Director, Strategic Initiatives

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth. Curious about what it’s really like to work here? Read our values and hear from the people who do. If they resonate, this could be a great fit! About this role GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to more than 2 million people living in poverty across 15 countries. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. We are growing at an unprecedented scale. By the end of 2027, we will have more than tripled dollars delivered via our current playbook to $750M+, while building toward a step-change of roughly 10x on a new technology stack and operating model. We also believe that we could deliver significant incremental money through external partnerships, whether by sourcing verified lists from an institutional partner like UNHCR, subgranting to partners with existing distribution capacity, or routing funds directly through an established remittance provider. To evaluate and advance these external opportunities to increase our delivery capacity, we are building a lean internal consulting team. In this role, you will work with high autonomy to elaborate a comprehensive set of options and rigorously evaluate, prioritize, and implement them. You will report to the Chief of Staff and work directly with our Executive team, Country Directors, and external partners. The work is in an early stage, the mandate is wide, and the recommendations you make have the potential to influence delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars. This role is especially well suited to structured problem-solvers with Director or Team Lead-level experience in consulting, strategy, or operations, in business or social impact contexts. This role is funded through the end of 2027, deliberately matched to the window in which these decisions need to be made. We see a strong case for it to become a permanent function beyond that. What you’ll do • Build and prioritize a portfolio of options. Generate a comprehensive set of external pathways to increase delivery capacity, from institutional data partnerships to outsourced delivery to telco and payment provider arrangements, and rank them on scale, speed, feasibility, and what it would cost us to pursue them. • Pressure test opportunities to a clear verdict. Run primary diligence on the options that warrant it, including direct engagement with potential partners, regulators, and counsel, and reach a defensible recommendation to advance or stop. • Advance one or two priorities from evaluation into implementation. Take the opportunities we select from recommendation through to a live pilot, holding the counterparty relationship and coordinating the cross-functional internal work required to deliver. • Define and run competitive solicitations. Articulate what we need from a partner precisely enough to publish an RFP (or similar), set selection criteria, and manage and evaluate the responses. • Negotiate with institutional counterparties. Lead engagement with UN agencies, INGOs, mobile network operators, and government bodies, from first contact through to signed agreement. • Equip Executive decision-making. Produce the analysis and written recommendations that let the Executive team decide where to commit money and capacity. What we’re looking for • A driven, disciplined explorer of unfamiliar territory. You have personally taken a mandate as broad as “find us more ways to deliver” and turned it into a short list of options you pressure tested until you arrived at a recommendation. You translate ambiguous ideas into clear strategies with milestones and success metrics. You have done this with no playbook and no team assigned to you. Your work influenced high-stakes strategic decisions. • Strong analytical instincts. You are adept at using data to generate insights and drive decision-making. You can build comparable estimates for structurally different options, and show what would have to be true for each one to work. • A negotiator who uses leverage intelligently. You can assess what an institution’s incentives and compliance requirements will allow. You position opportunities for collaboration shrewdly, distinguish a difficult but workable partnership from one that will not advance, and judge when to persist, change your approach, or walk away. • A clear, direct communicator. You cut through complexity and influence senior stakeholders with concise, well-structured thinking. Your recommendations lead with what you think we should do, name the assumptions they depend on, and state what further work would test them. • Embody and set an example for GD values. We take our values incredibly seriously, and expect the people who represent us externally to embody them in all aspects of their work. Additional areas we’re interested in, though not required • Experience with humanitarian or institutional donors, particularly UN agencies and INGO consortia; mobile money, telco, or payments partnerships; grantmaking, organizational due diligence, or cost-effectiveness assessments; running challenge funds or competitive solicitations; negotiating data-sharing and data-protection agreements; and operating in low-income or infrastructure-constrained markets. Compensation The salaries shown below represent annual rates for our common hiring locations. This is a term-limited role through December 2027, so the figure reflects the annualized pay rate, not a guaranteed total over the term. The figure below is also based on external & internal benchmarks, but will be ultimately approved by the hiring manager. If candidates are not located in the US, UK, or Kenya, the hiring manager can provide compensation information during the initial screening. United States Base salary: $131,250 per year Benefits stipend: $21,393 per year Bonus target: 15% United Kingdom Base salary: £91,900 Benefits stipend: £2,760.00 Bonus target: 15% Kenya Base salary: $106,280 Benefits stipend: $8,454 Bonus target: 15% 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! Referrals Know the right person for this role? Please consider referring them. We offer a reward of $3,000 for a Senior Manager or above role, and $500 for a Manager role, paid if we end up hiring your referral. Thank you for sending great people our way!