Program Manager

GiveDirectly

17h•Remote

About The Position

The U.S. Program Manager will play a key role in driving and executing operations for the Rx Kids program, with an initial focus on Ohio operations. 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. This role will ideally manage Ohio operations shortly after program launch in early September and will start with a compressed onboarding window as the team transitions from launch mode to steady-state. Successful candidates should be comfortable getting up to speed quickly and taking ownership with limited ramp-up time. The Program Manager will work closely with the U.S. Programs and Partnerships Manager, Rx Kids Program Associates and the U.S. leadership team, as well as cross-functionally with programs, fundraising, and technology teams. This is an execution-focused role: you will be the subject matter expert on program details and day-to-day delivery. We are looking for candidates who are highly independent and solutions-oriented, have experience driving operational excellence and improvement, and who thrive in fast-paced environments.

Requirements

Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
A "player-coach" mindset, i.e. you are comfortable owning both strategic decisions and hands-on execution, including recipient-facing customer service work.
3+ years of experience in a role focused on project management and/or problem solving.
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 critical thinking and judgment, you ask the right questions, synthesize information quickly, and make sound decisions with incomplete information
Strong data analysis skills, comfort working with data, including an ability to ask the right questions, work with inconsistent or incomplete datasets, and translate findings into clear outputs.
Strong communications skills, specifically in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders.
Strong organizational instincts, you build systems, maintain them, and proactively surface when something is at risk
Ability to ramp up quick and work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, following through on assignments while effectively communicating upwardly about gaps and risks
Fluency in English

Nice To Haves

Experience in or familiarity with maternal/child health, early childhood policy, cash, or a related domain is a plus.
Proficiency in additional languages a plus.

Responsibilities

Build and manage work plans, basic budgets, and report out (internally and externally) on program progress
Manage programs with little supervision, escalating and seeking support particularly during launch, expansion, and close, or in the instance of adverse events or partnership challenges
Coordinate effectively across internal and external stakeholders (partners, vendors, funders, cross-functional teams), proactively surfacing risks and keeping everyone aligned
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
Move fluidly between strategic ownership and hands-on tactical work as needed
Play a core operations role, leading end-to-end project management, including assessing trade-offs of different design decisions
Oversee application verification processes to drive fulfillment of service level agreements, including defining and reviewing operational efficiency metrics, with an eye to managing to improvement
In coordination with GiveDirectly’s Recipient Safeguarding, escalate and support resolution of safeguarding cases
Lead fraud monitoring and mitigation with GiveDirectly’s Internal Audit team
Define and oversee customer service strategy and platform to ensure positive recipient experience and drive fulfillment of service level agreements, with an eye to managing to improvement
Support Program Associate in managing Customer Service, escalating performance issues and monitoring KPIs
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
Build and maintain workflows and records within back-end operational platforms
Manage field staff, including one Cleveland-based Program Associate, to deliver high-quality customer service, operations, and programming
Hire and onboard additional field staff as the program scales
Collaborate closely with other team members and leaders to ensure consistency in program operations
Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful and timely operational execution
Establish and maintain high-quality relationships with operational partners including funders, technical partners, and community-based organizations, including facilitating meetings and leading regular communications, with support from program associates
Determine and execute on external communications and storytelling strategy in coordination with external and internal partners
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 and contracting, developing reports, coordinating with partners (e.g. consortia), and representing Rx Kids to wider audiences