Athlete & Affiliate Manager

Location: San Diego, CA (Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite)
Department: Marketing | Reports to: Director of Marketing
Salary Range: $80,000 – $95,000 annually

At SportRx, we are obsessed with helping people see better while doing what they love. Whether it’s mountain biking, skiing, or cycling, we provide the world’s best prescription sports eyewear. We aren’t just an ecommerce site; we are a team of sports-loving opticians and enthusiasts who value people over numbers on a spreadsheet and cutting-edge optical technology. We are looking for a high energy Athlete & Affiliate Manager to grow our roster of brand ambassadors and drive revenue through strategic creator collaborations.

You will be the face of SportRx to the athlete and creator community. Your mission is to find the best "face" for our brand. From pro athletes to niche sports and lifestyle influencers, turn those relationships into high-performing content and measurable sales. You will manage the entire lifecycle: from scouting and contract negotiation to content coordination and performance analysis.

This is a hybrid position with three days a week onsite at our San Diego headquarters.

• Identify Excellence: Proactively scout and recruit athletes, professional opticians, and sports content creators who align with the SportRx brand (Cycling, MTB, Running, Fishing, Golf, Snow, etc.)

• Diverse Portfolio: Build a balanced roster that includes "Top-of-Funnel" mega-influencers for brand awareness and "Conversion-Focused" micro-influencers for sales.

• Outreach: Manage the end-to-end communication process, ensuring every potential partner experiences our "Cheerful Optician" culture from the first DM or email.

• Affiliate Operations: Drive the SportRx Affiliate Program (via AvantLink or similar), optimizing the 8% commission structure to incentivize high-quality traffic.

• Partner Negotiation: Draft and negotiate talent contracts, including usage rights, posting requirements, and performance-based bonuses.

• Brand-to-Brand Engagement: Identify opportunities for "Co-op" partnerships with frame brands (Oakley, Smith, 100%, etc.) to co-fund athlete campaigns.

• Grassroots Activation: Leverage athlete appearances at relevant community events including Rock n’ Roll Marathon, Miramar Air Show, Archipelago Ride, etc.

• Briefing & Deliverable Direction: Provide creators with clear "Deliverable Briefs" that highlight the technical benefits of our prescription lenses (Polarization, Anti-fog, etc.).

• Product Seeding: Coordinate the fulfillment of custom prescription eyewear for partners with Marketing Frame & Lens Expert, ensuring they have the right gear for their specific sport and vision needs.

• Content Calendar: Work with the internal social media team to ensure influencer content is integrated into the SportRx primary channels and YouTube strategy.

• Performance Audits: Track key metrics including impressions, ROAS, E-commerce conversion rates, and engagement.

• Reporting: Present monthly reports to leadership on the growth of the ambassador community and the direct impact on the bottom line.

• Optimization: Continuously "trim and trend" the roster—investing more in high-performers and pivoting away from low-engagement partnerships.

• Experience: 3 years in Influencer Marketing, Talent Management, or Sports Business Development.

• Industry Knowledge: Deep familiarity with the sports landscape (specifically endurance and action sports). Knowledge of the optical industry is a massive plus.

• Negotiation Skills: Ability to navigate contract discussions with both independent creators and professional sports agents.

• Tools: Proficiency with affiliate platforms (AvantLink), CRM tools, social analytics (Sprout Social, Grin, Aspire, or HypeAuditor), and Monday.com.

• The "SportRx" Fit: You are positive, proactive, organized, and likely spend your weekends in the dirt or on the road using the products we sell.

• Collaborative environment with a fun and fast-paced team

• Hybrid schedule with flexibility to work from home two days a week

• Dog-friendly office culture

• Access to our onsite gym and wellness-focused environment

• Fully stocked snack bar and plenty of coffee to keep the ideas flowing

• Team events, community involvement, and a culture built around having fun, supporting one another, and genuinely loving working together

• Competitive compensation, benefits, and employee perks

• Opportunity to help shape and grow the SportRx athlete and affiliate community