Business Development – Affiliate Partnerships; Hybrid, Chicago

About the Business

This role sits within a backed, fast-scaling digital business operating at the intersection of comparison, consumer decision-making, and performance marketing. The company runs high-traffic comparison experiences across finance, insurance, and consumer services, where affiliate economics, rankings, and deal structure directly determine market position.

The business is supported by an experienced investment group with a track record of building and scaling performance-driven platforms. The focus is on winning competitive markets through smarter monetization and faster execution, not brand spend or long sales cycles.

You’ll own a portfolio of high-impact affiliate partnerships and be responsible for improving payout economics, securing stronger partner terms, and reacting quickly to market and ranking changes.

This is a role for someone who enjoys operating close to revenue, using performance data to justify better deals and having the authority to negotiate and execute independently.

• Lead negotiations with affiliate and strategic partners to improve payouts, exclusivity, and placement
• Monitor rankings, performance trends, and competitor activity to identify deal opportunities
• Structure and renegotiate agreements to unlock incremental revenue
• Build commercially focused partner relationships beyond standard affiliate management
• Use data and performance insights to guide deal strategy and decision-making

• Background in affiliate partnerships, performance marketing, or monetization
• Experience owning partner relationships in comparison, commerce, or lead-generation environments
• Comfort negotiating rates, terms, and value directly with partners
• Data-driven, decisive, and commercially minded
• Looking for meaningful ownership and accountability tied to outcomes

• More authority over payout strategy and partner negotiations
• Clear line between your decisions and revenue impact
• Strong performance-based upside
• Exposure to multiple competitive verticals
• Hybrid structure that supports collaboration while maintaining autonomy
• Compensation & Growth
• Competitive base salary
• Meaningful performance incentives tied directly to outcomes
• Opportunity to expand scope as the business continues to scale

• Is:
  Performance-driven, affiliate-first, negotiation-heavy
• Isn’t:
  Brand marketing, passive account management, or SDR-style sales

If this role aligns with your experience in affiliate partnerships, performance marketing, or monetization, we’d love to connect.

If a recruiter from Next Step reached out to you directly about this opportunity, please note that in your application so we can flag and prioritize your candidacy appropriately.

We aim to keep the process focused, transparent, and respectful of your time:

At Next Step Recruitment, we believe strong hiring is a two-way decision. If your background aligns, we move quickly, communicate clearly, and aim to make the process worth your time. We’re excited to meet candidates who want real ownership, real impact, and a thoughtful conversation about what’s next.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to speak with you soon!