GiveDirectly
Technical Program Manager, Emergency Cash
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Technical Program Manager, Emergency Cash
role at
GiveDirectly .
About GiveDirectly GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving and millions of lives by providing cash 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 it on evidence‑free interventions. GD wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid and accelerating the end of extreme poverty.
GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 countries, and supported large‑scale, experimental research indicating strong recipient impact. It has been celebrated as one of the most innovative nonprofits by Fast Company and featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist.
Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non‑hierarchical. With a global team of ~150 and country teams of ~650, we draw talent from 21 countries, speaking 69 languages.
We value people‑centred decision making and encouraging a high‑performing environment. We support flexibility, fun, professional growth, and well‑being.
Location This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa time zone by at least 3 hours. We cannot sponsor or transfer employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
About This Role The Emergency Cash team delivers rapid, technology‑enabled cash assistance during crises. As Technical Program Manager (TPM), you will build, configure, and manage the technology for these responses—systems for data collection, verification, payments, and monitoring—ensuring they are reliable, replicable, and ready for rapid deployment.
You’ll translate emergency response needs into actionable technical requirements, coordinate cross‑functional teams during activations, and strengthen global readiness by improving tools and surfacing technical gaps for the product roadmap. You may need to provide surge capacity and work across multiple time zones during activations.
What You’ll Do
Lead Technical Program Delivery for Emergency Responses
Embed with the emergency response team during activations to manage end‑to‑end technical program delivery—scoping, requirements gathering, system configuration, implementation, QA, testing, troubleshooting, and closeout.
Collaborate with Product, Research, Engineering, Data, Payments, and Operations to align systems with programmatic objectives.
Ensure systems comply with GD’s data protection, privacy, and financial controls standards.
Manage technical training and onboarding for surge staff, collaborators, and local partners.
Strengthen Rapid Response Technical Readiness
Maintain and improve technical documentation, deployment guides, and incident‑response protocols.
Partner with Product and Engineering to develop product roadmaps, prioritise and implement improvements that enhance emergency response scalability and reliability.
Track and report on technical readiness metrics (uptime, deployment speed, integration failures, data quality, testing coverage).
Lead technical design and implementation retrospectives and root‑cause analyses after each response to drive continuous improvement.
Support technical assessments, evaluations, testing, and adoption of new products and solutions that strengthen emergency response technical capabilities.
Drive Safety, Risk Management, and Systems Resilience
Support risk assessments for systems and data flows in high‑risk operating environments.
Identify and mitigate technical risks—connectivity, data loss, device theft, fraud, system misuse—before and during activations.
Contribute to incident reviews to improve safety and resilience protocols.
What You’ll Bring Values & Core Competencies Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly values and active demonstration of core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow‑through, and fostering inclusivity. We encourage applicants who have personal or professional experience in low‑income or historically marginalized communities.
Professional Experience
5+ years of professional experience in technical program management, product management, data analytics, software engineering, international development, emergency response, or management consulting.
Experience managing timelines, operational risk, stakeholders, and complex deliverables across multiple workstreams.
Proven ability to operate in fast‑paced, ambiguous settings, balancing speed, risk, and quality.
Technical Skills
Experience owning technical decisions without a predefined playbook—evaluating novel technologies, system designs, and risks.
Working proficiency with a programming or statistical language (Python, R, Matlab, Java, Apex).
High attention to detail and strong analytical instincts for validating data and code.
Structured problem‑solving skills and drive to uncover root causes.
Strong communication of technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
Fluency in English.
Preferred: relational database experience (SQL).
Preferred: data visualization experience.
Contextual Understanding
Understanding or interest in how technology enables emergency response operations (CVA platforms, identity verification, data collection tools, payment systems, mobile apps).
Preferred: experience working in humanitarian or emergency response contexts.
Preferred: familiarity with humanitarian coordination systems (UN clusters, INGO networks) and donor expectations.
Compensation The United States base salary for this role is $99,000. The Kenya base salary is $61,900. For other regions, we will share an estimated benchmark during hiring.
Benefits A supportive team, robust health benefits plan (details vary by country), flexible paid time off, and allowances for desk setup and learning and development.
Equal Opportunity & Commitment to Safeguarding GiveDirectly 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 protected characteristic.
As a global organization working to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of recipients, staff, and partners seriously. We are a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and conduct thorough pre‑hire screens, including reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
Reasonable Accommodations We are committed to an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, email careers@givedirectly.org with the subject “Accommodation Needed.”
