Product Lead

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 $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different 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.

Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. Team members bring experiences from the private sector, NGOs and government. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.

Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, fast moving and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.

We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow.  We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

Priority application deadline: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 (or until we have a critical mass of applications)

Location: This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

About this role

GiveDirectly has established a Product team responsible for identifying new program areas for exploration and implementation while deepening our impact in existing ones. Products at GiveDirectly are double-sided - serving the needs of our recipients on one side, and donors on the other - and include large technology components as well as the careful design of in-person operations. They range from our flagship large lump sum cash work to highly targeted support for specific populations or locations; the Product team works across fundraising, program implementation, and Research and Technology to build end-to-end initiatives and bring them to market. This role is responsible for assembling and leading cross-functional teams to drive product development, optimization, and scale. 

They may oversee single products, if large and/or complex, or a portfolio of products at different stages of development. 

Product leads must: 

• Be entrepreneurial generalists, with capabilities / experience across at least 2 of 3 following areas: software & technology, development research & evidence, and program delivery 
• Demonstrate strong go-to-market instincts, with track record for mobilizing resources around big ideas and opportunities
• Be data driven with excellent altitude awareness, and should be able to flex between big picture vision and “in the weeds,” data-driven problem solving
• Show discernment and conviction in ambiguity, making the hard decisions to say no to things and drive focus
• Have track record of driving big results without direct formal authority (strong influence and high follow through)

Level: Director

Reports To: VP Product

Travel: Must be willing to travel to program sites up to 1X per quarter for 1-2 weeks

Responsibilities: 

Set vision and define success for their products

• Product leads must set multi-year vision and annual/quarterly goals for their products, as well as defining interim milestones to track progress
• They should have a clear sense of their products’ value proposition and competitive advantage (what makes this product better than the next best alternative?), while leveraging GiveDirectly evidence and external research to do so
• Set minimum standards for their products, in close consultation with the Programs teams, and closely monitor implementation to identify gaps and areas of concern

Design & build products 

• Define the target outcomes of the product, taking into account donor and market priority outcomes as well as recipient’s own desired outcomes 
• Define the major programmatic features based on evidence and operational learnings to drive to these outcomes (e.g., transfer size, timing, tranches, touchpoints) 
• Define the technology we will use to deliver the program (existing in-house, new in-house, vendor, partner platform etc) 
• Select and work with any needed partners, designing their components to be complimentary to our own 
• Build needed components of your design that may not exist yet - for example, a new satellite targeting capability, a new SMS system,, scripts for new touchpoints - leading with the needed external or internal stakeholders (e.g., internal engineering teams, vendors, academic partners) 
• Partner with programs teams to troubleshoot implementation, leveraging ops and program data to identify pain points and drill down into solutions

Support fundraising

• Product leads will conduct or oversee robust market assessments for their products, and be propositional on how GiveDirectly positions those products 
• They will also support fundraising efforts, primarily by supporting existing relationship owners but occasionally owning their own relationships with key funders (e.g. anchor funders) 

Manage high performing cross-functional teams

• Product leads are responsible for assembling (with the VP of Product) and motivating cross-functional teams toward a common goal 
• Drive for alignment with their product teams, establishing key operational principles and ways of working early (given they will not manage direct reports)
• “Clean escalate” as needed to VP of Product if and when there is misalignment between key product stakeholders 

Qualifications: 

• Exceptional alignment to GD values, passion for our mission, and commitment to recipient dignity and empowerment
• 8+ years of professional work experience in similar role or function (product, programs, business development, partnerships)
• Proven leadership ability and management experience in building high performing teams 
• Experience working with a distributed team in a multicultural environment
• Interest in working as part of a growing company, with awareness about the opportunities and challenges that come with a highly adaptive environment
• Strong, succinct communications: Skilled in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders
• Analytical problem solver: Looks at problems w/ analytical and iterative mindset, with strong framework for prioritization 

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. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

• The United States base salary for this role is $154,400.

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

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
• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Flexible paid time off
• Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development

 #LI-REMOTE

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 serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, 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 sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

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.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve, and prevent harm to our recipients.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!