Partner & Affiliates Lead

We are the UK’s leading premium publisher, home to iconic and influential media brands including Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and Country Living. At Hearst UK, we don’t just create content — we shape culture. Our workplace is built on collaboration, creativity, and trust. We champion bold ideas, embrace innovation, and continually evolve to meet the moment — all while celebrating the legacy that’s brought us here. We believe in each other’s potential and push boundaries together to make a meaningful impact, both in the media landscape and in people’s lives. We’re proud of our heritage — but even more excited about making history.

Hearst UK operate a hybrid working model of four days per week in the office and one day working from home. Our office is based at House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 4AJ, where teams collaborate in person and connect across brands and functions.

The Commerce Partnerships Lead is a senior commercial role responsible for driving revenue growth across Affiliate, Tenancy, Awards and Events, leading the Affiliates team while staying closely involved in shaping strategy and delivery. You will guide category focus, set clear commercial direction and create compelling, multi-channel partnership packages that unlock new opportunities and maximise performance. Alongside owning targets and developing the team, you will build strong relationships, lead key negotiations and collaborate cross-functionally to deliver partnerships that create meaningful commercial impact. Success in this role will be measured not only by revenue growth and team performance, but also by the strength of partner relationships and the creation of innovative, multi-channel solutions that deliver long‑term value for clients and the business.

Main Duties

• Own and deliver the revenue strategy across Affiliates, Tenancies, Red Events and Awards, with accountability for overall budget performance and key commercial KPIs.
• Lead, mentor and performance manage a team of Commerce Managers and Executives, setting clear priorities and driving productivity, accountability and revenue growth.
• Develop and execute vertical strategies that align with brand and business goals, managing merchant and retailer relationships to optimise commission rates, performance and long‑term value.
• Lead relationships, negotiations and contracts with key networks and suppliers (including Skimlinks, Amazon, Linkby and analytics partners), maintaining a strong external profile to unlock new opportunities.
• Drive growth in organic affiliates, shopping events and tenancy campaigns, negotiating and delivering commercial partnerships in collaboration with Advertising, Brand and Commercial teams.
• Take ownership of eCommerce performance and optimisation, using data and analytics tools to inform strategy, improve content effectiveness, lead key shopping moments (e.g. Black Friday, Prime Day) and deliver clear monthly and quarterly reporting.
• Partner closely with Editorial, Audience Development and US stakeholders to optimise traffic, product positioning, paid activity and product development initiatives.
• Act as an ambassador for Hearst UK, upholding company values and contributing to broader business priorities as required.

What We Are Looking For

• Extensive and proven experience within the affiliate marketing industry, with a strong understanding of Affiliate Marketing and Affiliate Tenancy in a digital media environment.
• Strong sales capability with experience selling complex, multi‑channel commercial packages to senior stakeholders.
• Detailed knowledge of Hearst’s brand portfolio and editorial values, with the ability to align commercial strategy to brand positioning.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills, with a comprehensive understanding of key affiliate KPIs (EPC, CPA, CPC) and the ability to identify trends, anomalies and performance opportunities across multiple data sets.
• Confident presenting data, insights and commercial proposals to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage deadlines, prioritise effectively and respond proactively.
• Proven leadership, team collaboration and stakeholder management skills, contributing positively to wider business strategy.
• Experience across paid search and paid social acquisition, event sales and operations, technical affiliate implementation (including linking and tracking tools), and reporting platforms such as Looker and Trackonomics.

Hearst UK is deeply committed to using our influential brands to reflect the world we want to live in – one that respects, protects, represents and uplifts the voices and opinions of all people. As a business, we recognise the significant benefits of creativity, collaboration and innovation that comes with diverse teams. Not only is diversifying the voices in our organization the right thing to do, but it also helps us to make powerful and exciting content that can be enjoyed by many more people. This is why we’re working to build a sense of true belonging within our business and foster a culture in which everyone feels heard.