The role / impact

As the Performance Partnerships & Referrals Manager, you will play a critical role in driving new customer acquisition by leading the strategy and execution of our global affiliate marketing programme. You will move beyond simple execution to provide data-driven recommendations on referral promotion strategies, identifying the high-growth segments that will shape Xero’s future across our key markets.

You will hold commercial accountability, managing budgets and targets to ensure sustained business success through our partnerships. By championing the adoption of AI tools and innovative marketing technologies, you will shift the focus from routine tasks toward scalable automation and program innovation.

The team / how they connect

You will be part of a world-class marketing team, acting as the primary advisor for global and regional partnership priorities. This role requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure affiliate messaging aligns with our brand while driving commercial outcomes. You will manage internal stakeholders and external partners with confidence, building trust and buy-in at a senior level.

Initially, you will focus on

• Managing and shaping our referral programme across multiple use cases to drive incremental subscriber growth and achieve commercial targets.

• Building and negotiating high-value relationships with top-tier B2B partners across our core markets in the AU, UK, and US.

• Proactively researching and implementing new AI tools and marketing technologies to drive efficiencies and automation across affiliate channels.

• Analysing and reporting on programme performance to identify trends, optimise active campaigns, and maximise return on investment.

Where and how you can work

Xero offers a flexible working environment designed to help you do your best work. We have modern office spaces where teams gather for boost days to collaborate, brainstorm, and build community. We support a hybrid approach that balances the autonomy of remote work with the benefits of in-person collaboration, and we can discuss specific expectations for this role during the interview process.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

• You bring deep experience in end-to-end affiliate programme management, from initial partner recruitment to long-term optimisation.

• Your commercial acumen allows you to balance high-level strategy with the reality of driving profitable growth and managing significant budgets.

• You possess a proactive mindset and a natural curiosity for discovering new AI tools to solve problems and improve workflows.

• Building strong relationships comes naturally to you, and you have the confidence to influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders.

• You have excellent analytical skills and the ability to turn complex data sets into clear, actionable insights for the wider business.

• A background in SaaS or B2B marketing environments, particularly within a global matrix structure, would be highly beneficial.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.