Director, Entertainment and Influencer Relations

International Rescue Committee•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), working in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities. As part of the Marketing & Mobilization (M&M) team, the Director of Entertainment Relations leads the IRC’s strategy for engaging celebrity voices, high-profile supporters, and influential voices across entertainment, culture, and media to elevate the organization’s global profile, brand, and impact. This role involves building and stewarding long-term, values-aligned relationships with artists, talent, industry leaders, and other prominent cultural figures to maximize fundraising, advocacy, and awareness opportunities, both publicly and privately. The Director ensures that celebrity partners deeply understand the IRC’s mission and programs, enabling them to represent the organization with authenticity, credibility, and purpose across various platforms and culturally relevant moments. By continuously innovating the IRC's presence within the entertainment and cultural landscape, the Director helps increase awareness, understanding, and support for the IRC’s work, ultimately enabling the organization to raise more funds and influence policies that improve the lives of people affected by crisis worldwide.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent 10+ years of experience in entertainment related fields
Demonstrated ability to work creatively and effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, representing the IRC with excellence.
Demonstrated ability to build and sustain long term relationships with high profile talent and influencers
Strong interpersonal skills with a focus on fostering collaborative, win win outcomes.
Strong verbal and written communications skills with the ability to represent the organization to senior entertainment collaborators.
Proven capacity to perform under pressure, adapt to change, collaborate effectively with colleagues, and mentor team members

Responsibilities

Identify, cultivate, and sustain a diverse portfolio of internationally recognized artists, creators, cultural influencers, and entertainment partners to support the IRC’s mission, messaging, and brand visibility.
Develop trusted, long term relationships that activate supporters’ platforms, personal brands, and networks to drive fundraising, advocacy, and awareness.
Partner cross‑functionally to identify and map strategic talent opportunities that advance organizational priorities and elevate the IRC’s profile.
Serve as the central owner and decision‑maker for organization‑wide talent engagement requests, balancing short‑term opportunities with long‑term relationship stewardship, reputational risk, and strategic alignment.
Assess feasibility, potential impact, risk, and reputational considerations, ensuring engagements align with the IRC’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.
Design overarching engagement strategies, secure talent participation, and provide oversight through execution where appropriate.
Lead evaluation of outcomes, capture learnings, and share insights with internal stakeholders and participating supporters to strengthen institutional knowledge, relationship continuity, and future strategy following activations.
Act as a strategic partner to internal teams to translate talent strategy into effective, integrated activations.
Collaborate closely with Digital Engagement, Creative & Marketing, and Fundraising teams to align talent involvement with campaign objectives, revenue goals, brand voice, and audience reach.
Advise on resource requirements, timelines, and the complexities of identifying and engaging high profile supporters, providing guidance on best practices and risk mitigation.
Support or co lead implementation to ensure talent activations are operationally sound, creatively compelling, and executed in alignment with IRC brand standards, fundraising tactics, and organizational priorities.

Benefits

10 sick days
10 US holidays
20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure
medical insurance starting at $163 per month
dental starting at $6.50 per month
vision starting at $5 per month
FSA for healthcare and commuter costs
a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching
disability & life insurance
Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles