Talent Relations Strategist

Accountabilities

• • Define, own, and lead the organization’s celebrity, influencer, and talent engagement strategy, aligning priorities with quarterly objectives and long-term organizational goals.
  • Identify, evaluate, prioritize, and activate high-impact partnerships that can advance advocacy campaigns, policy objectives, movement-building, brand awareness, and public engagement.
  • Serve as the internal subject matter expert on celebrity and talent relations, establishing best practices, decision-making frameworks, standards, and risk-management protocols.
  • Develop functional plans, contribute to budgeting and resource allocation, and assess investment and return across talent engagement initiatives.
  • Build, expand, and maintain a high-value network of celebrities, digital creators, publicists, agents, managers, and other influential industry stakeholders.
  • Lead negotiations and partnership structures with talent and representatives, ensuring collaborations are mutually beneficial, authentic, strategically relevant, and aligned with organizational values.
  • Design and execute integrated campaigns that leverage influential voices to expand reach, shape public conversations, and accelerate campaign and policy outcomes.
  • Monitor cultural moments and news cycles to identify timely opportunities for positioning important social issues within mainstream conversations.
  • Lead cross-functional teams and external partners in developing and delivering high-profile talent initiatives.
  • Collaborate with Engagement, Development, Programs, Communications, and senior leadership to integrate ambassadors and talent into major organizational priorities, campaigns, fundraising initiatives, and signature events.
  • Advise senior leaders on high-profile partnership opportunities, reputational considerations, emerging cultural trends, and sensitive stakeholder situations.
  • Partner with digital and content teams to maximize the reach and long-term value of celebrity-driven media and evergreen content.
  • Establish brand and partnership standards that promote consistency, authenticity, credibility, and mission alignment.
  • Develop and maintain strategic talent databases, engagement systems, and partnership tracking processes.
  • Define and monitor success metrics such as media value, audience growth, donor impact, engagement, and campaign outcomes.
  • Continuously refine strategies based on performance data, industry developments, cultural trends, and organizational priorities.

  Requirements

  • 7–10 years of significant professional experience in celebrity relations, public relations, talent management, influencer marketing, or a related field, ideally within nonprofit, advocacy, social-impact, or purpose-driven environments.
  • Proven track record of developing and executing high-impact celebrity or influencer strategies that generated measurable results across areas such as media visibility, audience growth, fundraising, advocacy, or policy influence.
  • Deep understanding of entertainment, media, influencer, and creator ecosystems, including how cultural narratives are developed, amplified, and translated into public engagement.
  • Established relationships with high-profile celebrities, creators, publicists, agents, managers, and other industry stakeholders, with demonstrated ability to develop and maintain high-trust partnerships.
  • Strong experience negotiating and managing high-profile relationships while navigating reputational risks, competing priorities, confidentiality, and sensitive situations.
  • Exceptional strategic thinking and judgment, with the ability to translate broad organizational objectives into focused priorities, partnership strategies, and actionable plans.
  • Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, take initiative, solve ambiguous problems, and move complex projects from strategy through execution.
  • Experience working cross-functionally within complex organizations and aligning diverse stakeholders around shared objectives.
  • Experience contributing to strategic planning, budgeting, resource allocation, goal setting, measurement, and return-on-investment evaluation.
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and external stakeholders effectively.
  • High emotional intelligence, discretion, and strong relationship-management instincts when working with public figures and their representatives.
  • Ability to translate complex social-impact and advocacy issues into compelling, accessible narratives for broad audiences.
  • Familiarity with talent databases such as IMDbPro or comparable platforms, CRM systems, and project-management tools such as Asana and Slack.
  • Ability to balance long-term strategic planning with fast-moving execution in an evolving environment.
  • Authentic alignment with the mission of advancing animal protection and an understanding of how cultural influence can contribute to meaningful systemic change.
  • Must be authorized to work in the United States and able to perform the role from within the United States or a U.S. territory for the duration of employment.
  • Willingness to travel domestically at least three times per year; proximity to New York City or Los Angeles is preferred for relationship-building and industry networking.

  Benefits

  • Annual salary range of $113,864–$138,737 USD, determined through a structured compensation framework based on role scope and relevant experience.
  • Transparent, no-negotiation salary policy designed to support internal equity and consistency.
  • Full medical coverage, with optional dental and vision plans.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching.
  • Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees.
  • Paid sick leave and holidays.
  • Flexible vacation time.
  • Wellness benefits and pet care and prescription discount programs.
  • Professional development opportunities and support for continued learning.
  • Fully remote work environment within the United States.
  • Opportunity to work with a globally distributed, mission-driven team focused on creating meaningful social impact.
  • High level of autonomy and the opportunity to shape and develop a strategic talent-relations function.