GiveDirectly
Senior Product Manager, Global Payments Systems
About GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. GD has raised over $1B since 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 countries, and supported large‑scale experimental research indicating strong recipient impact. GD is celebrated as one of the most innovative non‑profit companies and is featured in the New York Times, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.
Location This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
About This Role GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Product Manager to drive the design, evaluation, and deployment of cutting‑edge payment solutions that support cash transfers to people affected by crises or extreme poverty worldwide. The role serves as the technical and strategic lead on payment rails and digital transfer mechanisms within the International Rapid Response (IRR) Product team, focusing on reaching displaced and crisis‑affected populations efficiently, securely, and with dignity.
Reports to
Senior Product Director, International Rapid Response Level
Senior Manager Travel Requirement
Approximately once per quarter
What You’ll Do
Payments Product Strategy and Roadmapping
Own the product vision, roadmap, and prioritization for international payments infrastructure.
Translate strategic objectives into actionable product goals, features, and success metrics.
Regularly evaluate and refine product‑market fit in the context of fast‑evolving program and country needs.
Investigate and Innovate Global Payment Channels
Identify, assess, and recommend international payment solutions that can reach populations in fragile and underserved markets.
Develop partnerships with global and regional payment aggregators, mobile money platforms, remittance providers, and stablecoin or crypto partners.
Pilot and evaluate alternative transfer modalities, including blockchain‑based or decentralized finance (DeFi) approaches, particularly in contexts where traditional banking access is limited.
Build and Scale Payment Infrastructure
Design systems for integrating new payment rails into GD’s operations, ensuring compliance, security, and scalability.
Define and document technical and operational requirements for payment implementation in humanitarian and development settings.
Collaborate with engineers and data teams to ensure seamless integration with targeting, verification, monitoring, and payments systems.
Research & Landscape Analysis
Map and compare emerging technologies and vendors in the payments space, with a focus on rapid deployment and cross‑border capabilities.
Conduct technical due diligence on vendors and track trends in stablecoin, mobile finance, and blockchain applications.
Cross‑functional Collaboration
Work closely with program managers, engineers, field teams, and finance/legal teams to ensure payment strategies align with on‑the‑ground realities and compliance frameworks.
Ensure excellent handoff of provider execution, oversight, and compliance to implementation teams.
Support crisis response deployments with technical insight and problem‑solving on‑the‑fly to ensure people get paid.
Performance and Reliability Management
Define and monitor key metrics (e.g., transaction success rates, payment speeds, reconciliation gaps).
Coordinate root cause analyses and mitigation planning for issues affecting reliability, latency, or compliance, and feed this into the product and FSP strategy.
Drive Efficiency and Creativity
Leverage your creativity to solve the unique challenges of delivering money in unpredictable, unstable, or disconnected environments.
Continuously refine internal payment playbooks and propose systemic improvements to speed, reliability, and recipient experience.
What You’ll Bring
Exceptional alignment with GD Values and active demonstration of core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow‑through, and fostering inclusivity. GD welcomes and strongly encourages applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low‑income and/or historically marginalized communities we serve.
5+ years of experience working with international digital payment systems, financial technology platforms, and/or crypto/blockchain‑enabled services.
Demonstrated understanding of global remittance infrastructures, mobile money networks, cross‑border compliance issues, and KYC/AML processes.
Hands‑on experience evaluating and/or implementing stablecoin or cryptocurrency payment solutions in low‑infrastructure environments.
Experience in a high ambiguity, low‑structure environment – you create clarity, not wait for it.
Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Analytical problem solver: looks at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization.
Intermediate to advanced data manipulation and analysis skills to derive insights from payment data.
Technical fluency with payments APIs and technical documentation, including data security standards and the ability to identify areas of concern or strength.
Language Requirement: English fluency.
Nice to Have
Experience operating in crisis or humanitarian contexts (e.g., conflict zones, natural disasters).
Prior work with startups or experimental products in the global south or emerging markets.
Comfort working in SQL, Python, R, or other scripting data manipulation tools for performance monitoring.
Compensation At GD we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third‑party salary aggregator to ensure staff’s total compensation (base + bonus) falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles at similar organizations. We also have a no‑negotiation policy to ensure we pay staff equitably across roles.
Read more about our compensation philosophy here.
United States base salary: $128,000.
Kenya base salary: $101,221.
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.
Why work at GD?
A supportive team that works hard and cares hard.
A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country).
Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take.
Allowances for desk set‑up and learning and development.
Equal Opportunity Employer GD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Commitment to Safeguarding GD takes safeguarding of recipients, staff, and partners seriously. GD is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and systematically checks with previous employers for any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. GD employs robust pre‑hire screens, including in‑depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
Reasonable Accommodations We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email careers@givedirectly.org with the subject “Accommodation Needed.”
