Surrogates and Influencers Director (Remote)

GiveDirectly•Los Angeles, CA

35d•$128,000•Remote

About The Position

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty. GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011 and delivered cash to more than 2 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist. Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, span 21 different countries and 69 languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people. Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision-making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high-performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit. We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed, and grow. We support high ownership, flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities. GiveDirectly is seeking a strategic, well-connected Surrogates and Influencers Director to lead and scale our external earned and sponsored partnerships. This role owns the strategy, relationship management, and execution of these campaigns. We define surrogates and influencers as anyone who has an audience (following on social, YouTube, podcast, Substack/newsletter, faculty, etc) that is not part of a traditional media organization (NPR, NYTimes). Meaningful mentions from trusted public figures are one of GiveDirectly's most important communications channels. By growing our work here, you will help further our mission to end extreme poverty and improve crisis response by transferring cash directly to people in need. Our past efforts have been a mix of paid and unpaid, some with fundraising appeals and others just amplification/mention: Substackers, podcasters, Mr. Beast, Ahmed Shaikh , Elsa Majimbo, Rutger Bregman. Your goal would be to leverage meaningful endorsements that maximize reach/awareness to high-value audiences (those able to make $1m+ gifts, especially in tech/finance industries), helping initiate funding conversations. You will lead a small team and partner closely with Earned Media, Marketing, and Fundraising. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong relationship management across the thought leader & creator media landscape with the creative instincts to turn those partnerships into compelling, high-impact campaigns.

Requirements

6+ years of influencer or surrogate related experience (head of influencer marketing, booker, talent manager, partnership manager, media relations, etc.), a deep understanding of the creators (podcasters, journalists, Substackers, YouTubers, etc) and public intellectuals (tech, finance, econ, etc.), and a proven track record of success.
Autonomous with high operational rigor: A self-starter comfortable operating in ambiguity, with strong project management skills and the ability to move fast without sacrificing quality or follow-through.
Exceptional communicator & relationship builder: Ability to brief and inspire creators while representing GiveDirectly's mission authentically across a wide range of voices and audiences, maintaining a relationship as peers/friends rather than transactional arrangements.
Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.

Responsibilities

Own our surrogate strategy: Improving our approach & measurement, ensuring we are pursuing best tactics across a portfolio of approaches and relationships.
Build new and existing surrogate relationships: Proactively identify, vet, and cultivate relationships with creators and public figures across GiveDirectly's cause areas at scale and with speed.
Oversee surrogate campaigns (earned and sponsored): Ensure high quality execution of formal surrogate campaigns from briefing through post-campaign analysis.
Content strategy / creative direction: Developing briefs, guiding creators on messaging, and aligning content to GiveDirectly’s voice/mission.
Conduct reporting and measurement: Define and own the KPI framework for the surrogates program, tracking reach, engagement, and donation attribution.
Manage and develop a team of two (Surrogates Manager and Surrogates Associate): setting clear priorities and actively coaching the team for continual improvement.
Understand social trends and what drives the connection between the surrogate and GiveDirectly: Maintain a current understanding of the creator economy — emerging platforms, shifting audience behaviors, and what motivates public figures to champion causes

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