Freelance Endemic Media Specialist

Level Agency | Remote | Independent Contractor

We’re looking for someone who knows direct publisher media from the inside — the IOs, the specs, the negotiations, the pacing issues, the make-goods, and the details that make or break a flight.

Level Agency is hiring a Freelance Endemic Media Specialist to support a focused set of direct publisher placements across high-priority client accounts. This is a hands-on contractor role for someone who has managed endemic, sponsored content, newsletter, podcast, out-of-home, or other non-programmatic placements and can step in quickly to keep the work moving.

This is not a planning-only role. We need someone who has worked directly with publisher reps, negotiated placement terms, reviewed IOs, monitored delivery, resolved mid-flight issues, and kept internal teams clearly informed.

Engagement Details

Engagement type: Independent contractor / freelance engagement
Estimated hours: 15–20 hours per week
Duration: Through fall 2026, with potential extension through the end of 2026
Location: Fully remote
Start date: As soon as available
Compensation: Hourly contractor rate, commensurate with experience

About Level

Level Agency is a performance marketing agency built on a simple belief: good enough isn’t.

We partner with brands in complex, high-consideration markets to turn insight into compounding growth. Our capabilities span performance media, CRM and lifecycle marketing, creative strategy, data science, and AI-powered intelligence.

In 2025, Level acquired BAM Strategy, a full-funnel media and loyalty agency. Together, we are expanding our client offering to include endemic and integrated media placements alongside our core programmatic and biddable channels. This freelance role will support that expansion during a focused buildout period.

What You’ll Own

You’ll support the execution and management of direct publisher placements across a small number of client accounts. Level’s Strategy and Media teams will provide account context, planning direction, client priorities, and broader media strategy. Your focus will be publisher-side execution: keeping IOs accurate, details organized, delivery on track, and internal teams informed.

You will not be expected to own full-channel strategy, client relationship leadership, or broader media planning. We are looking for a specialist who can bring deep direct publisher experience and make the execution tighter, faster, and more reliable.

Publisher Negotiation & IO Management

You’ll lead or support direct negotiations with publishers on placement terms, pricing, added value, and contractual conditions. You’ll review insertion orders to ensure terms are accurate, complete, and aligned with client priorities.

You’ll maintain organized records of active IOs, flight dates, creative specs, contractual commitments, cancellation windows, make-good provisions, and any mid-flight adjustments.

Placement Management & Optimization

You’ll monitor pacing and delivery throughout each flight, identify under delivery early, and work directly with publishers to resolve issues. That may include negotiating make-goods, bonus placements, extensions, creative swaps, trafficking fixes, or other remedies.

You’ll also help flag added-value opportunities when they emerge, including bonus units, editorial inclusions, extended placements, or other publisher-side opportunities that could improve client value.

Reporting Support

You’ll pull and reconcile delivery data from publisher portals across multiple partners and placement types. You’ll provide clean, accurate reporting inputs to Level’s internal teams for client dashboards, monthly reporting, QBRs, and performance documentation.

You’ll also keep clear notes on publisher performance, delivery risks, optimization actions, and key takeaways so the team can make better decisions over time.

Workflow Support

As Level continues to build this capability, you’ll help document what works: publisher contacts, lead times, specs, IO processes, delivery risks, reporting needs, and recurring execution considerations.

This does not need to be overly formal. We need someone who naturally keeps the details organized and can help turn that into repeatable ways of working.

What We’re Looking ForMust-Haves

3+ years of hands-on experience managing endemic or direct publisher media placements
Experience negotiating publisher terms, reviewing IOs, and managing live flights
Direct experience with placements such as out-of-home, sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships, podcast integrations, or similar non-programmatic media
Ability to independently manage publisher relationships, including make-goods, delivery discrepancies, and mid-flight changes
Comfort working in publisher portals and reconciling delivery data against contracted terms
Experience contributing endemic-specific performance data to client-facing reporting or QBR materials
Strong organizational skills across multiple active IOs, flight dates, creative specs, publisher contacts, and reporting deadlines
Clear, direct communication with both internal teams and external publisher contacts
Low ego, high accountability, and a bias toward action

Nice-to-Haves

Agency experience, especially managing endemic placements alongside programmatic or biddable channels
Familiarity with healthcare, finance, or consumer health categories
Prior freelance or contract experience within a distributed team
Experience working across full-funnel media plans where endemic and programmatic channels needed to be coordinated
Experience helping document or improve workflows for an emerging media capability

How You Work

You are organized by default. Trackers, notes, IO files, specs, publisher details, and reporting inputs are kept current because that is how you operate.

You communicate clearly and early. If something is underdelivering, unclear, misaligned, or blocked, you flag it before it becomes a bigger issue.

You can work independently without disappearing. You know how to keep internal teams updated, ask smart questions, and move work forward without needing constant oversight.

You understand that direct publisher media is relationship-driven and detail-heavy. You know how to be firm, fair, and professional with publisher partners while protecting the client’s best interest.

What to Expect From This Engagement

You can expect:

A focused scope across a small number of endemic media accounts
Direct collaboration with Level’s Strategy and Media teams
Clear account context, planning direction, and client priorities
High-visibility work supporting Level’s integrated media offering
A remote-first team that values clarity, accountability, and low ego
Potential for extended engagement or expanded scope depending on agency growth and performance

Our Core Values

No Ego, All In
We don’t do “that’s not my job.” We jump in, take ownership, and win together.

Better Every Day
We want the feedback — even when it stings. We stay curious, keep improving, and raise the bar for ourselves and each other.

Relentless for Results
Activity is nothing without outcomes. We focus on work that drives measurable impact.

Driven by Truth
We challenge assumptions and follow the data. We say what’s real, surface issues early, and make better decisions through honesty and evidence.

Level Is Built on Inclusion

Level is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where people can do strong work and feel respected while doing it.

We welcome candidates of all backgrounds, identities, abilities, and lived experiences. The strongest teams are built through different perspectives, honest collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing meaningful work.

How to Apply

Please complete the application and share a clear picture of your relevant experience. We’ll ask about:

The types of endemic or direct publisher placements you’ve managed
Publishers or media partners you’ve worked with directly
Your current availability
Your hourly contractor rate
Examples of campaigns you’ve managed, including what you owned, what challenges came up mid-flight, and how you resolved them

We are not looking for a formal cover letter. We are looking for evidence that you have done this work and know how to do it well.

Level Agency

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Freelance Endemic Media Specialist