Director, Strategic Initiatives

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! About this role GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to more than 2 million people living in poverty across 15 countries. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. We are growing at an unprecedented scale. By the end of 2027, we will have more than tripled dollars delivered via our current playbook to $750M+, while building toward a step-change of roughly 10x on a new technology stack and operating model. We also believe that we could deliver significant incremental money through external partnerships, whether by sourcing verified lists from an institutional partner like UNHCR, subgranting to partners with existing distribution capacity, or routing funds directly through an established remittance provider. To evaluate and advance these external opportunities to increase our delivery capacity, we are building a lean internal consulting team. In this role, you will work with high autonomy to elaborate a comprehensive set of options and rigorously evaluate, prioritize, and implement them. You will report to the Chief of Staff and work directly with our Executive team, Country Directors, and external partners. The work is in an early stage, the mandate is wide, and the recommendations you make have the potential to influence delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars. This role is especially well suited to structured problem-solvers with Director or Team Lead-level experience in consulting, strategy, or operations, in business or social impact contexts. This role is funded through the end of 2027, deliberately matched to the window in which these decisions need to be made. We see a strong case for it to become a permanent function beyond that. What you'll do Build and prioritize a portfolio of options . Generate a comprehensive set of external pathways to increase delivery capacity, from institutional data partnerships to outsourced delivery to telco and payment provider arrangements, and rank them on scale, speed, feasibility, and what it would cost us to pursue them. Pressure test opportunities to a clear verdict . Run primary diligence on the options that warrant it, including direct engagement with potential partners, regulators, and counsel, and reach a defensible recommendation to advance or stop. Advance one or two priorities from evaluation into implementation . Take the opportunities we select from recommendation through to a live pilot, holding the counterparty relationship and coordinating the cross-functional internal work required to deliver. Define and run competitive solicitations . Articulate what we need from a partner precisely enough to publish an RFP (or similar), set selection criteria, and manage and evaluate the responses. Negotiate with institutional counterparties . Lead engagement with UN agencies, INGOs, mobile network operators, and government bodies, from first contact through to signed agreement. Equip Executive decision-making . Produce the analysis and written recommendations that let the Executive team decide where to commit money and capacity. What we're looking for A driven, disciplined explorer of unfamiliar territory. You have personally taken a mandate as broad as "find us more ways to delive