The posting
About GiveDirectly
What if the most effective way to fight poverty was also the simplest: give people money and trust them to decide what they need?
Since 2011, GiveDirectly has proven that idea at scale. We’ve delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty and crisis across 15 countries, and rigorous research shows the results: healthier kids, stronger businesses, sturdier homes, and more resilient families and local economies. Cash is now widely recognized as one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid.
Our ambition goes beyond our own programs. We want cash to become the benchmark for aid, much as the index fund became the benchmark for investing, so that every aid dollar is held to one question: is this doing more good than giving the money directly to people living in poverty?
We’re growing fast, and this is a rare and important moment to join.
We expect to hit $1B in revenue in 2026 with significant growth forecast for 2027. At the same time we are building a new technology stack and operating model designed for a roughly 10x change in scale, and we are actively pursuing partnerships with major funders to move even more money in bigger ways, to people who need it. We are known for our extensive integration of technology into field processes; our quantitative approach to performance measurement; and our commitment to rigorous, independent, experimental evaluation of our impact, with multiple Randomized Control Trials completed and others in progress.
How we work
Our team spans 20+ countries and 69 languages. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We expect high ownership and give people real responsibility early. Our values are central to how we hire, work, and grow, and they are deliberately opinionated:
- Recipients first. Recipients’ preferences come before those of donors or ourselves.
- Team next. We optimize for organizational success, not individual success.
- Be proactively candid. We say what we believe and share information openly.
- Create positive energy. We aim to be a source of energy for colleagues, not a drain.
- Think rigorously; act quickly. We reason from first principles, then act rather than debate.
- Know yourself and grow. We own our imperfections and seek feedback to grow.
- Accept reality. Propose solutions. We focus on what can change and bring solutions, not just problems.
- Be productively ambitious. We take risks for step-change impact, not incremental progress.
If they describe how you like to work and they energize you, this could be a great fit.
Want to learn more? Read and listen:
We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026, and our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows. Read our CEO's essay on what that will take.
Role overview
The Program Director leads the portfolio of programs for the GiveDirectly (GD) Mozambique country office and right hand person to the Country Director. They own how GiveDirectly Mozambique's cash transfer programs are designed, run and improved, and are accountable for delivery, performance and quality. They have a mandate to deliver cash to recipients and take programs to step-change scale without compromising on quality or safety.
At the core of the role is leading and coaching the Programs team: building managers' capacity and a team culture rooted in GiveDirectly values. The Program Director also works closely with other GiveDirectly teams (including Product, Safeguarding, Internal Audit, Operations and External Relations) to deliver programs that are effective, scaleable and recipient-centered.
Reports to: Country Director
Level: Director
Location: Maputo, Mozambique, with regular travel to field sites in Nampula, Sofala and other provinces.
Direct reports: LLS Senior Manager; Emergency Cash Program Manager; Social Protection Program Manager; Call Centre Manager
What you'll do
Program leadership and delivery
- Lead delivery of a rapidly growing portfolio - flagship large lump sum programs, government-led social protection and emergency cash, including technology enabled models.
- Lead thinking on how to scale programs and delivery systems in step with the country office's growth ambitions and government poverty reduction priorities.
- Set and hold high standards for recipient experience, delivery quality, KPIs and M&E, using data to guide decision making and allow adaptive programming.
- Adapt plans to new activities, refining assumptions and making adjustments to keep planning accurate and delivery smooth.
- Act as a thought partner to Programs staff, helping them clear bottlenecks to execution.
Team leadership and development
- Coach Programs staff, building their capacity to own decisions, lead teams and develop their skills and hold them accountable to high standards.
- Build a culture of excellence on the Programs team, rooted in GD values.
- Plan teams for scale, including hiring and onboarding of large teams, strengthening management and supervision systems, and building pathways for professional growth.
- Support the Country Director to plan and cost organograms, identify gaps and justify new positions.
Product and program design
- Work with GiveDirectly's global Product team to test, refine and implement new program designs, adapting them to the Mozambique context.
- Oversee the build and functional requirements of tech for new programs, including validating indicators and system logic capture the right data, route recipients through the right recipient experience, and manage risks appropriately.
- Track effectiveness, recipient experience and operational delivery across programs, and share feedback to strengthen product design.
- Develop and adopt tech-enabled and remote delivery models that improve efficiency, mitigate risk and protect quality.
- Coordinate with other global functions, including Programs, Tech, Research and Finance.
Risk, security, safeguarding and audit
- Identify, mitigate and track risks to programs, including fraud, safeguarding, security, reputational and delivery risks.
- Dotted line management of the Internal Audit team to coordinate with programs, and support them to strengthen risk management and systems, including digital and automated checks.
- Work closely with the Safeguarding team to prevent abuse and ensure recipient safety is a priority throughout the program cycle.
- Share responsibility for security management, working with district security focal points, the global security team and Operations to mitigate security risks.
- Support the Country Director to uphold donor and government compliance requirements.
External engagement and partnerships
- Support government engagement and partnership building with mobile network operators, to create an enabling environment for large-scale cash programming.
- Build effective partnerships with implementing partners, including government agencies such as INAS and INGD, as well as sub-awardees and consultants.
- Support the Country Director on donor relationships including through high-quality reporting, communication and input to proposals.
Operations and financial management
- Work with the Operations team (logistics, procurement, HR) on planning and on improving operational efficiency.
- Work with the Country Director and others to develop country annual plans, set annual targets, and develop country budgets.
- Be accountable for project budget vs. actuals (B2As), support review of country B2As, and drive cost efficiency.
What you'll bring
- Strong alignment with GiveDirectly's values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through and fostering inclusivity.
- 7+ years of experience
- 3+ years leading rapidly scaling relevant programs. This may include managing large scale field operations in the social sector or otherwise relevant experience in consulting, financial inclusion, telecommunications, or last mile social enterprise
- A track record of taking programs or delivery systems to scale.
- Experience coaching managers and building strong team cultures, including hiring and growing teams.
- Sound judgement on risk, ideally with experience mitigating security, fraud or safeguarding risks.
- Highly accountable: you turn ambitious goals into concrete plans and take ownership of delivering them.
- Able to cut through complexity: you distill messy problems to what matters and turn them into simple decisions, memos and designs.
- An analytical, iterative problem solver who uses data to diagnose issues, track performance and make decisions.
- Clear, compelling communicator, in writing and in person, with internal teams, government, partners and donors.
- Able to work collaboratively and negotiate to find solutions that work for stakeholders with different interests.
- Willing to roll up your sleeves to get things done where needed. Comfortable operating leanly / cost effectively.
- Professional fluency in English; Portuguese strongly preferred.
- Must be based in Maputo and able to travel regularly to field sites, including in northern Mozambique.
Nice to have - we don't expect candidates to bring all of these:
- Deep experience living or working in Mozambique
- Aptitude and curiosity to figure out how technology and AI can bring about step changes in scaling cash delivery responsibly and ethically. Working with product or tech teams to iterate on program designs.
- Experience managing security, fraud and safeguarding risks.
- Experience with social protection, humanitarian or cash transfer programs.
- Experience working with governments line ministries, regulators, and/or mobile network operators.
We strongly encourage applications from candidates with personal or professional experience in the low-income communities we serve.
Base Salary: USD 100,280
Bonus Target: 15%
Working at GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s 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 the Misconduct 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 [email protected] 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!
