Media Relations Associate (Remote)

GiveDirectly•Nairobi, NY

2d•Remote

About The Position

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth. The #1 obstacle to GiveDirectly increasing our impact is that donors still don’t know about or buy-in to direct cash transfers. This role is fundamental to solving that problem, by growing awareness of cash as an effective aid intervention and generating interest from catalytic donors. This year, we’re focused on ensuring direct cash and GiveDirectly are gaining fast, targeted visibility and understanding among high value audiences. Two of our main tools for doing this are earned media coverage and collaborations with influencers, surrogates, thought leaders.

Requirements

2-5 years of experience in media relations, PR, communications, journalism or related fields
Compelling experience at desk research — able to make sense of opportunities and leads within an opaque industry
Strong familiarity with traditional and non-traditional media and content creators in the United States
Experience with AI tools for research, writing, and workflow automation
Exceptional project management skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple workflows simultaneously
Excellent verbal and written skills, with a focus on concise and intentional communication
Ability to “think” like a journalist — telling a compelling story and communicating why it matters without setting off their PR alarm
Comfort with systems and tools — Airtable and other CRMs — and a disposition toward building better workflows, not just following existing ones
Alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with the Substack, podcast, and YouTube — especially voices in EA, tech, and finance.
Experience in influencer campaigns and partnerships
Familiarity with traditional and new media in European and Middle Eastern markets.
Based in a major journalist & thought leader hub for in person meetings, e.g. NYC, SF, London, Nairobi, DC, LA, Chicago, Boston, Austin, Amsterdam, etc.

Responsibilities

Support media pitching and surrogate engagement across GiveDirectly's core work — rapid-response emergency cash moments, new research, and innovative programs. This includes traditional and non-traditional outlets (newsletters, podcasts, YouTubers, public intellectuals) whose audiences overlap with our donor targets.
Develop ongoing relationships with journalists, editors, producers, and thought leaders — including coordinating media visits with in-country teams.
Work with the wider Marketing team to package GiveDirectly's work into angles that break through editorially. Keep stakeholders informed at every stage; update status and flag risks early.
Research the background of traditional and new media reporters and surrogates — especially in the prospecting phase — to ensure pitches break through and match up with their personal stakes and editorial interests.
Conduct ongoing research on media outlets consumed by GiveDirectly’s donors and targets— gaining a deeper knowledge of each outlet’s editorial voice, content patterns, and how GD’s story best fits.
Read key newsletters, verticals, and media sources regularly; share roundups and flag opportunities with the broader communications team; build AI tools that make this scalable and fast.
Provide deep support to the team’s AI and automation toolkit — identify ways to streamline repetitive work, stay current on emerging tools, and be able to pilot new workflows with manager guidance that make the communications team faster and smarter (Note: GiveDirectly works on Claude).
Log, monitor, and analyze coverage in Airtable; ensure the system is a reliable, up-to-date source of truth for media activity so senior leadership know the status of GiveDirectly's pipeline and can easily find relevant materials.
Keep the media and outreach pipeline clean in Salesforce — making sure outlets, reporters, and prospects are in the system correctly, that leads don’t get lost or stale, and that statuses are current.