Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager

Backbone Media•Carbondale, CO

3d•$72,000 - $80,000

About The Position

At Backbone, the Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager develops partnerships and strategy with publishers, creators, and other affiliate partners to activate coverage, evaluate opportunities, and drive revenue for clients. The role collaborates with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams to align and execute plans that increase awareness and achieve client traffic and revenue goals. The manager leads affiliate program development and execution, manages client relationships and performance, and provides reporting, forecasts, and strategic recommendations. The role also contributes to improving agency processes, efficiencies, and long-term service offerings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
4–6 years of relevant experience.
Proficiency in affiliate networks such as Impact, AvantLink, Rakuten, and CJ, including launching and growing programs.
Comprehensive understanding of affiliate partner types, including publishers, creators, content, coupon, and loyalty partners, and how to work effectively with each.
Proven ability to recruit partners and negotiate rates, placements, and promotional opportunities.
Experience structuring and managing incentive models such as CPA, CPC, flat fee, and hybrid.
Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including budget forecasting, revenue projections, and KPI-driven optimization.
Ability to turn performance data into clear client reporting with actionable insights.
Certification in, or comprehensive experience with, Google Analytics and affiliate attribution.
Ability to own client relationships, from status calls to strategic recommendations.
Ability to articulate a strategy clearly and execute it.
Experience leading, delegating to, and mentoring teammates.
Ability to collaborate with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams and build relationships inside and outside the agency.
Entrepreneurial mindset and interest in improving processes, building efficiencies, and shaping service offerings.
Detail-oriented, with critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Ability to manage strict deadlines, multiple priorities, and multiple clients while staying organized.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.

Nice To Haves

Experience with creator-commerce platforms such as ShopMy, LTK, Levanta, or Linkby.
Basic understanding of public relations, community management, influencer marketing, and/or paid media.
Strong interpersonal skills and a sense of humor.
Understanding of Backbone’s core values.
A love of the outdoors.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of clients’ affiliate programs, including day-to-day management, delegation, affiliate recruitment, rate negotiation, relationship development, and partner activation.
Understand client goals and translate them into actionable strategies.
Monitor performance and optimize toward weekly and monthly KPIs.
Cultivate and maintain ongoing relationships with key affiliate partners.
Identify and secure promotional and advertising opportunities through strategic partnerships and varied incentive structures.
Provide regular client reporting with insights and actions to optimize programs.
Develop budget forecasts and revenue projections with client input.
Identify trends, improvement areas, and opportunities, and proactively recommend ways to improve performance.
Participate in status calls and own client relationships.
Help shape long-term service offerings, enhance processes, and improve efficiencies across the client portfolio.
Collaborate with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams to align and execute plans.