Keap Candles - Partnerships & Community Associate (Full-Time)

Keap is looking for a Full-Time Partnerships & Community Associate to build and nurture relationships with wholesale partners, press contacts, creators, and event participants. You’ll be working closely with the company founder to nurture and expand our B2B presence, executing partnership outreach, and representing Keap at trade shows and pop-up events.

Schedule: Monday through Friday 8am-4pm (40 hours/week)
Starting pay: $25.25 / hour
Location: At our Kingston, NY studio; optionally remote on Fridays


** About Keap **

Keap is a company that makes all-natural luxury candles—at the core, Keap facilitates connection to the natural world, our loved ones, and our own spirit. The candles blend the scents of acclaimed master perfumers with a circular approach to materials and packaging. We make all our products in-house in our Kingston studio.

The company has been featured in leading publications such as the New York Times, Dwell, and Architectural Digest.

We’re a small, caring team in the early years of a long-term journey to build a company that will benefit generations to come. We’re looking for kind, thoughtful, self-reliant problem solvers to join the team and help inform not just our partnership strategy but also the direction of our company and culture.


** Who this might interest **

This is a unique opportunity to join an ambitious, long-term oriented company and play a central role in building meaningful partnerships that will shape Keap’s growth.

You’re someone who genuinely enjoys connecting with people—whether that’s reaching out to potential wholesale partners, pitching press contacts, coordinating with creators, or representing Keap at events. You find energy in relationship-building rather than finding it draining, and you’re comfortable with persistent outreach and follow-up without taking rejection personally.

You’re digitally native and comfortable with tools like Coda, GMass, and various partnership platforms. You’re excited about the opportunity to launch new partnership programs, set up our presence on platforms like Faire, and build systems that make relationship management scalable and effective.

Most importantly, you are eager to be a part of a small, independent team that collaborates closely. You appreciate an open environment where feedback is viewed as a gift, as a way for teammates to support each other's growth, and to ensure that we put forward the best ideas.


** In this role, you will… **

* Ensure smooth processing of reorders from existing wholesale and hospitality partners, ensuring excellent service and building relationships
* Conduct targeted outreach to potential wholesale partners, hospitality clients, and other bulk customers
* Launch and manage Keap’s presence on Faire, including setting up the storefront, running campaigns, and processing orders
* Help coordinate and represent Keap at trade shows (Afternoon Light, Live Love Spa) including logistics, booth setup, and enthusiastic brand representation
* Grow and manage partnerships across multiple channels: press, Mindful Creator program, affiliate publishers on Impact.com, bloggers, and podcast hosts
* Organize and represent Keap at pop-up events including applications, logistics, inventory coordination, and in-person sales
* Collaborate closely with teammates on partnership-related content and storytelling
* Proactively share insights about partner relationships, market trends, and opportunities with the team


** What we’re looking for **

A commitment to embodying our Values, to:

* Lead with Love - We lead with empathy and treat those we serve in the same way we would wish to be treated
* Be Long Term Committed - With every decision we make, we do what is right for the sustainable, long-term good of our customers, ourselves, and the planet
* Be Intellectually Rigorous - We seek to be both teachers and students in all that we do, always humbly looking for further improvement

For this role specifically:

* Natural orientation toward relationship-building; someone who genuinely enjoys initiating conversations with new people and derives energy from building connections
* Strong organizational skills with ability to systematically and reliably manage multiple ongoing partnerships, follow-ups, and commitments
* Comfort with sales conversations including wholesale economics, light negotiation, and positioning Keap's value proposition to different partners
* Positive and resilient mindset that maintains optimistic energy in the face of the inevitable rejections and slow responses; ability to bounce back quickly from setbacks
* Self-directed and proactive approach, taking initiative to identify partnership opportunities and follow through without instruction
* Enthusiasm for representing Keap at in-person events and natural ease engaging with customers and partners
* Marketing-savvy; ability to think strategically about which partnerships to prioritize and about potential new partnership opportunities
* Appetite for building systems that make partnership management progressively simpler, easier, more efficient and scalable


** Requirements **

* Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
* 1-2 years of relevant experience in relationship-building roles (sales, customer success, partnerships, hospitality, or similar)
* Digitally native with comfort using CRM systems, email tools, spreadsheets, and marketing platforms
* Strong organizational and project management skills
* Ability to work Monday through Friday on-site at our Kingston, NY studio
* Ability to travel a few times per year for pop-ups and trade shows


** How to apply **

Please see application instructions here: https://keapcandles.com/blogs/careers/partnerships-community-associate-full-time

DO NOT reply directly to this posting (your inquiry will be ignored).

We look forward to your application and the possibility of you joining our team!

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All full-time Keap employees receive a generous PTO policy (5 weeks per year), $200/month towards healthcare expenses or insurance premiums, major candle benefits, and more. We’re always working to improve our pay and benefits and will continue to increase these as our company grows.

Keap is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive work environment.

We are sorry that we cannot respond to each applicant individually. Due to our small size and the large volume of applications we receive, we are only able to respond to candidates who best match the qualifications of our open positions. The process can take some time, so we appreciate your patience.