Affiliate Marketing Manager

Zoro • Chicago, IL

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

You will lead strategy and performance optimization for Zoro’s affiliate marketing channel, one of the company’s largest performance-driven revenue engines, with accountability to profitable growth, customer retention, and repeat behavior. This role brings affiliate expertise and digital marketing perspective to ensure partner strategy drives long-term customer value within a broader growth ecosystem.

Requirements

• 4–7+ years of experience in affiliate marketing and/or broader digital or performance marketing roles (agency or in-house).
• Demonstrated ownership of affiliate strategy, partner management, and performance optimization in a growth-focused environment.
• Experience working with affiliate networks or platforms (network-agnostic).
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar performance-based budgets with accountability to revenue and efficiency targets.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate performance through a customer quality and lifetime value lens.
• Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority and operate effectively in a collaborative, matrixed organization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience translating data into clear business narratives.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field.

Nice To Haves

• B2B marketing experience or experience supporting complex buying journeys.
• Familiarity with attribution models, incrementality testing, and cross-channel performance analysis.
• Experience operating in a high-SKU, high-volume eCommerce environment.

Responsibilities

• You will lead affiliate channel strategy and performance with accountability to customer retention, repeat rate, lifetime value, and sustainable acquisition.
• You will develop and execute strategic roadmaps that prioritize long-term customer quality and profitable growth.
• You will manage significant performance-based budgets, including forecasting, pacing, partner mix decisions, and efficiency optimization aligned to contribution margin goals.
• You will evaluate affiliate partner performance based on customer quality, repeat behavior, and incrementality—not solely top-line acquisition volume.
• You will optimize and expand publisher relationships by negotiating rates, identifying new high-value partners, and strengthening existing partnerships aligned to brand and customer standards.
• You will assess affiliate performance within the broader digital ecosystem, partnering cross-functionally to improve attribution clarity and cross-channel alignment.
• You will translate performance data into clear, compelling narratives that influence stakeholders and leadership decision-making.
• You will collaborate closely with Analytics, Brand, Integrated Marketing, Customer Experience, and other digital channel owners to ensure affiliate initiatives support overall customer growth priorities.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment
• Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents. We also support growing your family through access to adoption assistance program
• 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist and Wellhub portal membership to support your mental and emotional wellbeing
• At least 18 paid time off days annually for full-time employees and 6 company holidays per year
• 6% company contribution to a 401K Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required
• Tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and access to financial counseling, education, and tools
• Charitable Gift Program - match gift to an eligible educational, cultural, community health, and human service organizations
• Employee discounts and admission to various civic and cultural institutions around Chicago
• Zoro office perks including coffee bar, beer on tap, unlimited snacks, access to the onsite gym, and incredible city skyline views

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level