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.
Level: Manager
Location: This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
Reports To: Sr. Director of Communications
About the Role
We are seeking a Social Media Manager to lead GiveDirectly’s presence across our social platforms, focusing on brand building, audience building, reach/engagement, and lead generation to drive our top level goal: raise more money to be delivered to people in extreme poverty.
This manager would own strategy & tactics across GiveDirectly public accounts (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Substack, YouTube, Facebook, BlueSky, TikTok, & Reddit) and paid collaborations with online creators (e.g. Elsa, Blair, Simon), while also supporting our principles with their thought leadership accounts (e.g. Nick, Caroline, Yolande).
This is a new role that would be asked to answer strategic questions: Which social channels should we invest (or divest) in to achieve our top level goal? What content and channels perform best at accomplishing that goal? What new approaches should we test? How can we measure success?
This manager would also own execution (with support), ensuring that our channels effectively showcase our unique model, values, & impact in ways that are compelling, credible, human, surprising/funny, and — most importantly — break through the noise.
You’ll collaborate with our Growth, Communications, Research, and Program teams to highlight recipient stories, translate data and findings into accessible social content, support giving campaigns, and strengthen how GiveDirectly shows up online.
This role is not an on-camera personality role. Instead, you’ll be behind the scenes, building a strong digital presence and shaping how the world sees our work.
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This Manager Should Spike On
- 💡Creativity & speed: Comes up many novel ideas for content & collabs, tapping into current trends while they last.
- 🛠️High ownership, output, & quality: Creates high-quality work quickly and reliably, using discretion to represent the organization online.
- 📱Digital native storytelling instinct: Knows what plays best on ever-changing platforms, understanding what makes content resonate emotionally and intellectually.
- 🧪Strategic, entrepreneurial, & analytical: Comfortable testing, iterating, and learning from results – balancing long-term brand strategy with day-to-day execution.
Key Responsibilities
Social Media Strategy & Brand Management
- Lead GiveDirectly’s social media strategy and posting calendar across all major platforms
- Build and refine a repeatable social playbook & templates that balances storytelling, education, and credibility.
- Define goals for each channel and measurement framework.
Content Creation & Management
- Create and edit content (posts, visuals, short videos) that highlight GiveDirectly’s programs, research, and impact.
- Collaborate with Communications, Research, and Program teams to translate data and stories into compelling, public-facing content.
- Manage publishing cadence, community engagement, and platform optimization.
- Guide tone, messaging, and publishing style for each account, ensuring consistency without homogenizing.
- Ensure all channels move in harmony during product launches, campaigns, and announcements.
- Stay ahead of platform updates, algorithm shifts, and emerging content formats.
- Proactively suggest new ideas, tests, and experiments.
- Capitalize on relevant trends while ensuring all content aligns with brand guidelines and messaging priorities.
Collaboration with Content Creators
- Identify, approach, and negotiate agreements with highly aligned and impactful content creators for paid collaborations, building a network to activate during rapid-onset emergency responses.
- Pitch and oversee strong creative concepts for collaborators.
- Surface ideas for unpaid collaborators for the surrogate team.
Internal Collaboration
- Partner with internal teams - Growth, Communications, Research, and Country Programs - to identify stories, earned media, campaigns, blogs worth sharing.
- Support leadership and surrogates in expanding their thought leadership.
Measurement & Optimization
- Track KPIs across channels (reach, engagement, follower growth, traffic, retention, and authority signals).
- Understand what positive, meaningful engagement looks like, not just vanity metrics.
- Monitor social chatter and sentiment; escalate when needed.
- Provide periodic reporting with clear insights and recommendations.
Qualifications (Must Haves)
- 3+ years of proven ability to grow social media presence for a brand, content creator, or public figures with larger engagement than GiveDirectly.
- Strong writing and editing skills, with a clear, confident, and empathetic voice.
- Experience with content design or light video editing tools (Canva, CapCut, Adobe Suite).
- Demonstrated ability to turn complex or technical topics into clear, engaging content.
- Strong project management skills and ability to prioritize, manage multiple workstreams, and deliver on time.
- Strong strategic thinking, you know how to build a cohesive brand across multiple channels.
- Deep understanding of social algorithms, audience behavior, and content performance.
- Comfort with social analytics tools (ex. Meta Suite, Sprout, Later, Hootsuite).
- Deep alignment with GiveDirectly’s values and mission.
Nice to Haves
- Experience in social storytelling for journalism or social impact sectors.
- Understanding of paid social strategy and how organic content complements it.
- Background or interest in global development, poverty reduction, or social innovation.
Where this role sits within GiveDirectly
- This manager is part of the Communications team, reporting to the Senior Director of Communications (Tyler) for the first 6 months.
- Their work will be supported by GiveDirectly’s field content, research & insights, growth, surrogates, press, & design staff.
- In addition to run-rate work, they will provide key support for emergency cash responses (e.g.), end of year giving (e.g.), research disseminations (e.g.), and other campaigns.
Compensation
At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.
- The United States base salary for this role is $94,700.
- The Kenya base salary for this role is $61,900.
- The UK base salary for this role is £61,200.
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, Kenya or UK, 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!
