Overview

GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Global Director of Country Operations to oversee and enhance the infrastructure, systems, and effectiveness of its country offices. This critical leadership role requires extensive experience managing and maturing country operations in complex environments, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Key Responsibilities

Strengthen country operations, including financial management (overseeing $150M+ annually), operational support, setup/wind-down of offices, organizational development, and ensuring impact at scale.
Ensure global standards and compliance, including policy integration, legal/statutory compliance, certification/verification processes, and risk identification.
Act as the primary liaison between country offices and Global Shared Services (GSS) for functions like People, Compliance, Procurement, Audit, Security, IT, and Risk.
Oversee risk and crisis management, including maintaining a cross-country risk dashboard and leading crisis response efforts.
Represent programs in GSS and country office coordination meetings, lead organizational initiatives, and drive special projects.

Requirements

Proven track record managing and maturing country offices in challenging environments, with deep experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Expertise in financial management, risk mitigation, compliance, HR, procurement, IT, and legal processes.
Strong leadership and influence skills, with the ability to develop, lead, and support high-performing teams and foster cross-cultural collaboration.
Systems thinking, resourcefulness, and extensive experience in crisis and risk management.
Comfortable utilizing new technologies and AI to improve organizational effectiveness.
Excellent cross-cultural communication skills; fluency in English is required. French, Portuguese, or Swahili are highly desirable.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field.
Alignment with GiveDirectly’s core values: transparency, inclusivity, impact-driven, and high integrity.

Benefits

Competitive salary package, paying within the 75th percentile for similar roles globally (e.g., $145,000 USD base salary for US, $120,000 USD for Kenya).
Supportive work environment emphasizing growth and development.
Health benefits (varies by country).
Flexible paid time off.
Allowances for workspace setup and learning opportunities.