Sr. Account Manager - Performance Marketing

Position Overview

The Sr. Account Manager, Performance Marketing is a client-facing leader responsible for managing complex client relationships and developing performance marketing strategies that drive measurable business growth. This role serves as a trusted strategic advisor to clients while partnering closely with PartnerCentric's Affiliate, Creator & Influencer, Data & Insights, Marketing, Product, and other internal teams to deliver integrated strategies and exceptional client outcomes.

The ideal candidate has deep affiliate and partnership marketing expertise along with experience across complementary disciplines such as creator and influencer marketing, content, paid social, performance PR, or strategic partnerships. You understand how these channels work together and can help clients identify the right combination of strategies, partners, and investments to achieve their broader business objectives.

This is more than a traditional account management role. We're looking for someone who can move comfortably between high-level strategy and hands-on execution-anticipating client needs, identifying growth opportunities, navigating complex challenges, interpreting performance data, and bringing proactive recommendations around where the market is moving and how clients should respond.

As an AI-forward organization, we're also looking for someone who embraces emerging technology and actively uses AI to work smarter, uncover insights, improve client deliverables, and accelerate strategic thinking.

This is a remote position, but candidates must reside and physically perform the work within the United States. We are only considering applicants who possess unrestricted, independent work authorization that does not now, or in the future, require employer sponsorship.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Client Leadership

• Serve as a senior strategic advisor and primary point of contact for a portfolio of performance marketing clients.
• Build and own long-term account strategies aligned with client business objectives, growth goals, budgets, and KPIs.
• Lead strategic planning sessions, quarterly business reviews, executive presentations, and complex client conversations.
• Develop a deep understanding of clients' businesses and connect performance marketing recommendations to broader marketing and revenue objectives.
• Proactively identify risks, opportunities, and emerging trends before clients ask.
• Develop recommendations and business cases that help clients confidently make investment and budget decisions.
• Navigate complex client challenges and escalations while maintaining strong relationships and trust.
• Build trusted relationships across multiple levels of client organizations, including senior and executive stakeholders.

Affiliate & Performance Marketing Strategy

• Lead strategy and performance for sophisticated affiliate and partnership marketing programs.
• Develop strategies that drive sustainable revenue growth, efficiency, incrementality, and customer acquisition.
• Recruit, activate, optimize, and grow high-value publisher and partner relationships.
• Expand programs across traditional affiliates, commerce content publishers, loyalty and CLO partners, technology partners, creators, influencers, and emerging partnership opportunities.
• Evaluate partner performance beyond topline revenue, considering customer quality, attribution, incrementality, transparency, and strategic value.
• Develop testing strategies across publishers, placements, commission structures, creative approaches, and emerging partnership models.
• Stay ahead of affiliate and performance marketing trends, network developments, platform innovations, and competitive opportunities.
• Bring relevant market intelligence and new partnership opportunities proactively to clients.

Integrated Performance Marketing

• Develop strategies connecting affiliate marketing with creator and influencer marketing, content, paid social, performance PR, AI Visibility, and strategic partnerships.
• Look beyond individual channels to identify the combination of partnerships and services most likely to achieve client business objectives.
• Collaborate with internal subject-matter experts to develop cohesive, multi-channel strategies.
• Help clients understand how affiliate, creator, content, partnerships, and emerging channels can work together rather than operating as siloed initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships into additional PartnerCentric capabilities.
• Position PartnerCentric as an integrated strategic partner rather than solely an affiliate program manager.

Performance Analysis & Optimization

• Own performance against client KPIs, budgets, forecasts, and growth objectives.
• Analyze complex performance data and translate findings into clear strategic recommendations.
• Build forecasts, projections, testing plans, and business cases to support client investment decisions.
• Develop and communicate the incrementality narrative behind performance rather than simply reporting channel metrics.
• Proactively identify attribution, tracking, or measurement issues that could impact performance or client trust.
• Partner with Data & Insights and other internal specialists to resolve measurement challenges and identify new optimization opportunities.
• Continuously test, learn, and optimize programs based on performance data, client goals, and market insights.
• Develop reporting and presentations that connect program performance to meaningful business outcomes.