Candidate Application Prep Guide Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide to put your best foot forward on your GD application.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Location This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
About This Role GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Product Manager to drive the design, evaluation, and deployment of cutting‑edge payment solutions that support cash transfers to people affected by crises or extreme poverty worldwide. The role serves as the technical and strategic lead on payment rails and digital transfer mechanisms within the International Rapid Response (IRR) Product team, focusing on reaching displaced and crisis‑affected populations efficiently, securely, and with dignity.
Reports to
Senior Product Director, International Rapid Response Level
Senior Manager Travel Requirement
Approximately once per quarter
What You’ll Do
Payments Product Strategy and Roadmapping
Own the product vision, roadmap, and prioritization for international payments infrastructure.
Translate strategic objectives into actionable product goals, features, and success metrics.
Regularly evaluate and refine product‑market fit in the context of fast‑evolving program and country needs.
Investigate and Innovate Global Payment Channels
Identify, assess, and recommend international payment solutions that can reach populations in fragile and underserved markets.
Develop partnerships with global and regional payment aggregators, mobile money platforms, remittance providers, and stablecoin or crypto partners.
Pilot and evaluate alternative transfer modalities, including blockchain‑based or decentralized finance (DeFi) approaches, particularly in contexts where traditional banking access is limited.
Build and Scale Payment Infrastructure
Design systems for integrating new payment rails into GD’s operations, ensuring compliance, security, and scalability.
Define and document technical and operational requirements for payment implementation in humanitarian and development settings.
Collaborate with engineers and data teams to ensure seamless integration with targeting, verification, monitoring, and payments systems.
Research & Landscape Analysis
Map and compare emerging technologies and vendors in the payments space, with a focus on rapid deployment and cross‑border capabilities.
Conduct technical due diligence on vendors and track trends in stablecoin, mobile finance, and blockchain applications.
Cross‑functional Collaboration
Work closely with program managers, engineers, field teams, and finance/legal teams to ensure payment strategies align with on‑the‑ground realities and compliance frameworks.
Ensure excellent handoff of provider execution, oversight, and compliance to implementation teams.
Support crisis response deployments with technical insight and problem‑solving on‑the‑fly to ensure people get paid.
Performance and Reliability Management
Define and monitor key metrics (e.g., transaction success rates, payment speeds, reconciliation gaps).
Coordinate root cause analyses and mitigation planning for issues affecting reliability, latency, or compliance, and feed this into the product and FSP strategy.
Drive Efficiency and Creativity
Leverage your creativity to solve the unique challenges of delivering money in unpredictable, unstable, or disconnected environments.
Continuously refine internal payment playbooks and propose systemic improvements to speed, reliability, and recipient experience.
What You’ll Bring
Exceptional alignment with GD Values and active demonstration of core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow‑through, and fostering inclusivity. GD welcomes and strongly encourages applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low‑income and/or historically marginalized communities we serve.
5+ years of experience working with international digital payment systems, financial technology platforms, and/or crypto/blockchain‑enabled services.
Demonstrated understanding of global remittance infrastructures, mobile money networks, cross‑border compliance issues, and KYC/AML processes.
Hands‑on experience evaluating and/or implementing stablecoin or cryptocurrency payment solutions in low‑infrastructure environments.
Experience in a high ambiguity, low‑structure environment – you create clarity, not wait for it.
Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Analytical problem solver: looks at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization.
Intermediate to advanced data manipulation and analysis skills to derive insights from payment data.
Technical fluency with payments APIs and technical documentation, including data security standards and the ability to identify areas of concern or strength.
Language Requirement: English fluency.
Nice to Have
Experience operating in crisis or humanitarian contexts (e.g., conflict zones, natural disasters).
Prior work with startups or experimental products in the global south or emerging markets.
Comfort working in SQL, Python, R, or other scripting data manipulation tools for performance monitoring.
Compensation At GD we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third‑party salary aggregator to ensure staff’s total compensation (base + bonus) falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles at similar organizations. We also have a no‑negotiation policy to ensure we pay staff equitably across roles.
Read more about our compensation philosophy here.
United States base salary: $128,000.
Kenya base salary: $101,221.
This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.
Why work at GD?
A supportive team that works hard and cares hard.
A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country).
Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take.
Allowances for desk set‑up and learning and development.
Equal Opportunity Employer GD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Commitment to Safeguarding GD takes safeguarding of recipients, staff, and partners seriously. GD is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and systematically checks with previous employers for any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. GD employs robust pre‑hire screens, including in‑depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
Reasonable Accommodations We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email careers@givedirectly.org with the subject “Accommodation Needed.”
Candidate Application Prep Guide Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide to put your best foot forward on your GD application.
#J-18808-Ljbffr