Base: Nairobi (other African hubs in which we are based could be negotiated) with up to 40% travel per annum.
About GiveDirectly:
GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by allowing donors to provide capital grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of which is allocated to evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing a benchmark, and in the process accelerate the end of extreme poverty. GiveDirectly has raised over $250M in revenue and established operations in 8 countries, while being recognized as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company. The growing movement toward cash transfers and GD’s role in that movement have also been featured in This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, and Business Insider.
We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our team and the broader cash movement. Our culture is direct, analytical, non-hierarchical, fast-paced, transparent, and hard working. We are open to candidates from any industry and typically recruit from top organizations – members of our team have come to us from private-sector companies (consultancies, law firms, investment banks, etc.), start-ups, and government. We value ability and willingness to learn over years of experience. We offer a competitive salary and benefits and performance-based bonuses.
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Role overview:
Specific responsibilities:
Work closely with the Africa Operations Director and Country Directors to prioritize support areas (i.e.create the project pipeline for your own role)
Become a cross-country expert who can effectively disseminate key learnings and areas for improvement across our different areas of operation.
Design and manage teams to deliver discrete projects often within fixed and tight timelines at a predetermined operational quality bar
Work with external parties to carry out collaborative program designs for bespoke foundation or institutional funded projects
Example projects (not comprehensive or guaranteed, but illustrative of 2020 focus areas):
Overseeing an innovation project in Kenya: As our most established operation, Kenya is looking to innovate a new method of targeting recipients designed to be lighter touch and more cost-effective than our current model.
Working to reduce fraud with our Director of Recipient Advocacy: As we experiment with our approach to cutting leakage, we need support in analyzing data, collecting best practices, and helping to disseminate a uniform playbook across countries
Project launches in Uganda: we are executing an ambitious roster of projects in Uganda this year (urban refugee-targeted cash program, UNICEF partnership to transfer cash to school-age women, fully remote enrollment piloti.e.no boots on the ground) & may need support for designing and running field operations.
Qualities we’re hiring for:
Strong operational acumen (including ability to rapidly get up-to-speed on GD field model) & penchant for problem-solving in contexts with a limited pre-existing playbook
Exceptional project management and/or management consulting track record at a high-performing organization
Deep ownership mindset (i.e.the default assumption that when you identify a problem, you’re likely going to be the one to solve it!)
A versatile generalist who is comfortable taking on a wide array of projects
Comfortable with handling large and messy datasets on excel and carrying out basic data analysis
Willingness to travel and work from differing working locations, some of which will be remote
Passion for the role cash transfers can play in giving recipients choice & driving impact at scale
Strong alignment with GD values, as listed below
