VP, Affiliate Marketing

This is a remote, work-from-home role. Some travel is required for client meetings, internal meetings, conferences, and other events. Candidates should be based in the U.S., with a preference for the Central or Eastern time zones.

About the Role

The VP, Affiliate Delivery at Acceleration Partners owns both the vision for and the outcomes of our affiliate client services organization. This role is responsible for:

• Defining how affiliate program delivery is structured, resourced, and executed at AP
• Driving the commercial and operational performance of the department

This is both an internally and externally focused role with P&L ownership, expected to drive success across both top and bottom line metrics. This is a build role as much as a run role: the VP is expected to help refine and build the affiliate team structure of the future, not simply operate the structure already in place.

Responsibilities

• Lead, Manage, and Hold Your Team Accountable: Own the performance and culture of a large, globally dispersed affiliate client services organization. Set and model leadership standards, develop managers, drive succession planning, and address underperformance directly. Build an environment aligned with AP's values where high-performers choose to stay and grow.
• Resource Allocation, Management, and Profitability: Serve as final decision-maker on department headcount, hiring, promotions, and compensation. Own department margin by managing utilization, staffing plans, and scope-of-work pricing. Ensure target margin percentages are met consistently and maximize capacity before approving new hires.
• Superior Client Satisfaction: Deeply invest in client happiness as a reflection of delivery quality. Work closely with Account Directors to ensure execution earns client trust. Identify risks early and act as a point of escalation for issue resolution.
• Premium Program Execution: Ensure the affiliate delivery organization performs at a highly professional standard. Identify and close execution gaps, champion new tools/processes, and lead AI transformation to improve delivery quality and team capacity.
• Internal Accountability and Organizational Stewardship: Operate confidently in a matrixed environment, balancing flexibility with clear decision-making. Establish single-threaded ownership for key decisions and disseminate information with business context. Proactively surface risks and contribute to cross-functional strategy.

Internal Responsibilities

• Partner with Executive Leadership to shape the long-term vision and operating model for affiliate delivery
• Collaborate with Account Directors and Client Retention teams to ensure delivery quality supports strong client outcomes
• Ensure gross margin requirements are met across affiliate delivery
• Serve as the Affiliate subject matter expert, keeping AP’s playbook ahead of market trends
• Partner with Sales on new business strategy, RFPs, and affiliate-led pitches
• Work with Marketing to develop AP’s affiliate delivery point of view and go-to-market positioning
• Collaborate with Operations, Finance, and People to scale the affiliate delivery practice sustainably
• Lead the definition and rollout of the affiliate team structure of the future
• Drive AI adoption across the delivery organization in partnership with AP’s technology and operations teams
• Pilot new team structures, workflows, and delivery models, scaling what works
• Identify and mitigate risks related to clients, talent, margins, and delivery quality
• Serve as a senior internal advocate for affiliate delivery across the agency
• Name a single owner for key delivery decisions instead of defaulting to consensus

What Success Looks Like

• By 6 Months: Full ownership of the affiliate delivery organization, including P&L accountability. Clear operational vision articulated, leadership expectations defined, and early progress visible in team effectiveness, client satisfaction, and delivery quality. The affiliate team structure of the future is defined and in motion.
• By 1 Year: The affiliate delivery practice operates at scale with strong financial performance, high team engagement, and consistent client satisfaction. AI tools and workflows are embedded, with measurable impact on efficiency and output quality. The team structure of the future is the new normal, with forward-looking program strategies and margin targets met or exceeded.

Qualifications

• Executive-level leader with a strong sense of ownership and accountability
• Proven ability to set vision and translate it into consistent operational execution
• Commercially minded with deep understanding of agency economics and P&L management
• Willing to challenge the status quo and build the team structure and ways of working affiliate delivery needs next
• Trusted senior partner to clients and internal teams, with strong executive presence
• Exceptional people leader who develops, motivates, and retains high-performing teams
• Comfortable managing through ambiguity, change, and organizational complexity
• Genuinely passionate about AI and its transformative potential in team delivery
• Strong written and verbal communicator who can represent AP confidently at any level
• Thrives in a fast-paced, remote-first environment
• Demonstrates clear alignment with AP's core values: Own It, Embrace Relationships, and Excel & Improve

Requirements

• 10+ years of combined affiliate marketing and client services or agency experience
• Proven track record owning and scaling a business line, practice area, or large client portfolio
• Experience leading Managers and cross-regional teams across multiple geographies
• Deep expertise in affiliate program strategy, execution, and performance measurement
• Strong understanding of how affiliate integrates with influencer, retail media, and broader partnership marketing
• Demonstrated experience leading AI adoption or transformation initiatives
• Financial acumen, including forecasting, margin management, and P&L ownership
• Bachelor’s degree required
• Ability to travel up to 30%, including internationally

About Acceleration Partners

Acceleration Partners is the world’s largest and first-to-market Partnership Marketing Agency, creating and nurturing partnerships that drive exceptional measurable outcomes for clients. Managing clients in 40+ countries, AP’s global team of 300+ focuses on data-driven strategies connecting brands to consumers through affiliate and influencer marketing. All work is supported by APVision, a proprietary technology suite leveraging the largest dataset in the Partnership Marketing agency ecosystem. Serving over 200 brands—including Amazon, Apple, Target, Google, Marriott, Coinbase, and Burberry—AP is at the cutting edge of industry developments, delivering unique solutions for sustainable growth.

Benefits

• 100% remote work for everyone
• Group medical, dental, and vision coverage insurance (with opt-out benefits)
• 401K with matching
• Open Paid Time Off
• Summer & Holiday Wellness Breaks in July and December
• Volunteer and Birthday Time Off
• Focus Fridays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness, Technology & Education Allowances
• Paid sabbatical leaves
• Donation matching

Pay

Target salary is $175,000 - $225,000 + bonus depending on location and experience.