About GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash 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 it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.
GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.
Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.
Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.
We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow. We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.
Priority application deadline: 25 February 2026
Level: Global Head of Country Operations
Reports to: VP Programs
Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel 15%-25% for county office visits and team offsitesl
About this role:
GiveDirectly is seeking a Global Head of Country Operations to strengthen and scale operations across all our country offices. This role will shape the operating model that powers GiveDirectly’s next decade of growth. They will build strong country office foundations and level up our ability to scale and serve recipients excellently and adaptively, working in partnership with our COO and other department leads across the organization. The ideal candidate has delivered results across a diverse set of contexts, brings order to chaos, and can partner with senior leaders as well as they can roll up their sleeves to get critical work shipped.. This is a rare opportunity to architect the backbone of a global organization delivering hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
What we’re looking for:
- Proactive thinker and systems builder, who can both resolve today’s issues and also prepare us for tomorrow’s opportunities
- Track record of delivering results and owning increasing responsibilities
- Gets things done. Thrives in a lean, fast paced, and hands on environment
- Excellent ability to influence and manage diverse stakeholders, including change management
- Able to juggle a wide range of responsibilities reliably and nimbly
- Diverse work background: Has demonstrated adaptability across high-performing contexts and demands e.g. in AI/tech, management consulting, or other private sector
- Operations breadth across functions like finance, HR, procurement, compliance, ethics, IT, audit, and/or risk, compliance, ethics, IT, corporate audit, and/or risk management.
- Deep experience living and/or working in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Excited about GD values and mission
What you’ll do:
Build country office foundations and systems across HR, finance, procurement, compliance, IT, security, and risk management - reducing friction so dollars reach recipients faster and more reliablyOversee financial management across country offices, both directly and indirectly ($350M+ per year)
- Build high-performing country office structures: clear roles, crisp accountability, and strong operating routines.
- Coordinate and represent country office realities in global standards setting, resource allocation, and priority setting, working with country offices across Sub-Saharan Africa, the US, and beyond
- Operationalize global standards: Ensure rollout of global standards in ways that are context appropriate, meaningful, and rigorous
Lead country office launches and wind downLead proactive, high-leverage initiatives that advance our ability to scale efficiently and nimbly
- Own or support crisis management when needed
- Other responsibilities as required
Example Deliverables
- Partner with COO to refresh roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities and how they are split between country directors and global shared services departments
- Lead an ops & finance working group to to identify and test step-change efficiency improvement at scale (using budget & process data, then piloting changes)
- Launch a new country office in a crisis-prone region in 3 months
- Systematize contracting approval processes to cut cycle time by 2x while maintaining compliance & auditability.
Compensation
At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to ensure that staff’s total compensation package (base compensation + bonus) falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles, at similar organizations. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles.
We are open to considering exceptional candidates at both the Senior Director or a higher level, depending on experience and fit.
- The U.S. Senior Director's base salary: $145,000
- The Kenya Senior Director's base salary for this role is $120,000
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.
Why work at GiveDirectly?
At GiveDirectly, we work to ensure that you have everything you need to excel in your role and on your team, including:
- A positive and supportive team with opportunities for advancement
- A demonstrated commitment to helping all staff develop and grow
- A competitive salary, including bonus
- A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
- Flexible paid time off
- Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development
#LI-REMOTE
Working at GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.
Commitment to Safeguarding
As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.
**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing, reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**
Reasonable Accommodations
We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at [email protected] with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.
Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!
