Strategic Partnerships Manager

About Smickees

Smickees is a creative, fast-growing lifestyle and learning brand dedicated to bringing joy, imagination, and smart design into everyday life. From fun toys and creative learning tools to lifestyle essentials, Smickees builds brands that connect emotionally with families and communities.

We believe in community-driven and partnership-led growth — working closely with creators, influencers, affiliates, and media partners who can authentically represent our products and drive real business results.

Role Overview

The Strategic Partnerships Manager (Influencer & Affiliate Sales) is a revenue-driving partnerships role, not an influencer outreach or campaign coordination position.

This role owns the full commercial lifecycle of influencer, affiliate, and media partnerships — from sourcing and pitching to negotiation, closing, and revenue activation.

You will work directly with creators, affiliate publishers, media platforms, and brand partners to structure and close performance-based partnerships that deliver measurable sales impact. Success in this role is measured by deals closed, revenue generated, and partner performance, not vanity metrics.

This role is ideal for a deal closer who understands the creator economy, is confident negotiating commercial terms, and knows how to convert conversations into signed agreements and profitable collaborations.

Key Responsibilities1. Sourcing & Deal Flow Management

• Build, manage, and actively close a pipeline of qualified influencer, affiliate, and media partnership opportunities.
• Research, qualify, and pitch creators — particularly TikTok and mom creators — aligned with Smickees' brand and audience.
• Identify and pursue affiliate websites, listicles, and ranking articles for Smickees' hero products.
• Maintain clear deal stages, timelines, and next actions within CRM or internal trackers.
• Coordinate with internal teams to ensure fast onboarding and activation post-close.

2. Closing Deals & Partnership Growth

• Own negotiations and closing of influencer, affiliate, and media partnership agreements.
• Structure commission-based, royalty-based, flat-fee, and long-term partnership deals.
• Close creator collaborations tied to product launches and collaborative NPD initiatives.
• Secure long-term ambassador and recurring content agreements with high-performing partners.
• Drive partners from signed agreement to live, revenue-generating execution.

3. Affiliate & Media Partnerships

• Build and maintain relationships with affiliate publishers, journalists, and media decision-makers.
• Pitch and secure product placements, reviews, and seasonal coverage opportunities.
• Plan and execute affiliate and media pushes aligned with key promotions and launches.
• Partner with Marketing to ensure messaging and timing support conversion goals.

4. Strategic Collaboration & Reporting

• Collaborate with Creative and Marketing teams on briefs, deliverables, and launch timelines.
• Track partnership performance, revenue contribution, and ROI.
• Provide data-driven recommendations to optimize and scale high-performing partnerships.
• Identify emerging partnership trends, platforms, and monetization opportunities.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in Strategic Partnerships, Influencer Partnerships, Affiliate Sales, or Business Development within e-commerce or consumer brands.
• Demonstrated experience pitching, negotiating, and closing partnership deals (not just sourcing or outreach).
• Comfortable owning targets, pipelines, and revenue-linked KPIs.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills, with confidence engaging US-based partners.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple active deals simultaneously.
• Bonus: Experience closing deals with TikTok creators, especially in parenting, lifestyle, or learning niches.

Tools You'll Likely Use

Influencer & Partner Sourcing

• JoinBrands, Collabstr, , Upfluence, Modash, Heepsy, Afluencer

Affiliate & Partnership Tracking

• , Refersion, PartnerStack, Everflow

CRM & Outreach

• HubSpot, , LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Lemlist
• Notion or ClickUp for pipeline tracking

Analytics & Performance

• TikTok Creator Marketplace
• Social Blade
• Google Analytics

Who You Are

• A confident relationship builder and deal closer.
• Comfortable negotiating with creators, affiliates, and media partners.
• Commercially minded and motivated by revenue impact.
• Creative in structuring win-win partnership deals.
• Results-driven and accountable for outcomes, not just activity.

Success Metrics

• Number of partnership deals closed monthly and quarterly
• Revenue generated from influencer and affiliate partnerships
• Average deal value and conversion impact
• Close rate from qualified pitch to signed agreement
• Retention and expansion of top-performing partners

Why Smickees

You'll join a playful, fast-moving team that values creativity, ownership, and impact. At Smickees, partnerships are not an afterthought — they are a core growth engine. You'll have the autonomy to close meaningful deals, shape long-term relationships, and directly influence how our brands grow worldwide.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $4,817.00-$5,505.00 per month

Experience:

• Strategic Partnerships/Influencer Partnerships: 3 years (preferred)
• BD within ecommerce/consumer brands: 3 years (preferred)

Work Location: Remote