead); other investors not publicly detailed
- **Growth Signals**: Writing over **$6 million in annualized premiums** across 35 states (as of early 2025); **6,000+ clients** with **98.78% client retention**; headcount of 39 employees growing **353% year‑over‑year**; **19 open positions**; 100% success placing tech E&O without AI exclusions.

## Competitive Advantages

- **AI‑native infrastructure**: Proprietary technology automates quoting, binding, and service, enabling faster turnaround and lower overhead compared to traditional brokers.
- **Deep niche expertise**: Focus on complex, regulated industries (tech, life sciences, aerospace) where incumbents often struggle.
- **High retention**: 98.78% client retention rate and proven ability to place hard‑to‑cover policies (e.g., tech E&O with AI exclusions) signal strong customer trust.
- **Data‑driven underwriting**: Real‑time analysis of prior interactions and quote intelligence to match businesses with the best carrier.

## Strategic Focus

- Scaling the AI‑native brokerage to serve the mid‑market today and eventually all businesses (commercial insurance commissions represent a $100B+ market).
- Aggressively hiring across engineering, sales, operations, and partnerships to support rapid growth.
- Expanding carrier partnerships and geographic reach (currently licensed in 35 states).

## Why Work Here

- **Early‑stage impact**: Join a Y Combinator‑backed startup at its inflection point, building the AI‑native future of insurance.
- **High‑leverage roles**: Engineers and GTM professionals work directly on systems (LLMs, automation) that drive measurable business outcomes.
- **Culture**: "Human expertise amplified by AI" – domain knowledge meets cutting‑edge technology; teammates from Goldman Sachs, Coinbase, and other top firms.
- **Work environment**: San Francisco headquarters with both in‑office and remote roles available depending on the position.
- **Compensation**: Competitive startup salaries (e.g., $160K–$230K for engineering roles per job listings).
- **Career growth**: Fast‑growing company (353% headcount growth) with opportunities to shape processes and take on ownership early.

## Sources

1. [harperinsure.com](https://harperinsure.com/) – Company website (home page)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/harperinsure) – Careers page
3. [ycombinator.com/companies/harper](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/harper) – Y Combinator company profile
4. [linkedin.com/company/harperinsure](https://www.linkedin.com/company/harperinsure) – LinkedIn company page
5. [builtin.com/company/harper-harperinsurecom](https://builtin.com/company/harper-harperinsurecom) – Built In company profile

## Other roles at Harper

- [Founding Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/founding-recruiter-harper-san-francisco-8ny771ydbbx3) — San Francisco, CA
- [Special Projects Associate, Office of the Chief of Staff](https://feeny.ai/job/special-projects-associate-office-of-the-chief-of-staff-harper-san-francisco-7ejz7h8ve2wq) — San Francisco, CA
- [Account Executive, Service](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-service-harper-san-francisco-kzv1183sxnj9) — San Francisco, CA
- [Carrier Partnerships Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/carrier-partnerships-lead-harper-san-francisco-dtfd3krsac2g) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Commercial Broker, Brokerage Intelligence](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-commercial-broker-brokerage-intelligence-harper-san-francisco-ye1j1474ppwn) — San Francisco, CA
- [Revenue Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/revenue-operations-lead-harper-san-francisco-nv3endfc3ax6) — San Francisco, CA
- [Customer Operations Specialist, Payments](https://feeny.ai/job/customer-operations-specialist-payments-harper-san-francisco-zkk849qp5bph) — San Francisco, CA
- [Account Executive, Renewals](https://feeny.ai/job/account-executive-renewals-harper-san-francisco-mtbkvgqxdzyh) — San Francisco, CA
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