Senior Affiliates and Partnership Manager VPN

A better internet, where privacy is the default, is possible. Building this better internet might seem daunting or even unthinkable, but at Proton, this is what we do every day.

Proton was founded in 2014 by a group of scientists who met at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Our first product, Proton Mail, is now the world’s largest encrypted email service. Subsequent Proton products, such as Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive, give our users full control over how and with whom their data is shared.

Today, Proton makes privacy universally accessible. Journalists from outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times, some of the world’s largest organizations, and people in more than 180 countries have signed up for over 70 million accounts. Our diverse and dynamic team is made up of more than 400 members representing over 40 different nationalities. While we are based in Geneva, Switzerland, we have offices in Zurich, Prague, London, Vilnius, Skopje, Taipei, and many more employees working remotely around the world.

Join one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies to help us solve challenging problems and build new products that will reach hundreds of millions of people. We want to create more than just one of the world’s most impactful tech companies; we want to create a new internet that serves the interests of all people. We need you, your voice, your ideas, and your ambition to make it happen.

Purpose of the role

Reporting to the Head of Partnerships, you will be responsible for the global growth of Proton VPN's affiliate program. You will manage a portfolio of strategic partners, identify new growth opportunities, negotiate commercial agreements, and develop initiatives that drive customer acquisition and revenue.

This is a highly commercial role requiring a combination of relationship management, business development, strategic thinking, and data-driven decision making.

The successful candidate will play a key role in scaling one of Proton's largest acquisition channels while helping establish Proton VPN as a preferred partner across the affiliate ecosystem.

What you will do

Strategic Partner Management

• Own and grow relationships with Proton VPN's most strategic affiliate partners globally.
• Build joint business plans with key publishers and networks.
• Conduct regular business reviews and identify opportunities for incremental growth.
• Negotiate commercial agreements, placements, sponsorships, and promotional opportunities.
• Establish partnerships across content commerce, influencers, strategic brand to brand, loyalty and reward, niche communities and more.

Business Development

• Identify, recruit, and onboard new affiliate partners across priority markets.
• Expand Proton VPN's presence across editorial, comparison, cashback, loyalty, student, content commerce, and emerging partner categories.
• Build relationships with agencies, affiliate networks, technology partners, and industry stakeholders.
• Represent Proton at industry events and conferences.

Commercial Growth

• Deliver revenue, subscription, and profitability targets.
• Develop quarterly and annual growth plans.
• Analyse partner performance and optimise investments accordingly.
• Identify opportunities to improve partner activation, engagement, and retention.

Data & Performance Analysis

• Monitor affiliate performance and identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Produce forecasts and performance reporting for senior leadership.
• Evaluate commercial investments and partnership ROI.
• Track competitor activity and market developments.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Marketing, Creative, Analytics, and Regional teams.
• Support campaign planning, launches, and seasonal promotions.
• Work with internal stakeholders to improve landing page performance, conversion rates, and attribution.

Job requirements

Essential

• 5+ years of experience in affiliate marketing, partnerships, performance marketing, or business development.
• Proven experience managing strategic affiliate partnerships.
• Strong commercial negotiation skills.
• Experience working with affiliate networks and tracking platforms.
• Excellent analytical and reporting capabilities.
• Ability to influence stakeholders across multiple teams.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Experience working within a global business environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within SaaS, cybersecurity, technology, fintech, or subscription businesses.
• Familiarity with platforms such as Impact, CJ, Partnerize, Tune, Awin, or similar.
• Experience managing editorial publishers, cashback partners, comparison sites, loyalty platforms, and strategic content partners.
• International partnership experience across North America, Europe, and APAC.
• Experience owning commercial targets and delivering measurable growth against acquisition goals.

Bonus Points

• Experience working with privacy-focused, cybersecurity, SaaS, or subscription-based businesses.
• Passion for online privacy, digital rights, cybersecurity, and protecting user data.
• Familiarity with the privacy and security ecosystem, including key publishers, influencers, communities, and industry trends.
• Experience managing similar affiliate or partnership programs within categories such as VPN, secure email, password management, cloud storage, or broader privacy-focused technology products.

Success in the First 12 Months

• Grow Proton VPN's affiliate revenue and customer acquisition globally.
• Strengthen relationships with strategic publishers and networks.
• Launch new partnerships across key international markets.
• Improve partner activation and program diversification.
• Deliver measurable growth against affiliate channel targets.
• Establish Proton VPN as a preferred advertiser across the affiliate ecosystem.
• Develop a scalable growth roadmap for the VPN affiliate program.

Why should you join Proton?

• Be part of a movement - Proton is not just a product or service but a community-driven movement united by a shared vision of online freedom. Our services are open source, audited, and supported by community contributions. We give back to our community by maintaining core encryption libraries and by supporting other organizations furthering the same goals as us. Proton is free, open source, neutral, independent, and community first, while remaining financially sustainable.
• Work with smart and dedicated people - Our team is diverse, collaborative, and tight-knit with people coming from all walks of life, including many of the world’s top academic institutions and organizations, such as MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Cambridge, and ETH.
• Join a strong brand - Our encrypted email service - Proton Mail - has grown to be a staple of online security and privacy. Proton has been featured in multiple popular television and film productions, such as Mr. Robot, Knives Out, Sounds of Metal, and more.
• Grow with us - We’re one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups, doubling in size every year. Our growth gives you limitless career and educational opportunities as well as the opportunity to work side-by-side with many world-leading experts in their fields.
• Have your voice heard - We value your opinion and encourage you to speak up and share your ideas and thoughts. At Proton, no problem is someone else’s problem. We collectively strive to do the right thing and be the undisputed best in the world at everything we do.
• Benefits – these vary by location and type of contract but expect support on your vacation, parental leave, refreshment if working from the office, learning and development opportunities, equity for shared success, flexible working hours and remote work, company events and team building activities.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

Candidate Privacy Notice

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG (Proton, we, us, or our), your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.

#LI-ONSITE