Senior Global Director of Country Operations (Remote)

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving and millions of lives by providing cash grants directly to the worlds 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. Weve 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 GDs 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 -- its 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.

Priority application deadline: 25 February 2026

Level: Global Head of Country Operations

Reports to: VP Programs

Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel 15%-25% for county office visits and team offsitesl

About this role:

GiveDirectly is seeking a Global Head of Country Operations to strengthen and scale operations across all our country offices. This role will shape the operating model that powers GiveDirectlys next decade of growth. They will build strong country office foundations and level up our ability to scale and serve recipients excellently and adaptively working in partnership with our COO and other department leads across the organization. The ideal candidate has delivered results across a diverse set of contexts brings order to chaos and can partner with senior leaders as well as they can roll up their sleeves to get critical work shipped.. This is a rare opportunity to architect the backbone of a global organization delivering hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

What were looking for:

• Proactive thinker and systems builder who can both resolve todays issues and also prepare us for tomorrows opportunities
• Track record of delivering results and owning increasing responsibilities
• Gets things done. Thrives in a lean fast paced and hands on environment
• Excellent ability to influence and manage diverse stakeholders including change management
• Able to juggle a wide range of responsibilities reliably and nimbly
• Diverse work background: Has demonstrated adaptability across high-performing contexts and demands e.g. in AI/tech management consulting or other private sector
• Operations breadth across functions like finance HR procurement compliance ethics IT audit and/or risk compliance ethics IT corporate audit and/or risk management.
• Deep experience living and/or working in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Excited about GD values and mission

What youll do:

Strengthen and standardize country operations

• Ensure clear roles crisp accountability and strong operating routines.
• Define and implement simple scalable operating models across HR finance procurement compliance IT security and risk.
• Embed global standards in context-appropriate ways that reduce friction so dollars reach recipients faster and more reliably.

Coordination between program teams and central functions

• Coordinate and represent country office realities in global standards setting priority setting and resource allocation
• Ensure rollout of global standards in ways that are context appropriate user-friendly meaningful and rigorous

Drive strong financial management and performance

• Oversee financial management across all country offices ($350M/year) ensuring budgets enable scale and mitigate risk.
• Establish clear KPIs dashboards and operating reviews to maintain cost-efficiency.

Lead country expansions and transitions

• Oversee new country launches and compliant wind-downs with clear playbooks and risk mitigation.
• Coordinate across functions to ensure smooth execution.

Strengthen systems and institutional capability

• Translate operational insights into repeatable systems tools and automation that reduce manual work.
• Champion continuous improvement and technology adoption to scale efficiently and nimbly.

Enable proactive risk and cross-org alignment

• Maintain a global risk framework and lead or support crisis management when needed.
• Serve as the operational bridge between country leadership and global teams ensuring priorities are well-resourced and executed consistently.

Other responsibilities as required

Example Deliverables

• Partner with COO to refresh roles responsibilities and accountabilities and how they are split between country directors and global shared services departments
• Lead an ops & finance working group to to identify and test step-change efficiency improvement at scale (using budget & process data then piloting changes)
• Launch a new country office in a crisis-prone region in 3 months
• Systematize contracting approval processes to cut cycle time by 2x while maintaining compliance & auditability.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role location and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

Unless otherwise noted the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.

We are open to considering exceptional candidates at both the Senior Director or a higher level depending on experience and fit.

United States

• Base Salary: $145000 (Senior Director Level) or $170700 (Higher Level)
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% ($21750 or $25605 with potential for upside. For reference with the organizations current performance multiplier this amount would be $25447 or $29958 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $166750 (Senior Director Level) or $196305 (Higher Level)
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21393

United Kingdom

• Base Salary: 106374 (Senior Director Level) or 122330 (Higher Level)
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% (15956 or 18350 with potential for upside. For reference with the organizations current performance multiplier this amount would be 18668 or 21470 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: 122330 (Senior Director Level) or 140680 (Higher Level)
• Annual Benefits Stipend: 2760

Kenya

• Base Salary: $120000 (Senior Director Level) or $145000 (Higher Level)
• Bonus at Target Performance: 15% ($18000 or $21750 with potential for upside. For reference with the organizations current performance multiplier this amount would be $21060 or $25448 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $138000 (Senior Director Level) or $166750 (Higher Level)
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $8453

This role is fully remote so if you are not based in the US UK or Kenya we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

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 including bonus
• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Flexible paid time off
• Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development

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

#LI-REMOTE

Working at GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the persons 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 working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients staff and partners seriously. To that end GiveDirectly is a member of theMisconduct Disclosure Scheme and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens including in-depth reference checks criminal background checks and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of zero tolerance when it comes to preventing reporting or responding to any form of abuse or exploitation. and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

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 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!