Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager

Backbone Group; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex time

Powder days

Wellness incentives

Work from home/remote options

Team hikes

Job summary

Backbone Media in Denver, CO is seeking a Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager to lead clients' affiliate programs, recruit partners, and optimize campaigns to drive revenue and growth.

You will collaborate with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams to align strategies, forecast revenue, and report insights to clients. A strong analytic mindset and relationship-building skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 4–6 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of clients' affiliate programs, including managing day-to-day activities, recruiting affiliates, negotiating rates, and activating partners.
• Translate client goals into actionable affiliate strategies.
• Monitor performance and optimize toward weekly and monthly KPIs.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with key affiliate partners.
• Identify promotional opportunities with strategic partnerships and incentive structures.
• Provide regular client reporting with insights and recommended actions.
• Develop budget forecasts and revenue projections with client input.
• Identify trends and opportunities to improve performance and efficiency across programs.
• Own client relationships from status calls to strategic recommendations.
• Collaborate with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams to align plans.

Skills

Affiliate networks

Partner recruitment

Negotiation

Analytics

Budget forecasting

Campaign optimization

Reporting

Client relationship management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Impact

AvantLink

Rakuten

CJ Affiliate

ShopMy

LTK

Levanta

Linkby

Job description

At Backbone, we live by the mantra that passion drives results. We partner with leading active lifestyle brands to drive growth through integrated media and communications. We only work with brands we believe in, and we pair teammates with brands that match their interests and expertise. You'll join a team of smart, driven marketers who share a passion for the outdoors and for doing great work for great brands.

The Job

As a Senior Affiliate Marketing Manager, you will be responsible for developing the partnership and strategy with publishers, creators, and other affiliate partners to activate coverage, evaluate opportunities, and drive revenue for Backbone clients. This position will collaborate with Paid Media, Social Media, and PR teams to develop, align, and execute plans to increase awareness and achieve the client's traffic and revenue goals.

The Work

• Lead the development and execution of clients' affiliate programs; this includes day-to-day management of affiliate programs, delegation of responsibilities to teammates, recruiting affiliates, negotiating rates, developing relationships, and activating partners

• Understand client goals and translate them into actionable strategies

• Monitor performance and optimize towards weekly and monthly KPIs

• Cultivate and maintain ongoing relationships with key affiliate partners

• Identify and secure promotional and advertising opportunities with strategic partnerships through various incentive structures

• Provide regular reporting to clients, identifying insights and actions to optimize programs

• Develop budget forecasts and revenue projections with client input

• Actively identify trends, areas of improvement, and opportunities to proactively recommend ways to improve performance

• Participate in status calls and own the relationship with clients

• Help shape long-term service offerings, enhance processes, and gain efficiencies across our client portfolio

The Essentials

• Bachelor’s Degree

• 4-6 years of relevant experience

Your Capabilities

Note: we consider applicants of all backgrounds. If you are excited about what we’re doing but don’t meet some of the criteria below, please don’t let that discourage you from applying.

• Proficient in affiliate networks such as Impact, AvantLink, Rakuten and CJ, including launching new programs and growing them from day one

• Comprehensive understanding of affiliate partner types, including publishers, creators, content, coupon and loyalty, and how to work best with each

• Proven ability to recruit partners and negotiate rates, placements and promotional opportunities

• Experience structuring and managing varied incentive models (CPA, CPC, flat fee, hybrid)

• Experience with creator-commerce platforms such as ShopMy, LTK, Levanta or Linkby

• 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

• Confident owner of client relationships, from status calls to strategic recommendations

• Ability to clearly articulate a strategy and then execute it

• Experience leading, delegating to and mentoring teammates

• Collaborative partner to Paid Media, Social Media and PR teams, and effective at building relationships inside and outside the agency

• Entrepreneurial mindset, with an eye for improving processes, building efficiencies and shaping new service offerings

• Detail-oriented, with exceptional critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities

• Able to manage strict deadlines, multiple priorities and multiple clients while staying organized

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel

The Extra Mile

• Basic understanding of public relations, community management, influencer, and/or paid media

• Experience in platforms like Levanta, Linkby, ShopMy, and LTK

• Strong interpersonal skills and a sense of humor

• Understanding of Backbone’s core values

• A love of the outdoors

Be you, on our team. We seek to build an inclusive team and culture that values diverse lived experiences, backgrounds and skill sets.

Salary: $72,000-$80,000 depending on experience

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, 401k match

Perks: Flex time, powder days, wellness incentives, work from home/remote work options, team hikes, campouts, river floats, and more.

About Backbone Media:

We are the country's leading active lifestyle media agency. For over 30 years, Backbone has partnered with category-leading brands to develop and execute effective, integrated media strategies. With offices in Carbondale and Denver, Colorado, Backbone has been consistently included on Outside Magazine’s “Best Places to Work” list.

Please no phone calls regarding job inquiries.

Backbone provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.