Senior Program Manager

Priority Application Deadline: March 23, 2026

Location: This role is fully remote but will regularly work on East Coast hours. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

About this role

The Senior Manager drives program implementation for large-scale cash interventions in the U.S. As a senior member of GiveDirectly’s U.S. country team, you will serve a critical role in ensuring the U.S. team’s infrastructure and operations create the conditions for effective, high-quality programs. Working closely with the Grants, Finance, and Partnerships teams, the Senior Manager ensures that public and philanthropic funds are deployed with strict alignment to funder requirements while enabling fast, reliable program delivery across multiple communities. This role will also provide project-specific oversight and support to large scale cash programs as needed, including managing Program Managers and Associates. 

This is a unique opportunity to drive impact and innovation on a $100M+ year portfolio alongside a creative, determined team. 

Reports to: U.S. Country Director

Level: Senior Manager

Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel ~3-4 times per year for team retreats, convenings, or programs visits 

Responsibilities: 

Program Management 

• Fully own end-to-end design, planning, and execution of cash projects, and coordinate with external and internal stakeholders to ensure successful end-to-end execution

• Design and build operational models for new programs, including assessing trade-offs of different design decisions (e.g. targeting, payments, customer service)

• Manage partnerships with vendors, subgrantees, subcontractors, and other external parties to support implementation

• Define, track, and report operational and efficiency metrics 

• Identify and de-risk operational vulnerabilities (e.g. fraud, brand risk etc)

• Motivate teams and directly manage team members (U.S. Manager/Associate) whose responsibilities include field team hiring and management, operations quality assurance, and business diligence support

Systems Design and Process Ownership 

• Identify and advance macro-level improvements in U.S. operations, program management, and reporting processes

  • Ex: Ensure program design and operational decisions align with external constraints, including identifying and addressing process gaps and risk drivers 

• Collaborate closely with the Grants team to develop processes that ensure U.S. project funding strategies are operationally viable and minimally burdensome to internal and external stakeholders 

  • Resolve conflicts between program needs and funding rules, escalating risks early with clear options and trade offs

  • Ensure clear communication and reporting to state agencies, fiscal intermediaries, and major institutional funders on compliance and execution

• Collaborate closely with the Fraud and Safeguarding teams to ensure projects always put Recipients First, bringing a systems lens to combating fraud and harm  

• Establish internal controls, approval workflows, and documentation standards that ensure on-the-ground program operations are responsive to reporting requirements

External partner and funder engagement

• Establish and maintain high quality relationships with donors and operational partners

• Drive communication and alignment across a variety of internal and external stakeholders including GiveDirectly senior management, donors, operational partners, researchers, and payment providers

• Collaborate with U.S. Country Director and Partnerships team to drive donor conversations and position GiveDirectly as a leader in the US cash space

• Conduct operational diligence, feasibility, and risk assessments for pilots and proposals

What you’ll bring:

We’re looking for an individual with a strong drive to take ownership, a desire to work in a fast-paced, evidence-driven team, and interest in maximizing GiveDirectly’s impact by building, managing, and scaling relationships and projects with GiveDirectly’s partners. 

• 4 to 7+ years of experience managing large scale program delivery in complex funding environments, including restricted public funding sources

• 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.

• Proven ability to translate regulatory and contractual requirements into practical operational systems that center recipients 

• Experience working cross functionally with finance, grants, and partnership teams

• Clear communicator who can work with state agencies, funders, and internal leaders.

• Detail oriented without losing sight of program outcomes and timelines.

• Comfort operating in ambiguity, with strong judgment and comfort managing complex risks

• Enthusiasm for fast-paced environments, which may lack pre-defined playbook for success and involve significant “learning by doing”

• Strong technical skills, including data analysis and appetite for evaluating and stress testing third-party tech platforms and tools

• An excitement and energy for the work we do and for collaborating with others

• A proclivity for giving and gracefully receiving direct, honest, and constructive feedback

• A minimum of 3-4 years experience in a top private or public sector organization

• Language Requirement: English, additional languages like Spanish and Arabic a plus 

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.

• The base salary for this role is $109,200