Country Director, Liberia

About GiveDirectly:

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 spent on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing a benchmark as Vanguard did for the financial industry (i.e., index fund), and in the process accelerate the end of extreme poverty. GiveDirectly has raised over $250M in revenue and reached nearly 150,000 households, while being recognized as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company. The New York Times Magazine writes, “The beautiful thing about GiveDirectly’s approach is that it lets people devise their own path out of poverty.” 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.

Cash transfers are at a potential inflection point: COVID-19 has amplified the challenges of bulkier in-kind aid models , and over 190 countries are deploying cash as the dominant tool of assistance. GiveDirectly has an opportunity to leverage its strong track record (i.e. operations across 9 countries, >$250M transferred to over a million individuals, 13 randomized control trials), to both deliver immense impact and position itself as the premiere cash implementation organization globally.

Project Overview:

Over the past two years, GiveDirectly Liberia has implemented multiple cash programs, including a project for USAID which will create a cash “benchmark”: that is, evidence on cash transfer outcomes in Liberia that USAID can use against which to measure the impact of non-cash programs. Our hope is that this benchmark will both raise the bar for impact measurement & transparency while also driving a greater portion of aid spend to direct cash, both in Liberia and more broadly. This year, GiveDirectly has launched (or is in the process of launching) multiple COVID cash response projects, including partnering for the first time with government ministries and also other NGOs. We are keen to see our work in Liberia expand in the coming years.

Role Overview:

This is an exciting moment to join the GiveDirectly Liberia team, as the office is set up and we have a record of success in Liberia on which to build. You will  oversee both our existing work and scoping and pitching new projects to relevant partners and donors (i.e. figuring out where cash is most likely to have influence, both in the lives of recipients and the thinking of donors). We’d love to hear from you if you believe that aid recipients should play a greater role in deciding how aid resources are allocated; enjoy new operational challenges; and are excited to take an entrepreneurial role in leading and growing a country office. (NB: Applications will be assessed and candidates contacted on a rolling basis.)

Responsibilities:

Deliver program at an exceptional quality bar 

Manage field teams to deliver operations in line with GiveDirectly’s standard of excellence (robust anti-fraud playbook, high-quality customer service for recipients etc.) Identify operational vulnerabilities (e.g. fraud, brand risk) and create solutions to de-risk Ensure strong community relations and sensitivity to recipient feedback
Own revenue targets for the country and build relationships with external stakeholders

Build a robust pipeline of project and funding opportunities to enable further scale in Liberia Serve as a leading voice to external actors (press, peer org's, funders) on GD's work in Liberia and the case for cash benchmarking

Building organizational culture and inspiring your team

Design and implement initiatives to instill GD’s values into team practices Cultivate and grow exceptional talent Support org-wide initiatives that promote productivity, well-being, and morale

Desired abilities/experience

Proven record of successful people management at a high performing organization (experience hiring and building a team preferred) Excitement for partnerships and business development work (experience managing relationships with and delivering outcomes for institutional partners preferred) Strong alignment with GD values (see below) Exceptional ability to logic through complex operational questions & run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions Exceptional written & verbal communication skills Experience in Liberia or comparable contexts highly preferred

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GD Values

Recipients first.

We prioritize recipient preferences over those of donors or ourselves.

We do not impose our preferences, or judgments, on the beneficiaries; instead we respect and empower them to make their own choices, elevating their voices in the global aid debate. This value is core to GiveDirectly’s identity as the first organization exclusively devoted to putting the poor in control of how aid money is spent. It comes at a potential cost, as it means that neither we nor donors get to set priorities (and we may even lose some “efficiency” in providing this option).

Team next.

We do what’s best for organizational - not individual - success.

This is a team sport, where we will succeed (or fail) together. The best players are not those with the best individual statistics, but those with biggest impact on our overall performance. We avoid territoriality, self-promotion, and I’m above this attitudes.

Be proactively candid.

We say what we believe, and are honest in sharing information.

Having confidence that other people are telling us what they truly believe, without gloss or omission, is critical to effective communication and to our ability to learn and grow from feedback. We owe it to each other - and our donors - to instill this confidence even though giving and receiving information candidly are unusual in both professional and social life, and can be very uncomfortable.

Create positive energy  

We strive to be a source - not drain - of energy for our colleagues.

Our work is hard, practically and emotionally, and we cannot overemphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, enjoying the company of our colleagues, and not taking ourselves too seriously.  In doing so, we aspire to generate energy and excitement amongst our colleagues in pursuing our mission. This should not preclude candor, and we aspire to achieve both.

Think rigorously; act quickly.

We are intellectually rigorous with a drive towards action - not debate.

We reason from first principles, grounding our decisions in objective claims about the world, rather than hard-to-disprove assertions or hierarchy. We aim to brainstorm inclusively and respectfully, but critically self-vet ideas we put forward, so as to ensure productive and prudent decision making.

Demanding this level of rigor forces us to think harder about decisions and our assumptions than we otherwise might. This is a real cost. It can be taken too far: it is possible to overthink decisions, and we avoid debate for the sake of debate.  We are not here to philosophize or ensure consensus. We decide and act quickly, avoiding getting bogged down in debates.

Accept reality. Propose solutions.

We do not dwell on problems. We work actively to create solutions.

There will always be an endless list of things to improve. We focus on the things that can be changed; find the most important of those things, and propose actionable answers. We do not allow “problems” to weigh us down and be a source of negativity.  We are forward looking, which we believe not only leads to better team outcomes, but also creates a more enjoyable, energizing environment for all.

Be productively ambitious.

We take the risks to pursue industry-changing success, not incremental progress.

We seek step-change improvements at all levels, and are willing to make big-bets; we do not accept complacency nor do we simply optimize existing processes. In doing so, we allow ourselves to dream big with a belief that perceived constraints are merely opportunities for creativity.

Such ambition not only requires hard work (i.e., this is not a 9-5 job), but also a willingness to accept and learn from temporary setbacks and failures.  In accepting these failures, we’re conscious to not point fingers, nor obsess over “mistakes” made.

Know yourself and grow.

We recognize and accept our imperfections with a focus on growth.

We are an organization of exceptional people and trust in each other’s abilities, yet we recognize that none of us is perfect. We strive to maintain an accurate understanding of our individual and institutional strengths and weaknesses, in order to position ourselves to maximize our chances of success.

At the same time, we seek personal growth for ourselves and our teammates. Feedback is given with a spirit of helpfulness; and sought out with a desire to learn.