Talent Relations Strategist

WHO WE ARE

The Humane League (THL) is a global nonprofit working to end the abuse of animals raised for food. Recognized as a Top Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators for multiple years running, we are regarded as one of the most effective animal protection organizations in the world. We are a high-impact, mission-driven team that uses our time, talent, and resources strategically to dismantle factory farming and create lasting change for farmed animals worldwide. We set bold goals, embrace continuous improvement, and hold ourselves accountable to the animals who depend on us. As a fully remote organization with 100+ staff across the globe, we collaborate across borders and with partner organizations to build a powerful, united movement for animals.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY

As the Talent Relations Strategist, you will set and lead the organization’s strategy for our celebrity, influencer, and high-profile partnership engagement, with the goal of increasing the cultural salience of factory farming as a critical social issue. This role is responsible for defining how The Humane League identifies, prioritizes, and activates influential voices to advance corporate campaign and policy victories, expand our brand awareness and audience reach, and drive systemic change for farmed animals.

You will operate as the functional lead for celebrity relations, integrating this work across Public Relations, Development, Programs, and the broader Engagement team to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and measurable impact against quarterly and long-term objectives. In doing so, you will establish systems, partnerships, and narratives that translate cultural influence into tangible outcomes, including policy change, donor acquisition, and sustained public engagement.

This position requires established, trust-based relationships and deep expertise in the entertainment industry and influencer culture, strong public relations knowledge and strategic judgment, and the ability to translate organizational goals into high-impact external partnerships. You will also contribute to functional planning and budgeting, define success metrics, and guide the evolution of this work as it becomes an increasingly critical lever in advancing our mission. This position reports to the Senior Director of Public Relations.

This is a full-time, remote position, based in the United States, with residence near NYC or LA preferred for strategic networking and relationship-building. We are only able to employ applicants who possess authorization to work in the United States and undertake the performance of this role from within the United States or U.S. Territory for the duration of the role. This position requires domestic travel, equivalent to 3 or more trips per year.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Strategy and Functional Leadership

• Define, own, and lead the organization’s celebrity and influence engagement strategy, ensuring alignment with quarterly objectives and long-term organizational priorities.

• Identify, prioritize, and activate high-impact talent partnerships that advance corporate accountability, legislative progress, movement-building, and cultural awareness.

• Act as the organizational subject matter expert on celebrity relations, establishing and advising on standards and best practices, risk management protocols, and decision-making frameworks.

• Lead functional planning and contribute to budget development, resource allocation, and forecasting for celebrity relations initiatives, evaluating investment and return against organizational priorities.

Partnership Stewardship and Execution

• Expand and maintain an existing high-value network of celebrities, digital creators, publicists, agents, and managers aligned with animal welfare and social justice causes.

• Lead negotiation and partnership structuring with talent and representatives, ensuring mutually beneficial and mission-aligned collaborations.

• Design and execute integrated, high-impact campaigns that leverage celebrity influence to expand reach, shape public discourse, and accelerate campaign and policy outcomes.

• Identify and activate timely opportunities within the news cycle and cultural moments to position factory farming within mainstream conversation.

Cross-Functional Integration

• Lead cross-functional teams and external partners in the development and execution of celebrity relations initiatives.

• Partner across internal teams—including Engagement, Development, and Programs—to seamlessly weave high-profile voices, ambassadors, and talent into core organizational priorities and tentpole initiatives.

• Collaborate on high-touch engagement strategies, major donor opportunities, and signature events that leverage talent relationships to expand reach, drive fundraising, and deepen donor connection.

• Advise the Senior Leadership Team on high-stakes talent opportunities, reputational risks, and major cultural moments.

Brand and Content Development

• Partner with Digital Engagement to ensure evergreen celebrity-driven media is maximally repurposed for reach and impact.

• Establish and maintain brand standards for celebrity partnerships to ensure consistency, authenticity, and mission alignment.

Systems, Measurement, and Operations

• Direct the strategy, implementation, and long-term optimization tracking celebrity engagement, including maintaining a comprehensive and strategic database of talent and partnerships in related activism or industry fields.

• Define success metrics and evaluate performance towards personal and team goals, including media value, audience growth, donor impact, and campaign outcomes.

• Continuously assess and refine strategies based on performance data, industry trends, and organizational priorities.

Industry Expertise and Trend Monitoring

• Maintain deep knowledge of the changing trends in celebrity, influencer, and media landscapes, as well as their intersection with social impact movements and animal protection.

