Manager, Influencer Marketing

Job description

Relay is a digital banking platform that gives self-made business owners the tools and know-how to be great with money—bringing clarity, confidence, and control to every dollar earned, so they can turn hard work into lasting success. We do this by replacing financial guesswork with real visibility, transforming cash flow from a constant source of stress into a clear signal owners can use to run stronger, more resilient businesses. We're looking for a Manager, Influencer Marketing for Relay's influencer marketing program. This is a player/coach role: you'll lead the team while continuing to personally own our most strategic creator relationships and the highest-stakes campaigns. You will own the influencer marketing function end-to-end—strategy, team, budget, performance, and roadmap—setting the bar for what great looks like, hiring and developing the team that delivers against it, and building the systems that let the program scale without losing craft. The program you'll inherit is real and productive—your team is running campaigns today, generating conversions, and growing creator relationships across the SMB landscape. The right candidate is a senior leader who has built a successful influencer program at a fast growing company, who has a pulse on rising influencers and must-get talent, and who can think far outside the boundaries of who a "typical" fintech partner might be. You'll partner closely with Brand, Demand Gen, Lifecycle, and Product Marketing to ensure creator work is integrated across the customer journey, champion Relay's voice and mission with creators and audiences alike, and serve as Relay's internal authority on the creator economy—translating platform shifts and emerging formats into business decisions. What You'll Be Doing - Own and evolve Relay's influencer marketing strategy across paid, organic, UGC, and ambassador models, working with the Director of Brand and Creative to define the long-term vision for how creator partnerships drive brand awareness, audience growth, and funded account conversions - Directly manage and develop a team of Influencer Marketing Managers, owning hiring, leveling, performance management, and growth pathways while coaching the team on creator strategy, deal structure, and platform mechanics - Personally own Relay's highest-stakes creator relationships and ambassador deals, negotiating usage rights, content cadence, and exclusivity terms with confidence on Relay's behalf - Pioneer non-traditional creator partnerships for fintech, identifying creators whose audiences have latent SMB-owner concentration—even when their content isn't about business—and designing partnerships that earn attention before they earn a click - Lead the creative and storytelling work on Relay's biggest creator partnerships, sitting in concepting calls to push ideas forward, writing briefs that give creators a real anchor without scripting them into corners, and holding the editorial bar across the program - Build the measurement infrastructure that lets the function defend top-of-funnel investment—brand lift, share of voice, audience composition, post-exposure intent—while maintaining attribution discipline on the conversion side, and own influencer budget modeling, pacing, and reporting - Stay ahead of platform shifts, FTC and compliance changes, and emerging creator formats, continuously identifying new partnership models and channels where Relay should show up Who You Are - You have 8+ years of experience in influencer or creator marketing roles (including at least 2 years as a people manager), ideally in a high-growth SaaS or fintech environment - You have a proven track record of pioneering non-obvious creator partnerships—you can walk us through deals you've built outside your category's predictable lane and tell us exactly why they worked - You've built a creator program from a smaller team into a scaled function - You bring strong storytelling and creative concepting instincts; you've personally shaped story arcs on creator campaigns, not just briefed and approved, and you can point to pieces of content you helped develop and articulate what made them land - You have demonstrated experience building both top-of-funnel and conversion creator motions, and the measurement infrastructure each requires—you can walk us through a brand-lift study and a payback analysis you've run - You're a dedicated leader and mentor, passionate about growing others, giving thoughtful feedback, and empowering your team to take ownership - You have deep platform fluency across at least two of YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, podcasts, or newsletters, and strong negotiation chops with experience structuring high-six and seven-figure creator deals - You're an organized and detail-oriented operator with working fluency in FTC compliance, usage rights, and brand safety, and you're AI-fluent in how you and your team execute outreach, briefing, and analysis Bonus Points - You have experience working in a regulated industry (fintech, healthcare, legal) and know how to navigate creator partnerships under compliance constraints - You have a public POV on the creator economy—newsletter, talks, podcast appearances, Linkedin presence, or in-the-arena writing - You have experience working with brands that focus on small business owners, creators, or entrepreneurs The Interview Process - Stage 1: A 45-minute Google Meet video call with a member of the Talent team - Stage 2: A 60-minute Google Meet video call with the Director, Brand, Content, & Creative - Stage 3: A take-home case study followed by a 60-minute Google Meet video call with our Marketing team - Stage 4: A 45-minute Google Meet values interview with a member of our leadership team Our Compensation Approach We believe Relayers should feel rewarded for the impact they have on our mission and growth. Compensation follows impact. As impact increases, compensation grows, and we do not limit compensation changes to a once-a-year review cycle. The annual salary range for this role is $148,500 USD to $181,500 USD. For candidates who demonstrate full readiness for the defined scope of the role, the typical starting salary is $165,000 USD. Offers below this point reflect candidates we believe can grow into the full scope of the role with support and development. Offers above this point reflect impact that meaningfully exceeds the role’s defined expectations or an expanded scope from day one. We encourage you to have a conversation with your recruiter and ask questions about compensation throughout the hiring process. For more information on our compensation philosophy and perks and benefits, visit our Candidate Hub https://www.notion.so/Candidate-Hub-1c7da8b7f88580a893f7d7c7852b064e?pvs=21. Why Relay Might Be the Perfect Fit For You - You push relentlessly for reinvention: You're always asking "how can this be better?" -- in your work, in your craft, in yourself. Comfort is a signal to push harder, not coast. You'd rather build something better than defend something familiar. - You crave autonomy: We trust our team with big challenges and the freedom to solve them. If you’re someone who takes initiative, is comfortable taking risks, and seeks input when needed, you’ll find the freedom here empowering. - You own your work: You take pride in your work, follow through on commitments, and feel a deep sense of responsibility for outcomes, not just tasks. - You build with AI, not just use it: You're actively embedding AI into how you work, pushing what's possible, and bringing your team along with you. - You care about impact, not noise: You care deeply about the substance of your work. You measure success by results, not recognition, and you let your work speak for itself. - You’re energized by complexity and ambiguity: You enjoy tackling problems that don’t come with a playbook. You’re comfortable building from scratch, iterating as you go, and collaborating to shape the best path forward. - You seek out feedback: You see directness as respect, not criticism. You actively seek input, sit with hard truths, and use feedback as fuel for improvement. - Small businesses are why we're here: Relay exists to help them thrive -- and that mission has to resonate with you. Join Us We're looking for people who are relentless, curious, and care deeply about the work. You're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly match the job description -- your perspective and drive matter more. We welcome diverse backgrounds and people who think critically, challenge the status quo, and want to help small businesses thrive. If you require accommodations at any stage of the hiring process, please reach out to your Talent Partner. Disclaimer: For compliance reasons, all offers of employment at Relay are conditional upon a successful background check and employment verification through Certn.