US Program Manager

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

Location: Remote, US

This role is fully remote. Travel requirements are outlined below. This role is remote with a strong preference for candidates based in Michigan, US. We will also consider applicants based in other U.S. locations. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. at this time. 

About this Role

The U.S. Program Manager will play a key role in driving and executing operations across the U.S. Primary responsibilities include leading end-to-end project management, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, recruiting and managing field teams, and driving operational excellence and improvement. Managers may be asked to support partnerships and positioning through research, contributing to proposals, and occasionally will own relationships with funders and partners.

The Program Manager will work closely with another U.S. Program Manager and the U.S. leadership team, as well as cross-functionally with programs, fundraising, and technology teams. We are looking for candidates that are highly independent and solutions-oriented, have experience driving operational excellence and improvement, and who thrive in fast-paced environments.

Program Managers should be able to:

• Build and manage work plans, basic budgets, and report out (internally and externally) on program progress
• Manage steady state programs with little supervision, escalating and seeking support particularly during launch and close, or in the instance of adverse events or partnership challenges 
• Oversee operational metrics to ensure program excellence and drive improvement 
• Communicate clearly and effectively, internally and externally, about project goals and how they connect to team and org-wide strategy and impact

Reports to: Senior Manager, US Programs

Level: Manager

Travel Requirement: This role requires travel throughout Michigan to support in-person activities related to partnership management and program launch. Exact amounts of travel will vary, though we estimate up to approximately one week per quarter, with occasional travel thereafter for the program and to New York or elsewhere in the US for team events.

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 is running in 18 communities in Michigan and is expanding to multiple new locations across the state. 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):

Program Management & Delivery (50%)

• Play a core operations role, leading end-to-end project management, including assessing trade-offs of different design decisions
• Oversee application verification process and customer service strategy to ensure positive recipient experience and drive fulfillment of service level agreements 
• Monitor payment delivery and lead troubleshooting and crisis resolution
• Conduct data analysis to support program delivery, research partners, and other internal and external stakeholders

• Draft and maintain records of recipient facing notifications, communications, and other supporting documents
• Execute on program evaluation strategies, including surveys and focus group efforts, with direction and support from senior leadership
• Document program knowledge for internal knowledge management and recipient education
• Define and review operational and efficiency metrics, with an eye to managing to improvement
• Hire and manage a team of field staff members to deliver high-quality operations and programming
• Collaborate closely with other team members and leaders to ensure consistency in program operations

Technical Management (30%)

• Own relationship with technical partner (i.e. Aidkit), including facilitating meetings and leading regular communications, with support from senior leadership as needed
• Monitor application instance, implementing or guiding the implementation of improvements and fixes as appropriate
• Maintain intake form and supporting subsurveys, ensuring language equity and accessibility

Partnership Management & Community Engagement (20%)

• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful and timely operational execution
• Establish and maintain high-quality relationships with operational partners (including funders when they are engaged in operations and delivery) and community-based organizations, including facilitating meetings and leading regular communications, with support from program associate team

• Determine and execute on external communications and storytelling strategy in coordination with external and internal partners
• Support routine reporting (financial, narrative) to funders, with oversight from senior leadership
• Lead vendor and partner scoping, evaluation, and management to enable effective program delivery
• Support partnership building and partner management by tracking fundraising opportunities, supporting proposal development, coordinating with partners (e.g. consortia), and representing Rx Kids to wider audiences

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.
• 3-4+ years of experience in a role focused on project management and/or problem solving. Prior experience working in cash assistance or humanitarian/emergency response is a plus.
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations while contributing to longer-term objectives and system improvements.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple workstreams, recognizing the difference between “important” and “critical” while simultaneously building more robust, efficient systems.
• Analytical problem solving, looking at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization and ability to put structure and process to ambiguous problems.
• Strong data analysis skills, including ability to review large datasets, interpret results, and report out for stakeholders. Familiarity with database languages like R, SQL, or similar are a plus.
• Strong communications skills, specifically in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, following through on assignments 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.”
• Fluency in English, with fluency in Spanish and/or Arabic a plus.

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 United States base salary for this role is $94,700 / 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
• 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.

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

Accessibility: 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.

 

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 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.

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 careers@givedirectly.org 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!