• Monitor shifts in public discourse, entertainment culture, and advocacy spaces to identify and activate timely opportunities within the news cycle and cultural moments to position factory farming within mainstream conversation.

In addition to the above essential job duties, other duties may be assigned as business needs arise. These may include non-essential, marginal job duties.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Significant professional experience of 7-10 years in celebrity relations, public relations, talent management, or influencer marketing—ideally within the non-profit sector or purpose-driven agencies—with demonstrated progression into strategic leadership responsibilities

• Proven track record of developing and executing high-impact celebrity or influencer strategies that drive measurable outcomes, such as media coverage, audience growth, fundraising, or policy influence. Deep understanding of entertainment, media, and influencer ecosystems, including how cultural narratives are shaped and amplified.

• Established network of industry relationships, including high-profile celebrities, influential content creators, publicists, agents, and managers, with demonstrated ability to build and sustain high-trust partnerships that can make an impact on our campaigns and advocacy.

• Demonstrated success in negotiating and managing high-profile partnerships, including navigating reputational risk, competing priorities, and sensitive relationships.

• Strong strategic thinking and judgment, with the ability to translate organizational goals into clear priorities and actionable plans. Proven ability to thrive in an autonomous work environment, taking initiative to drive project execution and solve complex challenges independently.

• Experience working cross-functionally in complex organizations, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around shared objectives and deliver integrated outcomes. Experience contributing to planning and resource allocation, including setting goals, defining metrics, and evaluating return on investment.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders and external partners. High emotional intelligence and discretion, with a strong understanding of relationship boundaries and nuances of working with public figures. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex animal welfare issues into compelling, accessible narratives.

• Experience with relevant tools and systems, such as talent databases (IMDBPro or similar database), CRM systems, and project management platforms (Asana and Slack or similar). Demonstrated ability to operate in a fast-paced evolving environment, balancing long-term strategy with immediate execution needs.

• Authentic alignment with our mission, with a clear understanding of how cultural influence can advance animal protection efforts.

For priority consideration, please submit your application by Friday, September 4th at 11:59 pm ET. Early application is encouraged as we will review applications on an ongoing basis and reserve the right to close the posting early or extend the posting as needed. If you are experiencing technical issues, please contact [email protected]. Please submit applications and all supporting documents in English. All application questions and materials need to be submitted here through the application submission form; we do not accept applications through our careers email.

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Hiring Timeline

Once your application has been reviewed, you will be notified via email with further details on the status of your application. If a candidate is moved forward, the interview process will be as follows:

• Work Simulation Exercise (completed remotely)

• Interview (via video call)

Each stage is expected to last a week or two on average. For full details of our full-time position recruitment process, please review this document (this will vary for temporary roles; please see the above bullet points for this role's specific stages).

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range: $113,864 – $138,737 USD annually.

At The Humane League, we are committed to fair, consistent, and transparent compensation. We use a structured job architecture and step system to determine salary based on a role’s scope and an individual’s total years of relevant experience. To ensure equity, we follow a no-negotiation policy for salaries. Candidates whose experience places them at step 5 or higher within their job level are awarded a “Senior” title designation.

Employees enjoy full medical coverage, optional dental and vision packages, paid sick leave, a 401(k) retirement plan with matching, pet care & Rx discount plans, working from home, up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave for eligible employees, wellness benefits, paid holidays, flexible vacation time, professional development, and the supportive environment at The Humane League!

Equal Employment Opportunity

THL is an equal opportunity employer. THL does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected classifications, including but not limited to race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religious creed or belief, physical or mental disability, marital or familial status, legally protected medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status or classification protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. THL is committed to the importance of non-discriminatory practices within the nonprofit sector, as well as all workplace environments, and strongly encourages all interested candidates to apply.

Reasonable Accommodations

The Humane League is committed to fully supporting all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, THL provides reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws throughout the hiring process and employment if hired. If a reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact the People team at [email protected] to initiate the interactive process. THL complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and all other applicable state and local laws.

AI Policy

Original work and thought are essential in the hiring process and allow us to evaluate you based on your own skills and competency. Therefore, the use of artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Gemini, Rytr, Google Assistant, etc) to generate responses is strictly prohibited. By submitting this application you agree to comply with our AI Policy. Violations of this policy in any part of the recruitment process will result in being dismissed from consideration. If you need a reasonable accommodation to this policy, please see above for more information.

Communications From Greenhouse During Hiring Process

We have occasionally had issues with emails from Greenhouse being captured by spam filters and going to the spam folder. Because we utilize Greenhouse for all notifications regarding your application, please double check your spam folder in case important communications have been routed there.