[Hiring] Vice President of Partner Development @Performcb

Role Description

The VP of Partner Activation & Development leads the growth and activation of our partner supply across digital performance channels. This role oversees the partner recruitment lifecycle — from discovery and onboarding to reactivation and monetization — and plays a key role in aligning supply opportunities with marketer demand.

This role is both strategic and hands-on, balancing leadership responsibilities with direct execution to drive measurable partner success.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the prospecting, recruitment, onboarding, and development of new partners into the Perform[cb] Engine.
• Develop partner pipelines from multiple sources, including:
  • Trade shows
  • Forums
  • Referral programs
  • Existing partner networks
  • LinkedIn outreach
  • Affiliate communities (e.g., STM, AffLIFT)
  • Partner directories
  • Third-party SaaS platforms (e.g., Tune, HasOffers, Impact)
  • Discord groups
  • Slack communities
  • Vertical-specific media buying forums
• Coordinate with Perform[cb] leadership to analyze sales pipelines and existing advertiser business to match recruitment efforts with real-time marketer demand.
• Conduct regular channel gap analyses to identify the most strategic and impactful partner growth opportunities.
• Work with Marketing, RevOps, and other internal resources to identify, attract, and engage top-tier partners.
• Manage the flow and optimization of organic partner sign-ups, fostering an active and profitable long tail of supply; may manage one or more direct reports.
• Conduct recurring audits of the partner base to identify and cultivate high-potential long tail partners into high-value contributors.
• Partner closely with the Research team to establish scalable tools and recurring processes for identifying, vetting, and sourcing new partners.
• Align recruitment priorities with Compliance to ensure that partner applications, vetting, and onboarding processes are secure and standardized.
• Collaborate with Growth and Sales teams to promote newly sourced channels and partners, including participation in high-value client pitches and development of positioning and messaging.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• 5-7+ years of experience in affiliate marketing, partner management, or business development, depending on seniority.
• Strong understanding of performance marketing ecosystems, including networks, SaaS tracking platforms (e.g., Tune, HasOffers, Impact), and affiliate communities.
• Proven ability to source and attract partners through multiple channels (trade shows, LinkedIn, forums, SaaS platforms, communities, etc.).
• Experience building and managing a partner pipeline.
• Skilled at conducting gap analyses to identify high-value opportunities.
• Comfortable working with leadership to analyze pipelines and align with demand.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills for engaging new partners and fostering long-term relationships.
• Ability to identify and nurture high-potential partners into top contributors.
• Experience working closely with Marketing, Sales, RevOps, Compliance, and Research teams.
• Comfort participating in client pitches and shaping partner positioning.
• Knowledge of partner onboarding best practices and compliance processes.
• Familiarity with optimizing organic sign-ups and managing a long tail of supply.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple recruitment streams simultaneously.
• Familiarity with affiliate tracking platforms (e.g., Tune, HasOffers, Impact, Partnerize) and experience leveraging partner directories, referral systems, and SaaS marketplaces.
• Comfortable using CRM and pipeline management tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar).
• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for tracking, auditing, and analyzing partner performance.
• Ability to manage direct reports and foster team development.
• Demonstrated success creating scalable processes for recruitment and onboarding.
• Strategic thinker who can align recruitment with company-wide growth objectives.