Partnerships Lead

About the Role

At Into The Margins, we believe the most valuable entrepreneurial stories aren’t always the polished ones.

They’re the conversations about the difficult decisions, unexpected setbacks, hard-earned lessons, and moments that changed the direction of a business.

We’re looking for a Partnerships Lead to help those stories reach further — by building the relationships that connect our platform to new readers, creators, and organizations.

You’ll own partnerships from first conversation to signed deal to ongoing relationship, making sure every collaboration reflects the same authenticity we bring to our content.

This is a full-time role and is ideal for someone who’s comfortable working independently, building relationships from scratch, and closing deals that actually stick.

What You’ll Do

You’ll own the partnerships process from outreach to long-term relationship management.

Identify potential partners: publications, creators, brands, and organizations aligned with our mission.
Pitch and negotiate partnership agreements from first contact through signed terms.
Manage active partnerships and keep them healthy long after the deal is signed.
Work with editorial and marketing to shape partnerships that feel native, not bolted-on.
Track partnership performance and use that data to guide strategy.
Represent Into The Margins at industry events, conferences, and meetings.
Maintain clear records of partner conversations, terms, and commitments.
Spot new partnership formats and opportunities as the platform grows.

Partnering for the Story

Partnerships work isn’t just about closing deals.

A good partnerships lead understands the platform’s mission and knows which relationships actually serve it.

You’ll need to recognize when a partnership adds real value to our audience and when it’s just a name on a page. You’ll know when to push for better terms and when a smaller deal is the right first step toward a bigger relationship.

Our partnerships are meant to feel like natural extensions of what we do, so we’re not looking for someone who wants to chase every logo. The goal is to build a partner roster that strengthens the platform without diluting what makes it worth partnering with.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone with professional experience building and closing partnerships.

You should have:

3+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or a related relationship-driven role.
A track record of sourcing, negotiating, and closing deals.
Experience managing partner relationships after the contract is signed, not just before.
Strong written and verbal communication — you can pitch a stranger and write a clear internal update.
Comfort with ambiguity and a builder’s mindset toward this role.
The ability to manage multiple partner relationships and deadlines at once.

Existing experience in media, publishing, or the creator economy is especially valuable.

The Kind of Person We’re Looking For

We’re a small team, so reliability matters just as much as instinct.

You should be someone who:

Builds real relationships, not just transactions.
Reads a room and knows when to push and when to wait.
Cares about the platform’s credibility as much as its growth.
Communicates clearly when something needs a decision.
Can manage several partner conversations without dropping the ball.
Is comfortable receiving feedback and adjusting an approach.
Takes ownership of a deal from pitch to renewal.

Most importantly, you should care about the kind of partnerships we build, not just the number of them.

Partnerships Matter

Our audience may forgive a small platform.

They won’t forgive a partnership that feels like it doesn’t belong.

That means selective outreach, well-negotiated terms, clear communication with partners, and collaborations that make sense whether someone finds us through a newsletter swap, a co-branded event, or a creator collaboration.

You’ll help establish and maintain a consistent partnership standard across everything we do.

Your Toolkit

Experience with the tools of the trade is expected.

Experience with tools such as the following is helpful:

CRM or partnership-tracking tools (HubSpot, Airtable, or similar)
Contract and e-signature tools (DocuSign, PandaDoc, or similar)
Outreach and email tools
Basic analytics or reporting tools to track partnership performance

We’re not tied to one particular stack. What matters is that you can take a cold relationship and consistently turn it into a productive, ongoing partnership.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success means Into The Margins reaches new audiences through relationships that feel earned, not bought.

You’ll help us:

Build a pipeline of aligned, high-quality partners.
Close deals that create real value for both sides.
Maintain strong, ongoing relationships with existing partners.
Develop a repeatable partnership process.
Grow our reach without compromising our editorial voice.
Reduce partnership friction for the rest of the team.

Over time, you’ll become a key part of how Into The Margins grows beyond its existing audience.

Remote Work

This is a Remote full-time position.

You’ll work independently while communicating with our content and marketing teams throughout the partnership process.

You should be comfortable managing your own pipeline, communicating asynchronously, and representing the brand well in every conversation.

Why Into The Margins?

We’re building a platform around the real stories behind entrepreneurship.

Our conversations aren’t designed to make founders sound perfect. They’re designed to help people understand what actually happened — the risks, failures, decisions, and lessons that usually don’t make it into the highlight reel.

Your work will help those stories reach new audiences through partnerships that feel genuine and add real value on both sides.

You’ll work with a small team, shape our external relationships directly, and help grow a platform built on honest entrepreneurial storytelling.

How to Apply

If you’re interested in helping us build the relationships that grow Into The Margins, we’d love to hear from you.

Reach out through our contact page and tell us a little about yourself, your experience, and why you think you’d be a good fit.

Please include examples of partnerships or deals you’ve sourced, negotiated, and closed.

We care about the quality of the relationships you build, your judgment in choosing the right partners, and your ability to deliver consistently.