NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the poorest people in the world. The Brookings Institution estimates that $100B 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 $800M since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1 million people, and launched offices in 11 countries across North America, Africa, and the Middle East. We’ve also supported 19 large-scale, experimental research projects that indicate strong recipient impact of our programs – including the largest universal basic income experiment in history. We use concrete evidence to inform the design of our programs: from research results published in leading journals, to in-depth qualitative work. 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.

We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our collaborative, diverse team. Joining GiveDirectly provides the opportunity to work alongside individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. We’re actively working toward an equitable and inclusive environment for all team members, and seek candidates who will bring diverse perspectives and experiences to our organization. We recruit from organizations across all industries: our team has hailed from sectors including start-ups, government, consultancies, investment banks, and nonprofits.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and fast-paced. We value ability, adaptability, and willingness to learn. We offer competitive salary and benefits, as well as performance-based bonuses.
About This Role

The Senior Manager, DRC, is accountable for the success of all projects implemented by the GD DRC country office. This is a key managerial role with significant responsibility to manage a large team and deliver millions of dollars to poor households annually. In certain cases, Senior Managers help drive GiveDirectly’s function as a laboratory for innovation in cash transfer (CT) delivery, by advancing projects aimed at addressing key policy and design questions (do CTs generate impact where market access is limited? how can CTs be delivered in settings with no payments infrastructure?). The Senior Manager will also liaise closely with tech and data teams to create surveys, update information in Salesforce, and collect data for reporting. The role rewards exceptional instincts on team management, a highly autonomous working style, and the ability to apply creative solutions to challenging operational questions. Senior Manager DRC candidates will be based in Goma and must be fluent in French and English (additional Swahili fluency preferred). It will involve periodic travel to GD DRC field sites.

Please submit your application and resume in English.

Reports to: Country Director

Responsibilities

Overall accountability for successful implementation of all GD DRC projects in country end-to-end, including owning rich project management plans
Oversee large field teams and the management of a contact centre oriented around recipient service
Coordinate across multiple in country and global teams to ensure coordinated approach to project delivery
Managing relations with donors, other partners, and high priority vendors
Contribute to project design and continuous improvement, including assessing trade-offs of different design decisions (e.g. targeting, payments, customer service)
Define business requirements and collaborating with GD’s global tech team to ready project-specific tech builds and ensure that they meet project-specific requirements
People management, including providing ongoing coaching and candid feedback to cultivate exceptional talent.
Data analysis and interpretation, including monitoring key performance indicators of quality and efficiency to ensure projects are meeting or exceeding GD standards, so that we deliver dollars to recipients well, quickly, and as planned
Risk mitigation and response, for example as may regard safeguarding, anti-fraud, security, etc.
Reporting to funders and management
Model a strong team culture rooted in GD’s values
Other duties as required

Core Competencies And Experiences

4-7+ years of work experience in a problem-solving role (implementing field projects, consulting, social innovation)
Exceptional ability to work analytically through complex operational questions & run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions
Strong communications skills, including speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across diverse audiences
Enthusiasm for fast-paced environments, which may lack a pre-defined playbook for success and involve significant “learning by doing”
Ability to approach tasks with resourcefulness and to work in a highly self-directed manner
Ability to manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously building more robust, efficient systems
Aptitude for analyzing and interpreting data sets and making data-driven decisions
Professionally fluent in both English and French
Alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.

Nice to Have

Fluent in Swahili and other languages widely spoken in DRC
Experience working in emergency or humanitarian contexts and other insecure environments

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
A monthly benefits allowance that covers Health, Dental, and Vision monthly premiums
Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
Desk allowance and flexible work location

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**