GiveDirectly allows governments, foundations, and individual donors to provide direct cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty. Using the latest technology at every step, we locate recipients, integrate them into electronic payments networks, and monitor transfers end-to-end. We charge the full cost of delivering this service and nothing more. 

We are looking for exceptional talent to help us build the world's most efficient, transparent and scalable system to transfer resources directly into the hands of the poor -- and in the process transform the way international development is done.

GiveDirectly

Referral Bonus

Bonus

Health Benefit Stipend

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 

 to back it up. Our work has been covered by 

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 

. If they resonate, this could be a great fit!

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early applications are heavily encouraged.

We’re growing at incredible speed, and expect to hit $1B in revenue in 2026 with significant growth forecast for 2027. We’re hiring a 

 to lead the building and rebuilding of the technology, systems and ways of working that will enable a sustained $5B+ p/a operation.

You will build software that safely and securely moves billions of dollars to millions of vulnerable people in some of the poorest and highest need parts of the world. This will require applying excellent engineering, team building and organizational judgment to complex, high-stakes operations: identity and fraud management, machine learning on large but imperfect datasets (cell phone data, satellite imagery, government registries), mobile money integrations, low-connectivity environments, rapidly evolving requirements all in diverse regulatory environments and country contexts. You’ll need to keep our legacy technology stack stable and performant, while in parallel building new systems from the ground up for our next level of scale.

You will lead engineering, data, security and enterprise technology – with a small, mighty and rapidly growing engineering team of ~15, and the expectation that this can at least double to ~30 in the next 12 months if you want it to. You’ll report to a CEO with deep experience running technology companies, and partner with our VP Product.

This role is remote, with working hours between US Eastern Time and East African Time, and some preference for candidates in our office hubs of New York, London, or Nairobi.

An exceptional hirer, manager and organizer of technical talent.

 Proven record identifying, hiring, developing and retaining excellent engineers and engineering leaders, and creating team processes that consistently deliver software with quality and velocity.

Deep technical judgment, applied close to the work.

 You can evaluate major designs, pressure-test architecture and build-vs-buy decisions, and recognize when a team is heading the wrong way, without becoming the primary implementer. Low-ego: you’ll investigate a problem yourself when that’s what the situation requires.

Business judgment and decisiveness under ambiguity.

 You’re not just a technical leader, you’re also a business executive. You understand the business, are a strong cross-functional partner, and have a history of good judgment when navigating tradeoffs of long vs. short term, speed, reliability, security, flexibility, cost, technical quality, and user impact.

 You have a point of view on where AI meaningfully changes engineering productivity and organizational capability, and you’ve moved a team from experimentation to real, measured use. You can set the tools, culture, goals, and guardrails that leverage the opportunities and mitigate the risks of an AI first engineering culture.

 incredibly seriously, and expect our leaders to embody, nurture, and promote them in the way they work and the teams they build.

 Experience in an operationally complex or regulated domain (fintech, payments, humanitarian response, global development); systems involving financial controls, fraud risk, identity, or sensitive recipient data; operating across multiple countries, particularly lower-income or infrastructure-constrained ones; leading both modern product engineering and enterprise technology.

Define our technology vision and target stack.

 Own the technical strategy for technology-first delivery at $5B+/year: architecture, platforms, build-vs-buy, and what we retire. Work with executive, product, finance, risk, and data leaders to turn program and product strategy into a sequenced, credible portfolio of technical investments.

 You'll manage six workstreams that all matter and won't all move at once: (1) building our new cash delivery stack (remote-first verification, fraud prevention, massive volume) (2) stabilizing our legacy stack until switchover, then managing the migration; (3) donor-facing fundraising products; (4) our global emergency cash system (and eventual white-labelling of that product); (5) enterprise technology; (6) internal tooling, platform, and cybersecurity. Deciding sequencing and staffing across these (and saying "not yet" credibly) is the job.

Build and grow an exceptional technology organization.

 Recruit outstanding engineering and technology talent, design the org GiveDirectly needs at its next stage of scale (engineering, product, data, security, infrastructure, enterprise systems), and create the accountability, decision rights, and career paths to sustain high talent density. Grow the engineering team from 15 to ~30 with a lean but durable management structure.

Own the technical direction and quality bar.

 Guide consequential decisions on integrations, data, security, reliability, and technical debt. Ensure our systems can safely support a major increase in transaction volume, geographic reach, and organizational dependence on technology. Set a pragmatic quality bar appropriate to high-stakes financial delivery while preserving speed.

 Serve as a member of GiveDirectly’s executive team, reporting to the CEO and bringing technology into major strategic and operating decisions. Help non-technical leaders understand technical constraints and costs, build credibility with country and functional leaders by understanding their realities, and force clarity when priorities, ownership, or tradeoffs are ambiguous.

 Approximately 4–6 trips per year, including visits to GiveDirectly countries of operation.

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 so pay is consistent across comparable roles.

Total Compensation (US) of $366,000 – $518,000

Bonus: $45,000-$112,000 (bonus is % based and decided based on org-wide performance, we will share full methodology during the hiring process)

Total Compensation (UK) of £225,000 – £317,000 comprised of:

Bonus: £29,000 – £72,500 (bonus is % based and decided based on org-wide performance, we will share full methodology during the hiring process)

Total Compensation (Kenya) of $333,000 – $467,000 comprised of:

Bonus: $42,000 – $106,000 (bonus is % based and decided based on org-wide performance, we will share full methodology during the hiring process)

If you are not based in one of the countries listed above, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

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.

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 

, 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.**

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 careers@givedirectly.org 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?

Know the right person for this role? Please consider 

. 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!

