Country Director at GiveDirectly (GD)

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving - and millions of lives - by allowing donors to provide capital 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 which is allocated to evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing a benchmark, and in the process accelerate the end of extreme poverty. GiveDirectly has raised over $400M in revenue (>$150M in 2020 alone), while being recognized as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company. The growing movement toward cash transfers and GD’s role in that movement have also been featured in This American Life, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, and Business Insider.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Country Director

Location: Abuja (Remote)
Reports to: Regional Director
Level: Director
Travel Requirement: Up to 30% (to locations within and outside of Nigeria)

About this Role

• You will be leading all aspects of the GiveDirectly Nigeria country office. Your role will build, fundraise for, and execute the Nigeria Country Strategy.
• You will lead the projects teams, fundraising, and external relations to achieve short-term goals (i.e. funding targets, annual KPIs) and drive long-term growth.
• You will be able to draw on resources from the partnerships, data & tech, finance and operations verticals, but will ultimately be accountable to both recipients and donors for delivering a gold-standard product.
• We are particularly interested in candidates with demonstrated success driving growth, as measured by dollars raised.
• This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced professional, hungry for their next big challenge. The ideal candidate is motivated, big picture thinker, innovative, passionate about addressing poverty in Nigeria, and not afraid to roll up their sleeves to get the job done. 

What You’ll Do
Fundraising and Partnership Development:

• Develop and maintain strong strategic partnerships with donors, including private foundations, government agencies, and individual donors, to secure funding for GD programs
• Develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy for the Nigeria office 
• Own revenue targets, drive opportunities, and maintain a robust pipeline to sustain year-over-year growth
• Work with the global fundraising team to develop compelling fundraising materials and messages that resonate with donors in Nigeria
• Lead the country team in the development and implementation of fundraising activities, such as events and campaigns, to raise awareness and support for GD’s work
• Work with national and local government officials to secure permissions for maintenance and expansion of programs 
• Design ambitious cash transfer programs and accompanying budgets 
• Represent GD to the public, including to media, government, and other stakeholders, and serve as a spokesperson for the organization in the Nigeria office

Program Management:

• Ensure operational excellence across all cash programs
• Backstop, manage, and guide an operations team in overcoming challenges, staying on schedule and delivering quality results
• Be accountable for annual key performance indicators associated with recipients paid, recipient experience, and operational efficiency
• Ensure country operations are in compliance with registration and regulatory requirements

Internal Audit:

• Collaborate and coordinate with GD’s Recipient Advocacy team to prevent misconduct, including designing appropriate controls
• If necessary, provide leadership and oversight of investigations of alleged misconduct, ensuring best-in-class safeguarding and zero tolerance of fraud

Team Management:

• Motivate and coach a large team, including direct management of the country management team
• Build capacity of managers at all levels by ensuring that they have clearly defined metrics for success, regular feedback on progress, and exciting growth opportunities
• Design and implement initiatives that promote GD’s values into team practices while monitoring and actioning feedback from the team
• Take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and security of the GD team
• Identify key areas in need of hiring / redundancy planning and buffer to increase the resiliency of the team

Strategic Planning:

• Lead strategic planning for GD in Nigeria
• Set and manage country goals that create a roadmap for our success in Nigeria

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of relevant experience (including, but not limited to: country management, organizational leadership, partnership development, program management, consulting, and/or entrepreneurship) with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility
• Experience leading government and external stakeholder partnerships in Nigeria
• Enthusiasm for dynamic, innovative environments whilst maximizing the long-term sustainability of the GiveDirectly country presence 
• Team management experience, including hiring and building teams
• Exceptional communications skills, including written and verbal, including with senior audiences
• 5+ years of non-profit management experience, preferred
• Professionally proficient in English and at least 1 other principal Nigerian language
• Experience working in Nigeria and understanding of the Nigerian country context
• Experience fundraising from major institutional and trust donors (e.g., USAID, FCDO, World Bank, EU)
• A high degree of autonomy and resourcefulness
• 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
• Up to 30% travel required (within and outside of Nigeria)
• Alignment with GiveDirectly Values 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.

Why work at GiveDirectly?
At GiveDirectly, we work to ensure that you have everything you need to excel in your role and on your team, including:

• A positive and supportive team with opportunities for advancement 
• A demonstrated commitment to helping all staff develop and grow
• A competitive salary, including bonus
• Desk allowance and flexible work location
• Read more about our ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here and about our decision to move our central support teams to remote first here.
• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)

Compensation

• At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to ensure that staff’s total compensation package (base compensation + bonus)  falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles, at similar organizations. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. 
• The base salary range for candidates based in Abuja is $105,000 to 120,000 (USD)

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

About the Hiring Process
Format: The hiring process follows the same general outline for all open roles:

• First interview (30 mins)
• Take home skills assignment (~2 hours)
• Second interview (1 hour)*
• Third interview (1 hour)*
• Final interview (1 hour)
• Reference checks (30 mins each)

Note

• For some roles, second & third interviews are combined into a panel interview. If there are adjustments or variations on this process, those changes will be communicated during the first interview.
• Venue: We conduct interviews over Google Meet with camera on (unless communicated otherwise).
• Accessibility: Closed captioning is available during all Google Meet interviews, and interviewers will also post interview questions in the chat box throughout the call. If you need assistance accessing either of these features, please let your interviewer know at the start of your interview! 
• We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to [email protected]