At a Glance
- Tasks: Build strategic partnerships and develop a curated affiliate program for Maria Killam Inc.
- Company: Join a pioneering brand in virtual colour consulting with a strong reputation.
- Benefits: Competitive compensation structure with monthly retainer and success-based incentives.
- Other info: Opportunity to work with an established expert in the design industry.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by creating meaningful revenue channels and partnerships.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in strategic partnerships or business development, with strong negotiation skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 $ per year.
We are looking for an experienced Strategic Partnerships & Affiliate Consultant to help us build two meaningful revenue channels:
- Strategic brand partnerships
- A curated affiliate/partner program
This is not an influencer-management role. We want someone who understands how to turn intellectual property, education, physical products, courses, content, authority, and a highly targeted audience into thoughtful, long-term commercial relationships while protecting the trust built.
Responsibilities:
- Lead negotiations alongside Maria Killam Inc. leadership.
- Create a strong partnership deck positioning Maria as an expert and strategic brand partner.
- Develop proposals and commercial structures.
- Package and price opportunities.
- Build and prioritize a pipeline of approximately 50–100 aligned companies and identify the appropriate decision makers.
- Develop compelling partnership concepts rather than generic sponsorship pitches.
- Identify brand categories and companies with the strongest strategic fit.
- Determine what Maria can uniquely offer prospective partners.
- Conduct thoughtful outreach and secure qualified conversations.
- Help develop and execute a partnership strategy for Maria Killam Inc.
Potential opportunities may include:
- Long-term partnerships
- Sponsorships
- Educational collaborations
- Product collaborations
- Licensing
- Brand ambassadorships
- Video/media partnerships
- Events and other creative commercial relationships
Affiliate Program Responsibilities:
- Document the program for routine administration transfer to our internal team.
- Develop program terms and promotional guidelines.
- Identify and recruit an initial group of strong founding affiliates.
- Create the application, onboarding, tracking, reporting, and payment processes.
- Recommend the affiliate structure, commissions, attribution, policies, and approval criteria.
- Recommend appropriate technology without overbuilding the system.
- Build an ongoing affiliate-recruitment pipeline.
The objective is to build a curated affiliate program around our current courses, products, and educational ecosystem with credible partners whose audiences genuinely align with Maria’s work.
Expectations within the first 90 days:
- Specific concepts for high-priority prospects.
- Qualified outreach and conversations underway.
- A prioritized brand-partner pipeline.
- Clear partnership positioning and target categories.
- Strong commercial instincts.
- Strong relationships with marketing, brand, partnerships, and/or licensing decision makers.
- Experience developing creative partnership concepts rather than simply selling advertising inventory.
- An understanding of brand equity, intellectual property, affiliate economics, and attribution.
Qualifications:
- 7+ years of relevant experience.
- Demonstrated experience originating and closing meaningful commercial partnerships.
- Experience working with established consumer brands.
- Experience building or growing affiliate/partner programs.
- Experience in interior design, home improvement, furnishings, lifestyle, publishing, or consumer products would be particularly valuable.
- Experience representing an established expert, author, educator, media personality, or founder-led brand is also highly relevant.
This role is initially a fractional consulting engagement with compensation including a monthly retainer plus success-based compensation on new strategic partnership revenue originated through the engagement. Final structure will depend on experience, network, and expected time commitment.
About Maria:
Maria Killam pioneered virtual colour consulting in 2010, trained thousands of design professionals, guided more than 10,000 virtual colour and design projects, and is the creator of The Killam Colour System® and the Understanding Undertones® Neutral Colour Wheel.
Partnership Manager employer: Maria Killam, Inc.
At Maria Killam Inc., we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and innovative work culture that empowers our employees to thrive. As a Partnership Manager, you will have the unique opportunity to shape strategic partnerships in a dynamic environment, while benefiting from ongoing professional development and a supportive team atmosphere. Located in a vibrant community, we offer competitive compensation and the chance to work alongside industry leaders who are passionate about design and education.