Client Growth & Expansion

• Proactively identify opportunities to grow client programs, budgets, partnerships, and services.
• Develop strategic recommendations that connect expansion opportunities to measurable client needs.
• Identify opportunities across Affiliate, Creator & Influencer, AI Visibility, and other PartnerCentric capabilities.
• Support renewals and expansion conversations by clearly demonstrating program value and future growth potential.
• Help clients evaluate new partnership models and emerging performance marketing opportunities.
• Contribute to portfolio growth and Net Revenue Retention through proactive account development.
• Partner with internal teams to ensure expansion opportunities are strategically sound and successfully implemented.

AI, Innovation & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Leverage AI to surface client and portfolio insights faster, improve strategic planning, accelerate research, enhance reporting, and streamline repetitive workflows.
• Experiment with emerging AI tools and identify applications that improve client outcomes and operational efficiency.
• Use technology to strengthen forecasting, analysis, decision-making, and identification of new partnership opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Client Services, Partnerships, Data & Insights, Creator & Influencer, AI Visibility, Marketing, Product, and leadership.
• Mentor and support Account Managers and more junior team members.
• Share expertise, successful strategies, industry trends, client learnings, and effective AI applications with the broader team.
• Identify knowledge gaps and contribute to training, documentation, and internal best practices.
• Recommend improvements to internal processes, workflows, and client deliverables.
• Contribute to the continued evolution of PartnerCentric's services and ways of working.

Role Requirements

• 5-7+ years of experience in affiliate marketing, partnership marketing, performance marketing, or related disciplines, preferably within an agency environment.
• Significant experience independently managing complex client relationships and performance marketing programs.
• Deep knowledge of affiliate marketing strategy, publishers, networks, tracking, attribution, commission structures, and optimization.
• Experience across additional performance marketing disciplines such as influencer marketing, creator partnerships, content marketing, paid social, performance PR, or strategic partnerships.
• Proven ability to develop strategic recommendations that drive measurable revenue and program growth.
• Experience advising and presenting to senior and executive client stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of attribution, incrementality, forecasting, budgeting, and performance measurement.
• Proven ability to identify client growth opportunities and successfully support expansion and renewal conversations.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a track record of proactively identifying opportunities and turning ideas into action.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex data into clear recommendations and compelling client narratives.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to independently manage multiple complex accounts and priorities in a fast-paced, remote agency environment.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor teammates and contribute to broader team development.
• Passion for innovation and eagerness to leverage AI to improve productivity, strategy, and client outcomes.
• Experience with affiliate platforms such as Impact, CJ, Partnerize, Rakuten, ShareASale, Awin, or similar.
• Experience with marketing analytics and reporting tools used to evaluate program performance and identify optimization opportunities.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within an affiliate, performance marketing, digital marketing, or integrated marketing agency.
• Experience supporting enterprise or high-growth brands across ecommerce, retail, finance, travel, technology, or other performance-driven industries.
• Experience across creator and influencer marketing, content partnerships, paid social, performance PR, or strategic partnerships.
• Experience developing integrated strategies spanning multiple performance marketing channels.
• Experience supporting complex renewals, account expansion, and strategic upsell opportunities.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted research, analysis, reporting, and client strategy workflows.
• Experience mentoring or developing junior account management or performance marketing professionals.

A Week in the Life

Monday: Review client performance dashboards, portfolio priorities, budgets, and forecasts. Meet with internal teams to identify risks, growth opportunities, and strategic priorities for the week.

Tuesday: Lead a client strategy session or QBR, presenting performance insights, competitive developments, and recommendations designed to drive incremental growth.

Wednesday: Analyze program performance, evaluate publisher and partnership opportunities, develop testing recommendations, and collaborate with Data & Insights on attribution or measurement opportunities.

Thursday: Meet with client stakeholders to discuss strategic priorities, budgets, program expansion, and upcoming initiatives. Partner with internal subject-matter experts to develop integrated Affiliate, Creator, AI Visibility, or broader performance marketing recommendations.

Friday: Research emerging performance marketing and AI developments, mentor team members, identify process improvements, and develop proactive recommendations and growth opportunities for your client portfolio.
Benefits & Perks

• Competitive salary with the potential for quarterly performance-based incentive awards.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Flexible remote work with a collaborative, supportive team culture.
• Ongoing professional development and leadership opportunities.
• Generous Flex Day policy and company-wide holidays.
• Access to cutting-edge AI tools and technology.