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Technical Program Manager, Data & Technology

New York City

  • Organization: GiveDirectly
  • Location: New York City
  • Grade: Mid level - Mid level
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Statistics
    • Information Technology and Computer Science
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

Location: Global, Remote

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. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $700M since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1 million people, and launched offices in 10 countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our collaborative, diverse team. Joining GiveDirectly provides the opportunity to work alongside individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. We’re actively working toward an equitable and inclusive environment for all team members, and seek candidates who will bring diverse perspectives and experiences to our organization. We recruit from organizations across all industries: our team has hailed from sectors including start-ups, government, consultancies, investment banks, and nonprofits.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and fast-paced. We value ability, adaptability, and willingness to learn. We offer competitive salary and benefits, as well as performance-based bonuses.

Overview

We believe technology will play a critical role in enabling the next generation of cash delivery operations: from identifying recipients without needing to knock on doors to a modern payments infrastructure that gets dollars in recipients’ hands faster and more scalably. We are seeking a technical program manager responsible for designing and implementing our data systems for enrolling and paying recipients.

You will lead tech builds to launch new programs from start to finish, wearing many hats: working with our operations team to define and implement program requirements for data collection and cash delivery, project managing the implementation across multiple stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds, and analyzing, structuring, and acting on program data. You are a systems thinker who is comfortable assessing risks and weighing short- and long-term tradeoffs. You love systematically picking apart complex issues to get to the root cause and drive fixes. You naturally take ownership and enjoy carving a path through ambiguity. You have the technical expertise to both get your hands dirty writing database queries and to make well reasoned decisions on high-level problems that impact multiple workstreams.

Responsibilities:

  • Partner with our field operations team to scope and operationalize new cash delivery program launches, helping GiveDirectly to reach more people across more geographies
  • Build, manage, and implement the technology used to deliver those program launches, from surveys for enrolling recipients to the data model used to store data about payments in Salesforce (our central recipient data store)
  • Project manage other members of the field data and technology team working on the launch, such as data coordinators, data associates or engineers
  • Scope and assess potential new projects from a technical perspective to inform strategic direction
  • Design and implement cross-cutting systems improvements to improve efficiency, scale, and/or recipient experience
  • Debug and resolve issues across multiple layers of our technology stack, including Salesforce and our offline data collection app
  • Write Python and Salesforce Apex code for automating and improving our processes
  • Develop and manage reporting of key metrics tracking field operations and payments

 

What you bring:

  • At least 5 years of professional experience (we welcome a range of skill sets and backgrounds; related fields could include product management, data analytics, software engineering, project management, program management, international development, or management consulting)
  • Experience owning technical decisions when there isn’t a predefined “playbook”: evaluating novel technologies, designs, and risks
  • Experience writing code manipulating data such as Python or R
  • Deep comfort with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
  • Experience managing timelines, operational risk, stakeholders, and complex deliverables across multiple workstreams
  • Structured approach to problem solving and drive to understand and fix root causes of issues
  • High attention to detail and ability to creatively think through how to validate data and code
  • Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Bonus but not required: experience working with relational databases (e.g. SQL)
  • Bonus but not required: expertise in data visualization
  • Bonus but not required: fluency in Arabic, Spanish, French, Swahili, Portuguese, or Kinyarwanda
  • Exceptional 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
  • A monthly benefits allowance that covers Health, Dental, and Vision monthly premiums
  • Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
  • Desk allowance and flexible work location

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

This vacancy is now closed.
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