Publisher Partnership Manager — Performance Marketing

Bear Alley Marketing is hiring a Publisher Partnership Manager to build, manage, and grow partnerships with traditional media publishers. The role evaluates and negotiates publisher opportunities, coordinates campaign execution and deliverables, and develops integrated media programs that support client objectives.

Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with traditional media publishers, media companies, broadcast groups, print outlets, radio networks, out-of-home partners, and related advertising vendors
• Serve as Bear Alley Marketing’s primary day-to-day contact for assigned publisher and media partner relationships
• Research and evaluate publisher opportunities based on audience fit, market reach, editorial alignment, inventory availability, pricing, timing, and projected campaign value
• Develop strategic media recommendations for clients, including print, newspaper, magazine, radio, television, sponsorship, advertorial, event, direct-mail, out-of-home, and integrated publisher packages
• Negotiate rates, added value, placements, deliverables, make-goods, timelines, and partnership terms to maximize client investment
• Coordinate media plans and campaign execution from proposal through launch, delivery, reporting, reconciliation, and post-campaign review
• Partner with internal account, strategy, creative, and performance teams to ensure publisher programs integrate effectively with digital, CRM, social, paid media, and broader brand campaigns
• Manage insertion orders, media agreements, production specifications, deadlines, trafficking details, invoices, proof of performance, and campaign documentation
• Review publisher reporting and campaign delivery to verify that contracted placements, impressions, circulation, sponsorship benefits, and other deliverables are fulfilled
• Track budgets, pacing, spend, and vendor invoices; flag discrepancies and work with publishers and internal operations teams to resolve them quickly
• Identify partnership opportunities that go beyond standard media buys, including custom content, editorial collaborations, brand integrations, local-market activations, sponsored events, and audience-development programs
• Prepare client-ready media recommendations, partnership summaries, campaign updates, and performance recaps
• Stay current on shifts in the traditional media landscape, including publisher consolidation, audience trends, local media opportunities, cross-platform packages, and measurement approaches
• Maintain organized publisher contact records, rate cards, audience data, media kits, contract templates, and historical campaign learnings

Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in media partnerships, media buying, publisher sales, account management, advertising, or traditional media planning
• Strong familiarity with traditional media channels such as print, newspapers, magazines, broadcast TV, radio, out-of-home, direct mail, and local-market media
• Demonstrated experience evaluating media proposals, negotiating rates and value-added opportunities, and managing campaign execution
• Comfort with media concepts and metrics such as circulation, readership, reach, frequency, CPM, impressions, share of voice, market coverage, sponsorship value, and campaign delivery
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to balance relationship-building with client budget discipline and performance expectations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present media recommendations clearly and confidently to clients and internal stakeholders
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and dependable with contracts, deadlines, invoices, deliverables, and campaign documentation
• Ability to manage multiple publisher relationships, media plans, clients, and production timelines in a fast-paced agency environment
• Proficiency with Google Workspace or Microsoft Office
• Existing relationships with media publishers, broadcast groups, local outlets, or advertising vendors are strongly preferred
• experience with media-planning, CRM, project-management, or reporting platforms is a plus