Program Director, Uganda

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026.

Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth. Curious about what it's really like to work here? Read our values and hear from the people who do. If they resonate, this could be a great fit!

Location: This role must be based in Kampala, Uganda.

About this role

Uganda's Programs team is the largest department in the country office and carries the biggest budget of any function, and it is scaling. The Program Director needs to be a strong operator who can run multi-million-dollar programs through that growth without the delivery model breaking, someone equally comfortable in the field diagnosing a bottleneck and in a budget review defending a variance. Because this person also serves as deputy to the Country Director, excellent stakeholder management is non-negotiable, not a nice-to-have: they need to manage up, across, and with Senior Managers with equal ease, and be ready to represent the country office internally when the CD is unavailable. We are looking for someone with a demonstrated track record of direct-delivery program leadership at scale (not grant intermediation), sound financial and risk judgment, and a management style that builds durable, accountable teams rather than one that runs on the PD's personal bandwidth.

Reports to: Country Director

Level: Director

Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel ~1-2 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats or field visits

What you’ll do:

Program Delivery & Operational Leadership

• Lead day-to-day delivery of all Uganda programs, ensuring they run on time, on budget, and meet the efficiency, quality, and impact benchmarks set by the Country Director.
• Build and maintain robust operational systems and standards to support a diverse and growing portfolio of projects, programs, and funding sources.
• Serve as the primary internal owner of program execution, proactively identifying bottlenecks, resolving cross-functional dependencies, and ensuring smooth implementation.
• Act as a thought partner to Senior Managers, providing analytical support and removing obstacles to execution.
• Own program scale and expansion strategy for field operations in line with organizational goals.

Pipeline Enablement & Program Readiness

• Ensure active programs are operationally positioned to support funding and partnership opportunities identified by the Country Director and fundraising team.
• Translate funding and partnership opportunities into operationally viable delivery plans, including timelines, resourcing, and risk assessments.
• Provide program data, evidence, and delivery input to support donor and government engagements led by the Country Director.

Product, Evidence & Research Integration

• Lead the integration of product, evidence, and research initiatives into Uganda programs, ensuring alignment with field realities and delivery objectives.
• Balance short-term delivery priorities with longer-term product and innovation goals, ensuring programs remain coherent and scalable.
• Coordinate across programs to avoid fragmented “project-by-project” execution and strengthen programmatic coherence.

Risk & Compliance (Program-Level)

• Support the Country Director as second line of defense on operational and programmatic risk within programs, flagging emerging issues early.
• Maintain program-level risk trackers, ensuring timely escalation and mitigation in coordination with Internal Audit, Safeguarding, and Compliance.
• Ensure program teams consistently follow safeguarding and compliance protocols set by the Country Director and global teams.

Budgeting & Planning Support

• Partner with the Country Director, Senior Managers, and Finance to develop and maintain operational budgets and work plans.
• Own program-level Budget vs. Actuals (B2A) tracking, supporting Senior Managers to manage variances and financial risks.
• Flag budget and resourcing risks to the Country Director to inform decision-making.

Team Leadership & Internal Coordination

• Directly manage Senior Managers and provide day-to-day leadership across the programs team.
• Support the Country Director in reinforcing a strong, values-driven culture rooted in GiveDirectly’s principles.
• Identify talent, support development, and strengthen succession across program and operations teams.
• Partner with the Country Director on organogram planning and resourcing needs.

Procurement & Operations Oversight

• Provide day-to-day oversight of procurement and operational functions to ensure smooth program delivery, minimal downtime, and strong coordination across teams.
• Ensure operational systems scale appropriately with program growth and complexity.

Deputy to the Country Director

• Act as deputy to the Country Director, stepping in as Acting CD when required to ensure continuity of leadership, decision-making, and operations.
• Support decision-making at the senior level, ensuring internal execution remains aligned with external commitments and strategic priorities set by the Country Director.

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. 10+ years of relevant experience - e.g. in non-profit country management, organizational leadership, partnership development, program management, social entrepreneurship or consulting - with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility
• Advanced partnership capabilities, including new business, negotiation, and consortium management
• Strong understanding of the cash and poverty reduction space, including an understanding of social safety net and poverty reduction programs and policy
• Demonstrated ability to lead and set strategic vision at a national level
• Team management experience, including hiring and building teams
• Outstanding relationship management abilities, including ability to represent GiveDirectly at the highest levels
• 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
• 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.
• Language Requirement: English

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 total compensation for this role is broken down as follows:

• Base Salary: $99,100
• Bonus at Target Performance: ~15%
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $8,453

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!

Referrals

Know the right person for this role? Please consider referring them. We offer a reward of $3,000 for a Senior Manager or above role, and $500 for a Manager role, paid if we end up hiring your referral. Thank you for sending great people our way!