US Program Director

GiveDirectly

1d•Remote

About The Position

Since launching US operations in 2017, GiveDirectly has delivered more than $330M in direct cash to low-income Americans. We are looking for a committed team lead who can ensure excellent operational delivery across multiple programs; track and mitigate risks across domains including compliance, legal, and operations; and build and manage a high-performing team in alignment with GiveDirectly values. The Programs Director is responsible for two main workstreams: Supporting the US program team in executing high quality, compliant programs, with an eye towards proactive risk identification and mitigation. Overseeing and leveling up the “delivery ops” of the US portfolio, including portfolio planning, KPI infrastructure, finance tracking, and grants & compliance strategy. The Programs Director will serve as the US program team liaison to global Compliance, Internal Audit, Safeguarding, People/HR, and Finance teams. They will support US Senior Managers to build, execute, and manage projects in line with global standards for these functions. They will work closely with the US Country Director, who sets the team strategy and leads fundraising, to inform program design and meet project deliverables.

Requirements

10+ years of relevant experience - e.g. in non-profit country management, organizational leadership, partnership development, program management, social entrepreneurship or consulting - with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility
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.
Advanced partnership capabilities, including new business, negotiation, and consortium management
Strong understanding of the US cash and poverty reduction space, including an understanding of US social safety net and poverty reduction programs and policy
Outstanding relationship management abilities, including ability to represent GiveDirectly at the highest levels
Exceptional communications skills: written and verbal, including with senior audiences
Strong organizational and/or project management skills, with a high degree of autonomy and resilience
Problem solver: you look at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization. You can run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions
Language Requirement: English (Spanish or other languages a plus)
Ability to travel ~4-6 times per year for internal and external program needs

Responsibilities

Responsible for creating robust systems to support a diverse set of projects, programs, and funding sources, and setting and maintaining standards to ensure operational excellence across delivery
Support Senior Managers to identify and evaluate strategic and operational risks across programs, and ideate and execute strategies to mitigate risk
Lead internal program management coordination with global programs leads
Flex down to directly manage US programs as needed
Understand legal and regulatory context enough to triage and find appropriate solutions alongside Human Resources, Compliance, Legal teams, and external resources for portfolio hurdles (eg grant compliance)
Ensure US portfolio maintains procurement compliance, with rigorous evaluation of new and existing vendors/subcontractors and partnerships
Track and manage country-level risk framework, including identifying and implementing risk mitigation strategies
Serve as analytical support and thought partner, assisting team in clearing hurdles and bottlenecks to execution
Serve as analytical support and thought partner for portfolio and program budget development and oversight, working closely with Country Director, Senior Managers, and Finance Business Partners
Support Senior Managers to review project budgets; accountable for portfolio budget to actuals
May directly manage US team Senior Managers and Managers as needed and appropriate given program dynamics
Flex up to serve as representative of US team to executive leadership and senior external partners
Support the CD to build a strong team culture rooted in GD’s values. Cultivate and grow exceptional talent.
Lead internal coordination with global functional verticals (Compliance, Internal Audit, Safeguarding, People/HR, and Finance)
With CD, plan and cost current and future country office staffing structure, and align country vision to global constraints, priorities, and needs
Own and update team workplans to reflect current and new opportunities, incorporating data from program operations infrastructure