U.S. Program Associate, Michigan

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. Team members bring experiences from the private sector, NGOs and government. 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, fast moving 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 actively seek to recruit individuals from the communities we serve, and are constantly working to foster a workplace that supports diversity, and is truly inclusive in reality, not just intent. We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time, term-limited role that ends on December 31, 2025. There may be an option for extension, dependent on project funding.

Location: For this role, we are looking for someone who is currently based in or near Kalamazoo, Michigan.

About this role

The U.S. Program Associate will support implementation for large-scale cash initiatives in the U.S. As a critical member of GiveDirectly’s U.S. programs team, you will support operations, internal coordination, and team processes. You will often be the project point person for community engagement and customer service. You will be expected to support Managers and Senior Managers across multiple projects, and as a result, you must be excited to work in a fast-paced environment and be comfortable managing multiple workstreams at one time. Through this, you will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills on a fast-growing team. Associates should be able to:

 

• Support multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously (multi-task), especially by driving process (e.g. metric tracking, survey design)
• Over time, own whole components of projects, including but not limited to customer service and/or delivering payments
• Proactively identify areas for efficiency in projects and team management (e.g. streamlining customer service management)
• Support community engagement and coordination, including acting as a liaison for partner organizations and community members as appropriate

 

Reports to: US Program Manager

Level: Associate

Travel Requirement: This role will require commuting within a candidate’s base location (Kalamazoo, Wayne County, or the Eastern Upper Peninsula) 3-4 days per month in order to support in-person activities related to community outreach and program launch. In addition, there will be travel to New York or elsewhere in the US for team events 2-3 times per year. Costs incurred for work-related travel will be reimbursed.

What you’ll do:

This position will primarily support Rx Kids, a universal, unconditional cash allowance program targeted at expectant parents and infants. The program launched in Flint in 2024 and is now expanding to multiple locations across the state of Michigan beginning in early 2025. This role is expected to work closely with our program partners, including Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and local community partners. Key responsibilities are described below (please note that percentage breakdowns are approximate and may vary per role):

 

Customer Service and Recipient Experience (40%)

• Lead customer service, including directly supporting recipients via an email-based help desk and through phone support
• Meet periodically with recipients in person to build trust and to identify problems or areas for program or process improvements
• Serve as a trusted resource for recipients, responding to their communications in a timely and professional manner
• Respond to and resolve one-off recipient issues through communication, data entry, and/or escalation of more serious matters to the appropriate individuals

 

Direct Program Support (30%)

• Support a range of operational and project management duties to ensure GiveDirectly’s U.S. projects are executed with excellence and in line with our values, particularly “recipients first”
• Lead select operational processes, including overseeing a team of customer service agents and conducting recipient follow-up surveys 
• Support other field ops processes, including verification and payments, and execution across various program stages 
• Work closely with other members of the U.S. team to identify process challenges and propose solutions (e.g. increasing operational efficiency, improving recipient experience)
• Become an expert in the various tech systems used to support project execution and excellence
• Track and report operational and efficiency metrics 
• May be responsible for managing other individuals, such as verification support staff
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including with tech partners, research partners, and customer service teams

 

Community Engagement (20%)

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with implementing partners, key community members, and local service organizations
• Build knowledge of the community we are working in, and support with identifying existing local resources or services relevant for recipients
• Support the organizing and execution of community-based meetings and events as needed

 

Other (10%)

• Support whole-team knowledge management and process documentation, refreshing protocol and process docs regularly
• Where feasible given project management responsibilities, Associates may also be asked to support content coordination and story collection for program communications. This could include:
  • Collaborating with internal stakeholders to determine content collection priorities and needs 
  • Owning information gathering and storytelling about our programs 
  • Coordinating video taking, and editing of recipient stories (directly or via vendors/freelancers)
  • Writing and editing articles and recipient stories, as well as conducting interviews as necessary 
  • Collaborating with recipients to tell their own stories by connecting them to tech and training

 

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional 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.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Spanish is a plus, though not required. 
• 2+ years of work or volunteer experience in a role that required project management and people management/coordination
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and time-management skills
• Strong customer service instincts, including skilled problem solving, patience, and high emotional intelligence 
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations and propose & implement process improvements
• Ability to quickly learn and become proficient in new technological platforms
• Demonstrated ability to work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, while effectively communicating upwardly about gaps and risks
• Enthusiasm for fast-paced environments, which may lack a pre-defined playbook for success and involve significant “learning by doing”
• 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.

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.

The base salary for this role is $74,900 USD / annually.

 

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)
• Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
• Desk allowance and flexible work location

Read more about our ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here and about our decision to move our central support teams to remote first here.

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values the strength diversity brings to the workplace. 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.

US applicants only:  We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

 

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, 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 sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

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.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve, and prevent harm to our recipients.

 

Interview Venue and Accessibility

We conduct interviews over Google Meet with camera on (unless communicated otherwise).

Closed captioning is available during all Google Meet interviews, and interviewers will also post interview questions in the chat box throughout the call. If you need assistance accessing either of these features, please let your interviewer know at the start of your interview! 

We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to careers@givedirectly.org. Please include the word "Accessibility" in the email title.

 

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!