Senior Manager, Influencer & Advocacy

company

“A perfume is a world you can return to over and over again — a keyhole into far-off places, both material and imaginary.”

D.S. & Durga is a Brooklyn-based fragrance house on a quest to create transportive perfumes inspired by music, myth, and the mundane. Founded in 2009 by husband-and-wife team David (D.S.) and Kavi (Durga) Moltz, the brand is known for its uniquely distinguished perfumes, candles, and aromatic products.

David — an indie musician with a rare gift for perfume composition — creates all D.S. & Durga scents and their immersive environments. Kavi, an architect and designer, shapes the brand’s packaging, visual identity, and retail experience. Together they build worlds through fragrance: blending music, design, specificity, and a touch of surrealism to create original olfactive compositions that resonate with a cult‑like global following.

Today, D.S. & Durga is sold in over 600 doors across 40 countries, with five freestanding stores in New York and Los Angeles. In 2024, the founders partnered with Manzanita Capital to accelerate the brand’s next phase of growth. With its distinctive approach to crafting accords that evoke lifelike objects, places, and characters, the brand is poised for significant expansion globally.

Manzanita is the family office of the Fisher family, investing in premium and luxury niche brands with strong growth potential. Their mission is to help entrepreneurs scale while protecting the creative integrity that defines iconic brands. Manzanita brings global reach and deep expertise across key markets, with notable investments including Diptyque, (MALIN+GOETZ), Susanne Kaufmann, and Space NK. In 2022, they exited Byredo in a landmark sale to Puig for a reported $1B.

D.S & Durga is entering an exciting new phase of growth, expanding its reach and cultural influence within modern fragrance. As the brand evolves its communications model, earned storytelling is shifting form traditional press to a dynamic ecosystem of creators, taste makers, and media voices who reflect the brand's creative world.

The Senior Manager, Influencer & Advocacy will architect and execute this transformation—leading influencer and advocacy strategy while also managing the brand's PR agency, LEDE, to ensure a unified, modern earned‑media approach. Reporting to the Head of Marketing, this role is highly entrepreneurial: a self‑starter who balances creative vision with analytical rigor and builds structure and community around a brand that thrives on originality.

• Build and own D.S. & Durga’s influencer and advocacy framework across organic and paid tiers—micro, macro, VIP, and cultural taste makers.
• Translate the brand’s creative world into authentic creator storytelling that generates earned reach and drives desirability.
• Define influencer tiering, investment levels, and KPIs (EMV, engagement, conversion).
• Establish a cadence of “always‑on” advocacy, complemented by launch and seasonal campaigns.

• Oversee day‑to‑day relationship with LEDE, the brand’s PR partner—guiding a transition from traditional editorial pitching to a creator‑first, storytelling‑driven model.
• Set joint priorities and KPIs with LEDE around earned media, creator coverage, and press placement quality.
• Align PR and influencer calendars to ensure consistent narratives across launches, retail moments, and brand milestones.
• Provide strategic input on messaging, media lists, event execution, and press materials.

• Identify and nurture relationships with influencers, artists, and cultural voices aligned with D.S. & Durga’s aesthetic and values.
• Manage day‑to‑day outreach, seeding, product gifting, and logistics (Archive or similar platform).
• Cultivate a DSD Advocacy Community—a network of brand friends and micro‑creators engaged year‑round through exclusive previews, briefs, and events.
• Foster long‑term relationships that evolve beyond transactional campaigns.

• Partner with Marketing, Social, and Creative to design 360° activations around launches,…