Global Director of Discovery & Insight

Embedded Shishya; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Audacious Project, housed at TED, is a collaborative funding platform that discovers and scales inventive social change ideas. The Managing Director, Discovery and Insight, leads global sourcing, due diligence, and the final recommendations for the cohort of finalists each funding cycle.

The role requires strategic vision, senior leadership experience, and the ability to build strong relationships with funders, applicants, and partners across cycles to drive impact at scale.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to set strategy in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments.
• Strong generalist fluency across domains relevant to social change and innovation.
• Experience building and developing teams and leading change across senior leadership.
• Ability to engage funders, partners, and networks with credibility and influence.
• Native or professional fluency in English with excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Set and evolve sourcing and curation strategy for Audacious cycles.
• Lead diligence on selected organizations, testing readiness, viability, and fit.
• Build evidence-based recommendations for finalist selection.
• Cultivate and steward partnerships with donors and intermediaries.
• Lead a high-performing team and manage capacity across cycles.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Team building

Influence and negotiation

Job description

Audacious Project, housed at TED, is a collaborative funding platform that discovers and scales inventive social change ideas. The Managing Director, Discovery and Insight, leads global sourcing, due diligence, and the final recommendations for the cohort of finalists each funding cycle.

The role requires strategic vision, senior leadership experience, and the ability to build strong relationships with funders, applicants, and partners across cycles to drive impact at scale.