Program Manager (2)

Title: Program Manager (2) Location: Malawi / Zomba, Malawi

About GiveDirectly

What if the most effective way to fight poverty was also the simplest: give people money and trust them to decide what they need?

Since 2011, GiveDirectly has proven that idea at scale. We’ve delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty and crisis across 15 countries, and rigorous research shows the results: healthier kids, stronger businesses, sturdier homes, and more resilient families and local economies. Cash is now widely recognized as one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid.

Our ambition goes beyond our own programs. We want cash to become the benchmark for aid, much as the index fund became the benchmark for investing, so that every aid dollar is held to one question: is this doing more good than giving the money directly to people living in poverty?

We’re growing fast, and this is a rare and important moment to join.

We expect to hit $1B in revenue in 2026 with significant growth forecast for 2027. At the same time we are building a new technology stack and operating model designed for a roughly 10x change in scale, and we are actively pursuing partnerships with major funders to move even more money in bigger ways, to people who need it. We are known for our extensive integration of technology into field processes; our quantitative approach to performance measurement; and our commitment to rigorous, independent, experimental evaluation of our impact, with multiple Randomized Control Trials completed and others in progress.

How we work

Our team spans 20+ countries and 69 languages. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We expect high ownership and give people real responsibility early. Our values are central to how we hire, work, and grow, and they are deliberately opinionated:

• Recipients first. Recipients’ preferences come before those of donors or ourselves.
• Team next. We optimize for organizational success, not individual success.
• Be proactively candid. We say what we believe and share information openly.
• Create positive energy. We aim to be a source of energy for colleagues, not a drain.
• Think rigorously; act quickly. We reason from first principles, then act rather than debate.
• Know yourself and grow. We own our imperfections and seek feedback to grow.
• Accept reality. Propose solutions. We focus on what can change and bring solutions, not just problems.
• Be productively ambitious. We take risks for step-change impact, not incremental progress.

If they describe how you like to work and they energize you, this could be a great fit.

Want to learn more? Read and listen:

We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026, and our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows. Read our CEO's essay on what that will take.

About the role

The Program Manager (PM) will own the overall process for field operations in GiveDirectly Malawi’s flagship district transformation program. The PM will be driving enrollment and payment targets while tracking team performance. They will be working closely with district partners, mobile money partners, and district government counterparts while also building a culture of mentorship and professional development within their team and identifying opportunities for risk mitigation and process improvement.

As the most senior GiveDirectly representative in the district, the PM will serve as the key “eyes and ears” resource in Malawi for GiveDirectly and will be responsible for regularly synthesizing updates on operational health. The role will have significant responsibility and a high degree of autonomy in creating and managing a large team.

What you’ll do

Project Management:

The PM will be responsible for managing all aspects of ground operations, including:

• Owning end-to-end operations for enrollment, verification, and payment delivery, setting and tracking quantifiable targets. e.g., recipients enrolled and operational efficiency
• Serving as the organization’s engine for continuous improvement of the enrolment and follow-up processes, and overall recipient experience
• Coordinating with mobile money and telecom partners to ensure smooth, secure payment delivery, and lead troubleshooting when payments are delayed.
• Monitoring security in the areas of operations to ensure the team and recipients can operate safely
• Monitor operational and fraud risk in coordination with GiveDirectly's Internal Audit team; identify and close loopholes.
• Uphold safeguarding standards across field operations, and design enrollment, payment, and community-engagement processes that prioritize recipients’ safety.
• Lead survey design and updates, and use data to track performance and inform decisions, working closely with GD's global Data team.
• Build and maintain program documentation and knowledge-management materials for internal use and product development.

People Management:

• Assisting the HR Manager in Hiring, training, and managing field staff, building a performance-oriented culture with regular feedback and development.
• Running performance reviews for direct reports and building their capacity to do the same for their reports
• Role-model GiveDirectly's values, fostering a team culture that's ambitious, fast-paced, inclusive, and committed to excellence

Vision & Critical Thinking:

• Conceiving, developing and testing new protocols and methods before initiating scale-up
• Anticipating areas of risk and creating mitigation plans

Data and Analysis:

• Leading survey creation and updates for new and existing projects
• Guiding and supporting direct reports on data inquiries, skill development, and data analysis
• Working effectively with GD’s global tech team (framing needs and expectations, and holding self and others accountable to agreed timelines)

Partnerships & Government Relations

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with government counterparts, donors, telecom/mobile money operators, and community-based partners.
• Represent GiveDirectly in local coordination forums, and support hosting of donors, journalists, and other visitors.
• Support partnership and fundraising efforts, tracking opportunities, contributing to proposals, and reporting to funders such as the World Bank.

What you’ll bring

• Demonstrated success in a high-performance work environment
• Exceptional leadership ability with demonstrated success in motivating and developing junior staff
• Strong interest in advancing the values and mission of GiveDirectly
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and analytical skills, including a high level of proficiency with G-suite/Google workplace.
• At least 4-5 years of management experience, preferably managing managers
• Excitement about owning challenging management tasks, including mentoring and motivating direct reports and the broader field team
• Demonstrated ability to work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, while effectively communicating upward about gaps and risks
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously building more robust and efficient systems
• Experience overseeing operations aligned to a fixed budget
• Fluency in English
• Experience in cash transfer programming, social protection, humanitarian response, or a related field is a plus.
• Comfort operating in both rural and urban field environments.
• Master's degree preferred.

Working at GiveDirectly

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.

Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

Commitment to Safeguarding

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 Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, 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.

Reasonable Accommodations

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 recruiter contact 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? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!

Referrals

Know the right person for this role? Please consider referring them. 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!