US Program Director

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 and delivered cash to more than 2 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, span 21 different countries and 69 languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, 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 high ownership, flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.Reports to: U.S. Country DirectorLevel: DirectorLocation: This role is fully remote with an option to work from our New York City office. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.Travel Requirement: Up to 4-6 trips per year for team retreats and program operations. Salary: $128,000About this roleSince launching US operations in 2017, GiveDirectly has delivered more than $330M in direct cash to low-income Americans. We are looking for a committed team lead who can ensure excellent operational delivery across multiple programs; track and mitigate risks across domains including compliance, legal, and operations; and build and manage a high-performing team in alignment with GiveDirectly values. The Programs Director is responsible for two main workstreams:Supporting the US program team in executing high quality, compliant programs, with an eye towards proactive risk identification and mitigation. Overseeing and leveling up the “delivery ops” of the US portfolio, including portfolio planning, KPI infrastructure, finance tracking, and grants & compliance strategy. The Programs Director will serve as the US program team liaison to global Compliance, Internal Audit, Safeguarding, People/HR, and Finance teams. They will support US Senior Managers to build, execute, and manage projects in line with global standards for these functions. They will work closely with the US Country Director, who sets the team strategy and leads fundraising, to inform program design and meet project deliverables.Program OperationsResponsible for creating robust systems to support a diverse set of projects, programs, and funding sources, and setting and maintaining standards to ensure operational excellence across delivery Support Senior Managers to identify and evaluate strategic and operational risks across programs, and ideate and execute strategies to mitigate riskLead internal program management coordination with global programs leadsFlex down to directly manage US programs as needed Risk and ComplianceUnderstand legal and regulatory context enough to triage and find appropriate solutions alongside Human Resources, Compliance, Legal teams, and external resources for portfolio hurdles (eg grant compliance)Ensure US portfolio maintains procurement compliance, with rigorous evaluation of new and existing vendors/subcontractors and partnerships Track and manage country-level risk framework, including identifying and implementing risk mitigation strategiesServe as analytical support and thought partner, assisting team in clearing hurdles and bottlenecks to executionBudgeting and PlanningServe as analytical support and thought partner for portfolio and program budget development and oversight, working closely with Country Director, Senior Managers, and Finance Business PartnersSupport Senior Managers to review project budgets; accountable for portfolio budget to actuals Team Management and CoordinationMay directly manage US team Senior