Managing Director Discovery and Insight

Job description

About Ted TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility, and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder, and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. About The Audacious Project The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding platform that invites visionary changemakers to imagine their boldest ideas to solve the world’s most urgent challenges. Housed at TED, the nonprofit dedicated to the belief that ideas change everything, Audacious works to surface ideas that are breathtakingly ambitious yet achievable and brings together a community of philanthropists to unlock the funding needed to make them real. Each year, Audacious selects a cohort of extraordinary leaders from around the world — visionaries with proximity to the problems they're solving, and bold plans to shift systems, lift up communities, and contribute to a healthier planet. Since its launch in 2018, Audacious has helped to catalyze more than $8B for over 70 projects across a range of issue areas. Rooted in TED's belief that ideas can come from anywhere, Audacious focuses on the strength of the idea and the team behind it, not a fixed issue area. Funded projects span science, climate, technology, health, social safety net and justice. Job Description Role Description The Managing Director, Discovery and Insight leads Audacious's global search for ambitious ideas and changemakers — finding, testing, and building the case for the ideas and leaders most worth backing each funding cycle. This role owns end-to-end curation, application, and diligence activities, ultimately leading to recommendations for the cohort of finalists selected annually. The Managing Director's work is centered on: a strategy informed by continuous learning about systems-level impact and Audacious' unique role within it; deep collaboration with applicants, donors, and partners nurtured over time; and leadership of a strong team to sustain the work. Each year, the Discovery and Insight team conducts a global search to identify nonprofit ideas that are: Innovative and offer a unique approach to a significant problem with the potential…