Country Director – Democratic Republic of the Congo at GiveDirectly

About GiveDirectly

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 $700M since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1 million people, and launched offices in 10 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.

We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our collaborative, diverse team. Joining GiveDirectly provides the opportunity to work alongside individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. We’re actively working toward an equitable and inclusive environment for all team members, and seek candidates who will bring diverse perspectives and experiences to our organization. We recruit from organizations across all industries: our team has hailed from sectors including start-ups, government, consultancies, investment banks, and nonprofits.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and fast-paced. We value ability, adaptability, and willingness to learn. We offer competitive salary and benefits, as well as performance-based bonuses.

Reports to: Regional Director

Role Overview:

You will be responsible for managing all aspects of the GiveDirectly DRC country office. Your role will involve building the processes, team, and partnerships that both enable the achievement of short-term goals (i.e. annual KPIs) and create the conditions for long-term growth. You will be able to draw on resources from the partnerships, data & tech, finance and operations verticals, but will ultimately be accountable to both recipients and donors for delivering a gold-standard product.

Responsibilities:

Program Management

• Ensure operational excellence across all programs
• Backstop, manage, and guide an operations team in overcoming challenges, staying on schedule, and delivering quality results
• Be accountable for annual KPIs associated with recipients paid, recipient experience, and operational efficiency

Partnership Development

• Own revenue targets: drive fundraising opportunities, build and manage high quality relationships with donors
• Identify strategic partnership opportunities and build a robust pipeline of projects to enable growth
• Design ambitious work-plans and accompanying budgets

Internal Audit

• Collaborate and coordinate with GiveDirectly’s Recipient Advocacy team to prevent misconduct, including designing appropriate controls
• If necessary, provide leadership and oversight of investigations of alleged misconduct, ensuring best in class safeguarding and zero tolerance of fraud

Relationship Management

• Work with national and local government officials to secure permissions for maintenance and expansion of programs
• Communicate about GD to donors, media, and other partners

Team Management

• Motivate and coach a large team, including direct management of the country management team
• Build capacity of managers at all levels by ensuring that they have clearly defined metrics for success and regular feedback on progress
• Promulgate practices and norms that animate GD’s core values
• Take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and security of the GD team
• Identify key areas in need of hiring / redundancy planning and buffering to reduce the impact of unanticipated operational roadblocks

Strategic Planning

• Lead strategic planning for GiveDirectly in DRC
• Set and manage towards country goals, that create a roadmap for our success in DRC

Required Skills and Experiences

• 5-10 years of experience in a similar role or function (e.g. program management, new business development, country management)
• Team management experience, including hiring and building teams
• Experience in partnerships and business development. Strong relationship management abilities
• Exceptional communications skills: written and verbal, including with senior audiences
• Strong project management skills
• A high degree of autonomy and resilience. Enthusiasm for fast-paced environments, which may lack pre-defined playbook for success and involve significant “learning by doing”
• Analytical 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.
• Experience working in Francophone Africa
• Fluent in English and French
• 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.

Desired Skills and Experiences

• Understanding of the DRC context strongly preferred
• Experience working in conflict settings

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
• A monthly benefits allowance that covers Health, Dental, and Vision monthly premiums
• Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
• Desk allowance and flexible work location

*GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.*