Media Relations Associate

Role Overview

How this role supports our overall strategy:

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.

What this role will do:

This position will be responsible for pitching GiveDirectly programs and research to key media and thought leaders, reporting directly to the Senior Manager of Media and Strategic Communications. This person will be pitching traditional media and supporting GiveDirectly’s surrogate strategy — cultivating relationships with public intellectuals, newsletter writers, podcasters, and other content creators who can serve as credible, independent advocates for cash transfers to high-value audiences. It is a role that spans lead generation research, writing pitches, prepping spokespeople, tracking progress over time.

In addition, this person will help build the infrastructure that makes the team smarter and faster. This includes maintaining and improving internal systems and being the in-team expert on AI-powered tools and automation.

What strong candidates should spike on:

• Execution: Have high accountability to outcomes (quantitative and qualitative) while balancing attention to detail with short timelines
• Details: Deliver high-quality communications products to both internal and external stakeholders
• Narrative: Hold a high bar for what’s interesting to journalists and public audiences, never sending things that smell like “PR” or AI-generated spam
• Curiosity: Stay on top of emerging media trends and AI capabilities — always looking for a better way to achieve outcomes or improve understanding of direct cash aid through earned media.

Responsibilities

These responsibilities are a starting point; we expect them to evolve as the person in this role helps shape it:

Media Pitching & Placement