Media Associate

Location: this role is fully remote but must overlap with NYC work hours (8a-5p ET) for 4+ hours per day

Role Overview

This position will take responsibility for pitching GiveDirectly programs and research to media and thought leaders, reporting directly to the SM of Press and Strategic Communications. This work includes managing the pipeline process for placing stories about the impact of cash transfers in traditional and non-traditional earned media. This entitles lead generation research, writing pitches, prepping spokespeople, and tracking progress over time. This person will also maintain internal systems to ensure that GiveDirectly staff can maximize the potential of all media hits to move resources to people living in extreme poverty, including social media management. 

The Media Associate should spike on:

• Execution: Have high accountability to both outcomes (quantitative and qualitative) and processes
• Speed: Balance attention to detail with short timelines that successful media work often requires
• Details: Deliver high quality communications products and media analysis to both internal and external stakeholders
• Strategy: Suggest new strategies big and small to improve understanding of direct cash aid through earned media
• Appeal: Hold a high-bar for what’s interesting to journalists + public audiences, avoiding “PR”

What you'll do:

The following are the starting elements of this role, but we expect them to shift overtime as the new hire helps tests, learns, and ultimately shapes this role to have the highest impact:

Media Pitching

• Pitching Stories: Run outbound pitching to print, TV, and podcast journalists along with non-traditional thought leaders and content creators
• Packaging GiveDirectly: Work with the Senior Manager of Press and Strategic Communications to identify unique elements of GiveDirectly’s work, translate and package it to make it hooky
• Build Relationships: Develop and maintain relationships with journalists, editors, and producers
• Coordinate Visits: Work with in-country teams on press visits to see in-country programs.
• Track Progress: Track stories from pitch to placement, ensuring all stakeholders are aware of key developments, and mitigating potential risks

Media Research and Analysis

• Research the background of individual reporters, podcasts, thought leaders, YouTubers, etc to ensure that the pitch breaks through the matches up with their personal stakes
• Compile accurate, up to date lists of journalists that would be interested in specific GD programs or research
• Monitor and analyze press coverage, providing regular reports to senior leadership on the effectiveness of press efforts

Internal Systems Support

• Make sure the right stakeholders have media content at their fingertips by creating and maintaining a system so that no one has to go looking for the best, most recent media hit that would be relevant to their audience.
• Strategically push out media onto public channels (website + social media), packaging media hits to be strong channel fits

What you'll bring:

• 1-3 years of experience in communications, media, journalism, market research, or related fields.
• Compelling experience at desk research, able to make sense of opportunities/leads within an opaque industry 
• Strong familiarity with traditional and non traditional media and content creators in United States
• Exceptional project management skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple workflows
• 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
• Style, approach, and smarts that make journalists and producers feels at ease, not setting off their PR-alarm 

Nice to haves

• Bilingual with other major media languages: French, German, Spanish, Mandarin
• Experience in social media management or post creation
• Strong familiarities with traditional and non traditional media and content creators in German, U.K., France, and other European countries
• Experience with any of these: Adobe Premiere, Canva, Flourish

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to ensure that staff’s total compensation package (base compensation + bonus)  falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles, at similar organizations. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. 

• The United States base salary for this role is $74,900.
• The Kenya base salary for this role is $42,000.

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

 #LI-REMOTE