Mgr, Acquisition Marketing – Direct Response _HYBRID Chicago or Carmel

Job DetailsCNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO) is a leading insurance and financial services company focused on securing the future of middle‑income America. Through brands such as Bankers Life, Colonial Penn, Optavise, and Washington National, CNO delivers life and health insurance, annuities, financial services, and workforce benefits to more than 3.3 million policyholders, supported by $38.3 billion in total assets.

With a strong financial foundation, national presence, and a culture rooted in integrity, excellence, and people‑first values, CNO offers meaningful opportunities for professional growth and impact across its U.S. locations, including its headquarters in Carmel, Indiana.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

CNO Financial Group is hiring a Manager, Acquisition Marketing-Direct Response to be responsible for owning the day-to-day performance, execution, and continuous improvement of direct response marketing programs that drive profitable customer growth. This role is accountable for delivering results, not just managing activity. The role translates strategy into action across direct mail and email channels, ensures campaigns execute with quality and precision, and drives performance through data, testing, and clear decision-making.

The Manager Acquisition Marketing – Direct Response works across Marketing, Sales, Analytics, and Operations to deliver measurable impact.

Core responsibilities and deliverables:

Lead end-to-end execution and delivery of direct mail and email acquisition programs.

Own performance across leads, conversion, revenue, and cost efficiency.

Translate business objectives into clear campaign plans and priorities.

Develop and manage targeting, segmentation, and contact strategies.

Design and execute test-and-learn plans across audience, offer, and creative.

Analyze performance data and proactively drive insights and optimization.

Manage campaign timelines, dependencies, and cross-functional execution.

Partner with Marketing, Sales, Analytics, Finance, and Operations to deliver results.

Oversee external agencies and vendors to ensure quality, accuracy, and timeliness.

Own budget tracking, forecasting, and spend discipline tied to performance outcomes.

Identify risks, remove blockers, and ensure consistent program delivery.

Lead and develop team members, driving accountability and performance standards.

What you need (Minimum requirements):

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications or related field7 years of relevant experience in acquisition marketing, direct response, performance marketing, or related disciplines.

Strong understanding of direct mail and/or email marketing in an acquisition context.

Highly analytical, comfortable working with performance data and making decisions from it.

Proven ability to manage multiple campaigns and priorities ong attention to detail and execution discipline.

Comfortable pushing back and challenging assumptions when needed.

Clear and direct communicator, able to explain performance and next steps in plain English.

Demonstrates ownership mindset (acts like they own the business, not just the task).Candidate location in Central or Eastern US time zone is preferred OR willingness to work Central or Eastern time zone business hoursundefined

What will set you apart (Preferred experience):

Master’s Degree
10 years of related work experience, including 7+ year of work experience of direct response, product marketing, or related field

Has overseen a large customer acquisition program in retail, travel, insurance, financial services, or other similar data-driven, regulated industries.

CNO Financial Group offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

Medical, Dental,…