Growth & Merchandising Associate

About Us

Propel builds technology that strengthens the social safety net in America. We envision a future where every American has the tools and resources they need to thrive.

The safety net’s strength depends not just on funding, but delivery. Propel exists to dramatically improve how government benefits are delivered. Managing SNAP benefits, picking a D-SNP plan, or protecting against EBT theft should feel as seamless as Apple Pay or Netflix.

Governments struggle to build modern, scalable user experiences. We don’t.

Over 5 million Americans trust Propel today. We’ve grown revenue 35% YoY and are reinventing entire benefit categories, including Medicare, around the real needs of low-income Americans. We’re building a high-growth, high-ceiling, sustainable for-profit company where impact drives revenue.

The Role

We're looking for a results-oriented Growth & Merchandising Associate to own the operational and executional layer of our Growth & Merchandising function — campaign coordination, inventory governance, and enablement materials.

The Propel Marketplace connects our ~10 million users — predominantly low-income Americans managing government benefits — to products, services, and offers from leading brands. The work you do here directly shapes what users see, what partners can sell, and how the Marketplace grows.

This role will join at a pivotal moment for Propel Marketplace. You'll partner closely with the Growth & Merchandising Lead on direction and priorities, but you'll own how the work actually gets done — building the playbook as you go rather than inheriting one, and bringing problems and proposed fixes rather than waiting to be pointed at them. We're looking for someone who can take a loosely defined problem and run with it independently, checking in for calibration rather than validation, and who brings genuine curiosity about how AI can extend what a lean team can accomplish.

Here's how you'll impact the company:

Own seasonal campaign execution end-to-end. You're the primary operator for campaign coordination - managing timelines, stakeholder touch points across Customer Success, Ad Ops, Engineering/Product/Design, and Marketing, partner packaging logistics, and Customer Success enablement materials. You'll protect seasonal campaign revenue and identify improvements between campaigns.

Take ownership of our premium placement booking tool. Within 60–90 days, you're the primary owner of the tool that manages booking and reservation logic for our premium ad placements. You'll field requests outside the self-serve flow, flag utilization gaps proactively, and improve the tool as new campaign levers come online.

Build a self-serve library for Customer Success. You'll maintain pitch materials, campaign one-pagers, and placement packages that let Customer Success pitch premium inventory without needing you in the room every time — including using AI to personalize materials and case studies at scale.

Keep our knowledge systems current and translate operational reality into strategy. You're close to what CSMs are asking for and where inventory gaps keep showing up. You'll document what's actually happening (not just what's supposed to happen) and give the Growth & Merchandising Lead a regular, structured pulse that feeds planning.

Requirements:

• 2–3 years of experience in operations, project management, campaign coordination, or a related function

• Strong project management and cross-functional coordination skills — you can move shared workstreams forward across teams with confidence and clarity, even without formal authority over them

• Fluency in ad tech — you understand performance metrics, campaign goals, and client objectives, and can speak to campaign performance in context

• Demonstrated AI builder — you have concrete examples of AI projects you've built or applied in a previous role to improve operations, not just used AI as a tool

• Strong judgment on quality — you can tell where AI-generated output is client-ready and where it needs a human hand

• Comfort with ambiguity — you're willing to build alongside a team whose tools and processes are still taking shape

• Sharp attention to detail — you catch problems before they surface

• Clear, concise writing — a meaningful share of this role produces materials that go directly to Customer Success and external partners

• High ownership mentality — your instinct is to flag, propose, and drive, not wait for a fully defined playbook

• Genuine learning agility and curiosity about how a consumer marketplace product operates end-to-end

This role may not be for you if:

You need frequent direction or sign-off to move forward. We're looking for someone who proposes and drives, and brings the Lead in for calibration and exceptions, not day-to-day validation.

You'd rather execute an existing strategy than help build the operational muscle behind one. This role is as much about building the playbook as running it.

You're uneasy with ambiguity. Our tools and processes are still being built, and priorities can shift as external factors (funding, policy, partnerships) and internal factors change.

You prefer fixed scope and a predictable pace. What you own will evolve as the function scales, and campaign timelines don't slow down while we figure things out.

At Propel, you'll enjoy:

• Meaningful work and a strong shared sense of mission

• Remote-friendly work environment with a dog-friendly office in Downtown Brooklyn and satellite offices in San Francisco. The team meets in-person for optional retreats.

• 20 Days of PTO

• 4% 401K match

• $10k lifetime spend towards Carrot Fertility

• Excellent Medical, Dental and Vision options

• Other health and mental health focused benefits and perks

Propel believes that everyone should be compensated fairly and equitably. We set our salary ranges using compensation data from hundreds of NYC-based startups at our stage. Additionally, pay is not determined based on location. Compensation for this position includes base salary and a performance-based bonus. The expected base salary for the role is $85,000 - $120,000. The bonus is a combination of individual and team revenue performance. The total on-target earnings (OTE) is $93,500 – $132,000. Equity and excellent benefits come with this position as well!

Additional Considerations:

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team, and welcome applicants from all backgrounds and abilities.

We're currently accepting applications from the states we have an established entity, which includes California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Background Check Requirement: For roles with access to confidential employee or customer information, a background check may be conducted following a conditional offer. All background checks are handled in accordance with applicable laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

More About Propel:

Propel is a technology company that's strengthening the social safety net for people who receive government benefits. Over 5 million Americans trust the free, modern Propel app to manage their government benefits, save money, and get updates when their benefits change. We've also partnered with renowned institutions and organizations like Vote.org, GoFundMe, and GiveDirectly.

Propel is a for-profit, venture-backed company that holds its social mission at its core. We're proud to be supported by a blend of nonprofits, impact investors, and world-class investors including the Robin Hood Foundation, Andreessen Horowitz, Nyca Partners, Financial Health Network, JPMorganChase, Kevin Durant, Serena Williams, and Nas.

Join us, and let's build something amazing together!