Head of Strategic Partnerships & Influence

About The Role

GiveDirectly's #1 growth obstacle is awareness: major donors don't yet know about or trust direct cash transfers. This role will play a key part in fixing that by owning our surrogate, influencer, and brand partnership strategy end‑to‑end, building relationships and campaigns that expose cash transfers to audiences with $1M+ giving potential. Past partners include Substackers, podcasters, Mr. Beast, Ahmed Shaikh, Rutger Bregman, and Elsa Majimbo. You will professionalize and scale existing approaches and pioneer new initiatives.

About The Workstream

Your goal is to leverage meaningful endorsements that maximize reach and awareness to high‑value audiences (those capable of $1M+ gifts, especially in tech and finance). Beyond individual surrogates this role will own a nascent brand and media partnership strategy, identifying fintech platforms, personal finance media, consumer brands, and other organizations where GiveDirectly's mission creates natural co‑branding opportunities. You will lead a small team in marketing, partnering with press, content, social media, thought leadership, and fundraising.

This Role Might NOT Be a Fit If

• You've mostly done paid marketing where success is measured in CPMs and ROAS. Ours are relationship‑focused; we have less than $100k for paid partnerships and expect people to say yes without spending.
• You've focused on micro‑creators on TikTok/IG and have a portfolio of lifestyle brands and DTC products. Our best surrogates to date are economists, tech journalists, policy wonks, and podcast hosts with highly educated audiences.
• You haven't built or owned a program or function. The role demands strategic architecture more than execution of an existing playbook.

What You’ll Do

• Own the strategy and measurement: define the portfolio approach across surrogates, influencers, and brand partnerships; set KPIs, track reach and donation attribution, and ensure coherence with press and thought leadership.
• Build surrogate relationships: identify, vet, and cultivate creators, public intellectuals, and thought leaders across GiveDirectly's cause areas at scale and speed.
• Execute campaigns end‑to‑end: design value‑exchange deals, develop briefs, guide creators and partners on messaging, and own post‑campaign analysis from first conversation to final report.
• Build brand and media partnerships: develop relationships with fintech platforms, personal finance media, and consumer brands to broker co‑branded campaigns, product integrations, and editorial partnerships that reach high‑value audiences.
• Manage and develop a two‑person team: set clear priorities for a manager and associate and coach for continual improvement.

What Success Looks Like In 12-18 Months

• Deep surrogate relationships built by cause area (force‑ranked):
• Extreme poverty – core offering in Africa, where web donations default.
• Emergency cash – crisis response, with a moonshot of delivering cash within 5 days of any crisis.
• Maternal / child health – new evidence shows child mortality can drop by nearly half.
• U.S. poverty – work in the United States covering homelessness, maternal health, and emergency relief.
• 1-2 brand or media partnerships live: at least one formal partnership with a fintech, personal finance media company, or consumer brand that drives measurable reach or donation volume.
• A distinctive post‑donation experience for surrogate/brand audiences: interactive, exclusive content that turns a new audience into our audience.
• 2-4 big bets tested, at least one identified to scale: ambitious, high‑visibility campaigns that go beyond the existing playbook.

What You’ll Bring

• 6+ years experience in media relations, brand partnerships, influencer marketing, talent management, or cause marketing with a track record of building programs, not just running campaigns.
• A relationship‑builder first: engage creators and partners as peers, represent GiveDirectly's mission credibly across a wide range of audiences.
• High autonomy and follow‑through: comfortable in ambiguity, strong project management, moves fast without dropping balls.
• Alignment with GiveDirectly's values: we actively encourage applications from candidates with personal or professional experience in the communities we serve.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly we strive to pay generously and equitably, using a third‑party salary aggregator. We have a no‑negotiation policy to ensure equitable pay across roles. Unless otherwise noted, the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.

United States (Director Level)

• Base Salary: $128,000
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% (~$19,200)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $147,200+
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393

United States (Senior Director Level)

• Base Salary: $145,000
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% (~$21,750)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $166,750+
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393

United Kingdom (Director Level)

• Base Salary: £87,500
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% (~£13,125)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £100,625
• Annual Benefits Stipend: £2,760

United Kingdom (Senior Director Level)

• Base Salary: £106,374
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% (~£15,956)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £122,330.10
• Annual Benefits Stipend: £2,760

Working at GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.