Senior Partnerships Manager

About Independent Media

Independent Media comprises The Independent, Standard Digital, Bulletin, Buzz Feed UK, Huff Post UK, Tasty UK, Seasoned, Indy Best and indy
100.

Harnessing market-leading innovation and excellence across its portfolio of pioneering brands, Independent Media has unrivalled scale, integrity and authority via its sites, apps, video, audio, experiential, newsletters and social media.

While each Independent Media brand speaks in an authentic, unique voice to a loyal and distinct audience, they stand together in their commitment to positivity, inclusivity, and quality journalism and content.

Independent Media’s network reaches 650 million users each month, with 1.1 billion content views across its brands and platforms, including web, apps, social media, podcasts, email, You Tube, syndication partners and print.

The Independent is seeking a Senior Partnerships Manager to step into a high-impact leadership role within our Ecommerce business (one of the company’s key strategic pillars). Reporting into the Head of Ecommerce Solutions & Partnerships, you will manage a P&L and drive our performance partnerships growth strategy.

In this position, you will directly lead, manage, and coach a team of two Partnership Managers, setting clear performance benchmarks and scaling existing partnerships and new verticals. You will act as a core commercial driver, translating the strategic vision into operational profitability and market expansion.

This role is a 12 Month Fixed Term Contract.

• Brands:
  The Independent (inc Indy Best) UK and US, The Standard UK, Huff Post UK, Buzz Feed UK.
• Territories: UK and US
• Channels:
  Social (organic and paid), Search (organic and paid), LLMs, Web, Newsletters and Off-Platform.

• We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone
• We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

• P&L & Commercial Leadership:
  Take full accountability for the partnership revenue stream and channel P&L, driving top-line growth, margin optimization, and long-term financial viability.
• Team Management &
  
  Coaching:
  
  Directly manage and mentor two Partnership Managers, developing their skills, guiding complex deal structuring, and overseeing their day-to-day execution against core SLAs and targets.
• Senior Deal & Contract Execution:
  Lead end-to-end commercial negotiations, contract drafting, and strategic partnership sign-offs, operating with high autonomy while providing final review on the team’s proposals.
• Strategic Portfolio Ownership:
  Oversee macro relationship management across all core verticals, continuously scanning the broader market to unlock enterprise-level opportunities inside and outside existing portfolios.
• Cross-Functional Synergy:
  Collaborate closely with sales, editors, audience growth teams, and external agencies to align partnership output with wider company strategy and brand values.
• Executive Stakeholder Reporting:
  Maintain clear, transparent reporting on portfolio yield, risks, and ROI directly to the Head of department and ultimately the Ecommerce Director and senior executive stakeholders.

• Proven Experience:
  
  5+ years of progressive experience in affiliate marketing, partnership management, or…