Director, Strategic Initiatives [Limited Term]

About the role

GiveDirectly provides cash transfers to people living in poverty, delivering more than $1B to 2M+ individuals across 15 countries. This role owns building and prioritizing a portfolio of external opportunities to increase delivery capacity, conducting diligence, and implementing them. You will report to the Chief of Staff and work with the Executive team, and the role is funded through the end of 2027.

What you'll do

• Build and prioritize a portfolio of external options to increase delivery capacity and rank them on scale, speed, feasibility, and cost.
• Pressure test opportunities with primary diligence and engage potential partners, regulators, and counsel.
• Advance one or two priorities from evaluation into live pilots, coordinating cross-functional work.
• Define and run competitive solicitations, publish clear requirements, and manage responses.
• Negotiate with institutional counterparties and manage key relationships from first contact to signed agreement.
• Equip the Executive team with analyses and written recommendations to inform funding and capacity decisions.

What they're looking for

• Strong analytical instincts and the ability to translate ambiguous ideas into clear strategies with milestones and metrics.
• A proven negotiator who can assess incentives, compliance needs, and structure workable partnerships.
• Clear, direct communicator who can influence senior stakeholders and present concise recommendations with underlying assumptions.
• Experience turning broad mandates into a short list of options and a defined implementation path without a formal playbook.
• Experience with humanitarian or institutional donors, mobile money, telco or payments partnerships, grantmaking, or competitive solicitations.
• Alignment with GiveDirectly values and willingness to operate in the context of a global poverty alleviation program.

For applicants in Nigeria

• Location is remote; the listing does not specify country eligibility beyond remote.
• The listing does not state a timezone requirement; confirm before interviewing.
• The listing does not specify contractor versus employee status; to be clarified.
• Compensation information is provided for US, UK, and Kenya; for other locations, information will be discussed during the initial screening.
• The listing does not include visa or work authorization notes; confirm if needed.