Director of Affiliate Partnerships

About The Center Square

The Center Square is a project of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Franklin News Foundation, headquartered in Chicago, with staff working remote across the country. As a national wire service, The Center Square distributes content across more than 1,000 brands, reaching a combined readership that encompasses 53% of the American adult population. The focus of The Center Square’s work is federal-, state-, and local-level government, economic, and accountability reporting, distinguished by a taxpayer sensibility. The publication currently reaches 141 million Americans through 1,360+ media outlets that republish the work.

The organization is looking for an experienced Director of Affiliate Partnerships to fulfill this vital mission. This role is responsible for expanding reach by adding new affiliates and strengthening relationships with news organizations nationwide. The position focuses on building awareness of The Center Square’s free newswire services, providing written news stories, video, and audio offerings. This role will be responsible for onboarding new affiliates and supporting existing partners to maximize the use of The Center Square’s content. This is a fully remote position.

Scope and Key Responsibilities

• Lead nationwide affiliate strategy for The Center Square.
• Proactively recruit new affiliates (newspapers, radio, TV, digital outlets, new-media influencers).
• Manage relationships with 1,000+ affiliates across all media platforms.
• Onboard affiliates, ensuring smooth technical/content integration.
• Maintain ongoing communication with partners.
• Track and report affiliate engagement.
• Develop advanced reporting tools to track content pickup, audience reach, and usage frequency.
• Provide the development team with reporting on impact and reach.
• Share examples with the development team to package affiliate impact data into grant proposals and donor reports.
• Serve as the primary public representative of affiliate relations at conferences and media association events.
• Explore long-term revenue opportunities tied to affiliate partnerships, such as syndication, sponsorships, special projects, and sponsored content.
• Provide entrepreneurial insight and ideas to leadership, innovating on the newswire model and modernizing content to meet the needs of outlet partners.

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Affiliate Growth (number of new affiliates onboarded perquarter and percentage growth in total affiliate base year-over-year).
• Content Utilization (frequency and diversity of affiliateusage across print, digital, and broadcast).
• Audience Reach (estimated total circulation of affiliatesregularly carrying content and growth over time).
• Relationship Health (affiliate satisfaction survey scoresand retention rate year-over-year).
• Fundraising Support (reports created showing affiliategrowth and impact to support grant proposals and donor updates).
• Revenue-driving innovation (supporting projectsthat provide funding sustainability).

The Ideal Candidate Brings:

• A unique mix of experience from a publisher perspective(understanding newsroom needs) and as a sales executive (knowing how tostrategize and expand relationships).
• Experience in both journalism and media businessdevelopment.
• Strategic sales DNA—the ability to build a pipeline, reportprogress, and turn relationships into measurable results.
• The ability to launch and lead a national affiliatestrategy.
• A warm network among publishers that could produce quickearly wins.

Send cover letter and resume to LaurelAbraham at labraham@thecentersquare.com.

The Center Square is an equal opportunity employer. Weare committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Weencourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.