Senior Manager, Special Projects

GiveDirectly•San Francisco, CA

4d•Remote

About The Position

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 and delivered cash to more than 2 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, span 21 different countries and 69 languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, 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 high ownership, flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities. GiveDirectly’s Special Projects team is a lean, high-performing group responsible for identifying, shaping, and executing the organization’s most ambitious revenue growth opportunities — big bets that can unlock step-change impact for people in poverty rather than incremental gains. As Senior Manager, Special Projects, you will own a focused portfolio of high-stakes, external opportunities and be accountable for moving one priority initiative forward at a time — from early exploration through strategy and execution. These efforts often sit at the intersection of fundraising, marketing, product, and research, and require both sharp strategic thinking and strong execution. A key focus of this role will be developing and advancing new pathways to mobilize large-scale resources and partnerships from leading organizations at the frontier of technology and innovation. This will involve identifying emerging opportunities, shaping compelling strategic narratives, and building relationships with the potential to deliver millions for people in poverty. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in high-ambiguity environments, is energized by building something new from scratch, and is motivated by forging strong internal and external relationships and translating complex ideas into real-world impact.

Requirements

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.
Language Requirement: English
7+ years of experience in a fast-paced, high-performance environment (e.g., consulting, technology, startups, nonprofit fundraising, or related fields)
A track record of tenacious problem solving, taking ownership, and delivering results in ambiguous, high-stakes contexts
Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to align senior stakeholders without formal authority
Experience shaping, securing, or supporting multi-million-dollar partnerships, investments, or strategic initiatives
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for high-stakes, external-facing materials
Strong prioritization and self-management skills, with comfort operating across multiple workstreams

Nice To Haves

Fluency in technology-driven environments, with the ability to engage credibly with technical or product-oriented partners
Existing relationships or networks with senior leaders, founders, operators, or investors at major global organizations
Comfort using AI tools in day-to-day work, or strong eagerness and demonstrated ability to rapidly build this capability

Responsibilities

Identify and shape high-potential opportunities – Build and refine a pipeline of “big bet” initiatives by synthesizing internal priorities, market signals, and emerging trends, and rapidly translating ambiguous ideas into clear strategies, theories of change, and milestones with success metrics.
Own and drive end-to-end execution of priority initiatives – Take ownership for advancing one high-stakes opportunity at a time from concept through execution, maintaining momentum over weeks or months and increasing hit rates across a portfolio of bets.
Lead complex cross-functional collaboration – Align and mobilize teams across Product, Programs, Research, Finance, and other functions to unlock new funding pathways and deliver against ambitious, organization-wide goals.
Build and manage high-value external relationships – Develop new partnerships with senior stakeholders, particularly in technically sophisticated and fast-evolving sectors, and support or lead engagement with major donors, foundations, and strategic partners.
Develop tailored partnership and funding strategies – Create bespoke engagement plans, pitch materials, and narratives that resonate with specific partners and unlock large-scale, funding opportunities.
Support high-stakes decision making and leadership engagement – Partner closely with senior leadership (including at CEO and Board level) to prepare for critical external meetings and gatherings.