Want to Put Your Best Foot Forward? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Technical Program Manager, Emergency Cash
role at
GiveDirectly .
About GiveDirectly GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving and millions of lives by providing cash 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 it on evidence‑free interventions. GD wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid and accelerating the end of extreme poverty.
GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 countries, and supported large‑scale, experimental research indicating strong recipient impact. It has been celebrated as one of the most innovative nonprofits by Fast Company and featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist.
Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non‑hierarchical. With a global team of ~150 and country teams of ~650, we draw talent from 21 countries, speaking 69 languages.
We value people‑centred decision making and encouraging a high‑performing environment. We support flexibility, fun, professional growth, and well‑being.
Location This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa time zone by at least 3 hours. We cannot sponsor or transfer employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.
About This Role The Emergency Cash team delivers rapid, technology‑enabled cash assistance during crises. As Technical Program Manager (TPM), you will build, configure, and manage the technology for these responses—systems for data collection, verification, payments, and monitoring—ensuring they are reliable, replicable, and ready for rapid deployment.
You’ll translate emergency response needs into actionable technical requirements, coordinate cross‑functional teams during activations, and strengthen global readiness by improving tools and surfacing technical gaps for the product roadmap. You may need to provide surge capacity and work across multiple time zones during activations.
What You’ll Do
Lead Technical Program Delivery for Emergency Responses
Embed with the emergency response team during activations to manage end‑to‑end technical program delivery—scoping, requirements gathering, system configuration, implementation, QA, testing, troubleshooting, and closeout.
Collaborate with Product, Research, Engineering, Data, Payments, and Operations to align systems with programmatic objectives.
Ensure systems comply with GD’s data protection, privacy, and financial controls standards.
Manage technical training and onboarding for surge staff, collaborators, and local partners.
Strengthen Rapid Response Technical Readiness
Maintain and improve technical documentation, deployment guides, and incident‑response protocols.
Partner with Product and Engineering to develop product roadmaps, prioritise and implement improvements that enhance emergency response scalability and reliability.
Track and report on technical readiness metrics (uptime, deployment speed, integration failures, data quality, testing coverage).
Lead technical design and implementation retrospectives and root‑cause analyses after each response to drive continuous improvement.
Support technical assessments, evaluations, testing, and adoption of new products and solutions that strengthen emergency response technical capabilities.
Drive Safety, Risk Management, and Systems Resilience
Support risk assessments for systems and data flows in high‑risk operating environments.
Identify and mitigate technical risks—connectivity, data loss, device theft, fraud, system misuse—before and during activations.
Contribute to incident reviews to improve safety and resilience protocols.
What You’ll Bring Values & Core Competencies Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly values and active demonstration of core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow‑through, and fostering inclusivity. We encourage applicants who have personal or professional experience in low‑income or historically marginalized communities.
Professional Experience
5+ years of professional experience in technical program management, product management, data analytics, software engineering, international development, emergency response, or management consulting.
Experience managing timelines, operational risk, stakeholders, and complex deliverables across multiple workstreams.
Proven ability to operate in fast‑paced, ambiguous settings, balancing speed, risk, and quality.
Technical Skills
Experience owning technical decisions without a predefined playbook—evaluating novel technologies, system designs, and risks.
Working proficiency with a programming or statistical language (Python, R, Matlab, Java, Apex).
High attention to detail and strong analytical instincts for validating data and code.
Structured problem‑solving skills and drive to uncover root causes.
Strong communication of technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
Fluency in English.
Preferred: relational database experience (SQL).
Preferred: data visualization experience.
Contextual Understanding
Understanding or interest in how technology enables emergency response operations (CVA platforms, identity verification, data collection tools, payment systems, mobile apps).
Preferred: experience working in humanitarian or emergency response contexts.
Preferred: familiarity with humanitarian coordination systems (UN clusters, INGO networks) and donor expectations.
Compensation The United States base salary for this role is $99,000. The Kenya base salary is $61,900. For other regions, we will share an estimated benchmark during hiring.
Benefits A supportive team, robust health benefits plan (details vary by country), flexible paid time off, and allowances for desk setup and learning and development.
Equal Opportunity & Commitment to Safeguarding GiveDirectly 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 protected characteristic.
As a global organization working to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of recipients, staff, and partners seriously. We are a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and conduct thorough pre‑hire screens, including reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.
Reasonable Accommodations We are committed to an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, email careers@givedirectly.org with the subject “Accommodation Needed.”
Want to Put Your Best Foot Forward? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!
#J-18808-Ljbffr