Chief of Staff

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 support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

Priority application deadline: applications close on February 23, but early applications are encouraged and will be processed as they are received.

Location: preference for co-location with the CEO in NYC, though we will consider strong candidates that can work anywhere between ET and GMT timezones.

Role Overview  

GiveDirectly is seeking a strategic and results-driven Chief of Staff to enable the CEO and senior leadership to work efficiently, effectively, and on the highest priorities. This role will oversee key decision-making processes, drive internal communications, and lead special projects that accelerate organizational goals.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for a highly strategic leader with strong analytical, operational, and communication skills. At a time when GiveDirectly is scaling rapidly, this role will play a pivotal function in optimizing leadership effectiveness and ensuring alignment across teams.

The Chief of Staff role at GiveDirectly is a unique opportunity for individuals looking to grow into senior leadership positions. This role provides exposure to executive decision-making, cross-functional strategy execution, and high-level problem-solving. As a key advisor to the CEO, you will gain firsthand experience in scaling a high-growth organization, leading critical initiatives, and developing the leadership acumen required for future C-suite or organizational leadership roles.

Level: Senior Manager or Director level

What we’re looking for:  

• Operational & Execution Excellence: You combine meticulous attention to detail with the ability to see the big picture. You ensure follow through on the things that matter, and have a proven ability to own complex multi-stakeholder processes and drive execution; creating and maintaining structures to ensure critical priorities are well-tracked, meetings translate into action, and execution is seamless.
• High-Tolerance for Ambiguity & Problem-Solving: You can navigate uncertainty while staying highly attuned to stakeholder needs. You have demonstrated the ability to self-start, and navigate challenges with limited direction, but you’re not just figuring things out in isolation. You’ve experience understanding and aligning to stakeholders (i.e. leadership support, client services, fundraising or similar), shaping decisions with well-structured thinking, and ensuring those you support have what they need to succeed.
• Communication & influence: Exceptional communication skills internally and externally, with the ability to engage and influence senior leaders, align cross-functional teams, and ensure clear, concise internal communications. Strong writing and presentation skills are critical.
• Strategic Judgment & Analytical Decision-Making: Ability to synthesize complex information (including comfort with quant analysis), make high-quality decisions quickly, and proactively recommend solutions. A strong sense of prioritization and the ability to frame executive-level discussions effectively. Experience with some or all of the different parts of GiveDirectly’s business (organizational strategy & management, fundraising, cash programs, product, shared services) to inform your judgment is a strong bonus. 
• Confidentiality & Trustworthiness: Handles sensitive and high-stakes information with discretion and sound judgment. Able to act as a trusted advisor to the CEO, represent their interests, and make independent decisions on their behalf when necessary.
• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values

What you’ll do  

• Optimize CEO Effectiveness: Streamline decision-making, manage priorities, support communication and provide strategic counsel to maximize the CEO’s focus and effectiveness on high-impact work. You’ll be high context and know all the most important things happening at any given time, and be able to be a strategic air traffic controller, using judgment to identify what’s important, when, and teeing up high impact interventions. You’ll also manage the Executive Assistant who supports the CEO and leadership team.
• Lead Special Projects: Manage and deliver high stakes, time-bound initiatives to drive organizational results or improve organizational effectiveness, and that might otherwise fall through the cracks. This could include everything from surge support on a $20m+ fundraising opportunity, to standing up a new team (defining roles, hiring, change management), to preparing for board meetings.
• Drive Organizational Operating Rhythms: Own agenda-setting, preparation of and facilitation for leadership meetings, retreats, and planning processes to ensure cross-team coordination and goal execution. Manage the day to day rhythms of tracking goals, identifying blockers, and figuring out how to bring people together to unblock.
• Lead Internal Communications: Oversee communication and comms strategies from the CEOs office to enhance alignment, reinforce values, foster collaboration, and increase transparency across the organization. 

Travel Requirement  

• 1-2 times per quarter.

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.

We are opening this role at either the Senior Manager (SM) or Director level, and will communicate with candidates about which level seems the most appropriate based on skills and experience.

• The United States base salary for this role at Director level is $128,000, and at SM level is $109,200.
• The Kenya base salary for this role at Director level is $101,221, and at SM level is $77,500.

If you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

 #LI-REMOTE

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.

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!