Senior Manager, Partnerships

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 actively seek to recruit individuals from the communities we serve, and are constantly working to foster a workplace that supports diversity, and is truly inclusive in reality, not just intent. We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Priority Application Deadline: January 19, 2025

About this role

The Senior Manager, Partnerships is a new role within our Fundraising team, and is an exciting opportunity to lead GD’s strategic engagement and partnership-building in Washington, DC. We are looking for an exceptional strategist and networker, with a strong understanding of the political landscape in DC, and a demonstrated ability building and managing public sector partnerships. We want you to position GD in key DC policy fora, represent GD in the most relevant networks to advance our policy and fundraising goals, and build coalitions with key allies to advance our mission of accelerating the end of poverty through direct cash transfers. In this role, you will also be responsible for strengthening GD’s partnerships - at all relevant levels - with key donors, in particular the World Bank and USAID. In addition to growing our funding pipeline with these donors, you will also be responsible for supporting our US programs with institutional fundraising for GD’s extensive domestic programs. We are therefore looking for someone with a strong understanding of the legislative environment for foreign aid as well as an understanding of domestic welfare politics and debates. You will work most closely with the Fundraising team, the Communications team and the US programs team.

Level: Senor Manager

Reports to: Senior Director, Policy

Travel Requirement: 20% travel

Language Requirement: English- Professional working proficiency

What you'll do:

• Coordinate the development and roll-out of partnerships and influencing strategies for the World Bank, USAID (including BHA), and State Department (for BPRM), ensuring colleagues across GD are informed and aware of major policy and personnel developments, and adapt strategies accordingly.
• Identify and lead new DC-led fundraising opportunities with major institutional donors - in particular the World Bank and USAID, and explore potential partnerships with other key implementers
• Support the GD US country team to identify and pursue new funding opportunities for our US domestic work.
• Refine and lead GD’s Congress-level influencing strategy, in support of our international and domestic influencing goals. This will include building strong bilateral relationships with members of Congress.
• Strategically prioritise GD’s engagement with key DC-based networks and coalitions, represent GD appropriately within these, and build alliances to support our influencing goals.
• Continuously track key legislative and policy developments pertaining to our international and domestic influencing goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, coalition partners working on international aid and/or domestic issues - ensuring that GD is appropriately represented in the relevant fora.
• Oversee the creation of policy-related communications materials, including position papers, testimony, and public statements - working in close collaboration with GD’s Communications teams.
• Provide oversight of key DC-based relationships and events - ensuring GD is appropriately represented at these.
• Across all the above, provide regular updates to senior leadership on relevant policy developments

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly’s 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.
• Required:
  • 5+ years of experience in a similar role or function.
  • A strong understanding of the legislative environment for foreign aid as well as an understanding of domestic welfare politics and debates.
  • Strong experience managing partnerships end to end, including building networks and coalitions.
  • Several years of experience in policy advocacy or related fields, ideally within an NGO or governmental context.
  • Strong understanding of legislative processes, public policy issues relevant to the organization’s mission, and the political landscape in Washington, D.C
• Preferred:
  • Policy and/or technical knowledge of key debates and evidence on cash transfers.
• Demonstrated track record of coordinating between multiple teams both internally and externally
• Track record of being able to impact change even without direct formal authority.
• Strong, succinct communications: Skilled in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders.
• Proven ability to manage the urgent alongside driving persistent, continual improvement and quality
• Strong ability to navigate ambiguity, many stakeholders, and competing priorities
• Must be able to travel ~3-4 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats or field visits, or to external conferences and events.

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 United States base salary for this role is $109,200

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

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