Country Director at GiveDirectly (GD)

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by allowing donors to provide capital 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 which is allocated to evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing a benchmark, and in the process accelerate the end of extreme poverty. GiveDirectly has raised over $400M in revenue (>$150M in 2020 alone), while being recognized as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company. The growing movement toward cash transfers and GD’s role in that movement have also been featured in This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, and Business Insider.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Country Director

Location: Abuja
Job Type: 12 months Contract (with extension based on performance against key metrics)

Role Overview

• You will be responsible for managing all aspects of the GiveDirectly Nigeria country office.
• Your role will involve building the processes, team, and partnerships that both enable the achievement of short-term goals (i.e. funding targets, 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.
• We are particularly interested in candidates with demonstrated success driving growth of programs, as measured by dollars raised.
• This will be an important part of performance evaluation for this role.
• This role is being offered as a 12-month contract with extension based on performance against key metrics.

Responsibilities
Fundraising and Partnership Development:

• Own revenue targets: drive fundraising opportunities, build and manage high quality relationships with donors
• Develop and leverage an in-country network of funders and partners
• Identify strategic partnership opportunities and build a robust pipeline of projects to enable growth
• Design ambitious work-plans and accompanying budgets.

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.

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 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 Nigeria
• Set and manage towards country goals, that create a roadmap for our success in Nigeria

Required Skills and Experiences

• 8+ years of relevant experience – e.g. in program management, consulting, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, partnership development, or country office management – with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility
• Enthusiasm for fast-paced, innovative environments lacking pre-defined playbooks
• Experience in partnerships and business development.
• Team management experience, including hiring and building teams
• Strong relationship management abilities
• Exceptional communications skills: written and verbal, including with senior audiences
• Strong organizational and/or project management skills
• 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
• Experience working in Nigeria
• Fluent in English; fluency in another principal language of Nigeria preferred
• Alignment with GiveDirectly Values, including the ambition to pursue industry-changing success
• Active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.

Desired Skills and Experiences:

• Experience working in disaster and conflict.

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.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.