Background Check Required

Timezone Match Required

Travel Required

Experience Requirement

GiveDirectly is seeking a Chief Technology Officer to lead the scaling of its technology systems to support a $5B+ annual operation. The role involves managing engineering, data, and security teams, overseeing the migration from legacy stacks to new AI-first architectures, and ensuring secure financial delivery to millions of recipients.

Technology

Remote

Global

Chief Technology Officer

Full Time

GiveDirectly's People Operations team owns global payroll, employee lifecycle, HR data, and total rewards delivery for a workforce spread across more than 20 countries. As the team has grown, so has the case for additional capacity at the leadership level to help own the operating engine that keeps payroll, service delivery, and people data running well every day. This role is that operating engine.

The Senior Manager, People Operations will manage a team of Associates and Coordinators (3 in total for now). You'll own end-to-end payroll delivery, the ticketing system and employee lifecycle (onboarding, offboarding, transfers), HRIS data quality, and execution of the annual compensation cycle and mobility transactions. You'll be the first point of contact for country HR teams on operational payroll, data, and ticketing matters, and you'll build depth across your team so critical knowledge doesn't sit with one person.

This is a hands-on, builder's role. You'll set the operating model for your areas (cadence, controls, service standards) and be accountable for the outcomes, not just for delivering against someone else's plan. 

Remote, with a requirement to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours, and meaningful overlap with US Eastern hours. We can only employ people in certain places at the moment, so it's worth checking our 

 to see if yours is included. If you're based elsewhere, it's not an automatic no, but do flag it early with your recruiter. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

Must be able to travel ~3-4 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats and oversight.


Lead, coach, and develop a team, setting clear priorities, standards of work, and ownership across payroll, service delivery, people data, and lifecycle operations

Build depth and cover across the team so critical knowledge is not concentrated in one person, and establish clear escalation paths for absences and peak periods

Define the operating model for your areas, including cadence, controls, service standards, and how work is prioritized against the function roadmap

Serve as the first point of contact for country HR teams on operational payroll, data, lifecycle, and ticketing matters

Own end-to-end payroll delivery for all global staff across entities and employer of record arrangements, ensuring accurate and timely processing of salaries, benefits, and deductions

Own the payroll calendar, approvals, controls, and reconciliation, partnering with Finance on month-end, accruals, and people cost reporting

Manage payroll providers operationally, including service quality, issue resolution, invoicing, and migrations

Maintain current knowledge of payroll and statutory requirements across all operating locations, and drive the changes needed to stay compliant

Run annual bonus administration end to end, ensuring calculations are accurate and payments are made within designated timelines

Own the ticketing system and its operating rhythm, including triage, assignment, SLA performance, and reporting

Own onboarding, offboarding, transfers, and role changes as designed processes rather than a series of transactions, and be accountable for the experience they produce

Analyze trends and root causes of recurring issues and deliver structural fixes rather than repeat workarounds

Drive the implementation of tools that improve functionality and user experience

Act as the escalation point for complex or high-priority tickets, providing direction and ensuring timely resolution

People operations service delivery and employee lifecycle: 

Own HRIS operations and data quality, including the method for preventing inaccurate data entering the system at source

Own the people systems roadmap covering workflows, automation, integrations, and reporting infrastructure, partnering with IT and Finance on delivery

Run the audit and reporting cycle, and maintain reporting standards in practice

Produce the people reporting that leadership decisions rely on

Execute annual compensation cycles, salary adjustments, and increase rollouts accurately and on time

Own benefits administration across all locations, including renewals, enrollments, and issue resolution

Produce the analysis behind compensation decisions, including benchmarking, compa ratio and cost modelling, and equity audits

Execute mobility transactions end to end, including payroll and entity transfers, contract issuance, location-based pay changes, work permit and employer of record administration, and the supporting trackers and records

Participate in cross-functional initiatives and organizational projects, representing People Operations requirements

Perform all other duties that may be assigned to you from time to time by the Senior Manager, People Operations and stakeholders

6+ years of professional experience in People Operations, HR operations, or global payroll, including at least 2 years managing a team

Direct experience running multi-country payroll and people operations, ideally including Sub-Saharan Africa and employer of record arrangements

Demonstrated ownership of an HRIS, including an implementation, migration, or significant data quality turnaround

A systems and process mindset, with the ability to point to workflows you have automated, simplified, or eliminated

Working knowledge of employment and statutory requirements across multiple jurisdictions, with sound judgment on compliance risk and a clear sense of when to decide and when to escalate

Strong analytical skills, including comfort with compensation and cost modelling and advanced spreadsheet ability

Ability to liaise remotely with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures, and to act with credibility, tact, and diplomacy

Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate technical people operations content to non-specialist audiences

Comfort operating with incomplete guidance and shifting priorities, and strong time management across competing deadlines

Experience in a global non-profit, international development organization, or mission-driven company with an Africa presence preferred

Familiarity with employer of record and contractor models across multiple countries (Oyster, Remote, or similar) preferred

Aptitude to learn new software tools such as Slack, BambooHR, Jira, and Asana, and comfort with AI-assisted tools to streamline people operations workflows

 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.

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 

Unless otherwise noted, the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.

 10% (~$11,466, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $13,415 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $126,126+

 10% (~£7,760, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be £9,079 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £85,360+

 10% (~$8,382, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $9,807 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $92,202+

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process. 

No Sponsorship Available

GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Manager, People Operations to lead a global team managing payroll, employee lifecycle, and HR data. This hands-on role involves overseeing end-to-end payroll delivery, HRIS data quality, and annual compensation cycles for a workforce across 20+ countries. The ideal candidate has 6+ years of experience in HR operations and strong analytical skills.

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