Program Manager at givedirectly | AI Job Board

Job description

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026.

Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth. Curious about what it's really like to work here? Read our values and hear from the people who do. If they resonate, this could be a great fit!

Program Manager

Location: Maputo or Nampula, with extensive travel to program sites (e.g. Nampula, Sofala, Maputo)

Reports to: Program Director

Level: Manager

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to over 2 million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, backed by a large and growing body of research. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post, and we were named one of Time100's Most Influential Companies of 2026.

In Mozambique, GiveDirectly delivers large-scale unconditional cash transfers to households in Nampula province, is scaling a national cash transfer program in partnership with the Government of Mozambique, and is building MobileAid, a rapid cash-response model for emergencies. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical; we support high ownership and real professional growth.

About This Role

The Program Manager (PM) will own end-to-end field operations for one or more GiveDirectly Mozambique programs. The PM will be instrumental in driving enrollment and payment targets, building and managing field teams, coordinating with telecom and mobile money partners, government counterparts, and community leaders, and surfacing operational and safeguarding risk early. This is a high-autonomy role with significant responsibility for building the team and processes beneath it.

The PM will sit within the GiveDirectly Mozambique senior leadership team, and cross-functionally with Global Programs, Fundraising, Technology, Data, Safeguarding, and Internal Audit teams. We're looking for someone highly independent and solutions-oriented, comfortable moving between strategic ownership and hands-on tactical work, who thrives with limited day-to-day supervision in a fast-paced, tech-driven operating environment.

What You'll Do

Program Management & Delivery (~50%)

Own end-to-end operations for enrollment, verification, and payment delivery, setting and tracking quantifiable targets (households enrolled, disbursement timelines, operational efficiency).
Serve as GiveDirectly's engine for continuous improvement of enrollment, follow-up, and recipient-experience processes.
Coordinate with mobile money and telecom partners (e.g. Vodacom, Movitel) to ensure smooth, secure payment delivery, and lead troubleshooting when payments stall or are delayed.
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.
Monitor security conditions in areas of operation to keep staff and recipients safe, and adapt field plans as conditions change.
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 (~20%)

Hire, train, and manage field staff (e.g. enrollment officers, field supervisors), building a performance-oriented culture with regular feedback and development.
Identify and coach high-potential field staff for advancement onto a quicker promotion trajectory.
Reduce dependence on senior management over time by building team capacity and delegating, creating leverage for the organizational leadership.
Role-model GiveDirectly's values, fostering a team culture that's ambitious, fast-paced, inclusive, and committed to excellence
Monitor team dynamics and morale, and drive team-building efforts.

Partnerships & Government Relations (~15%)

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.

Vision, Strategy & New Program Development (~15%)

Contribute to the Mozambique country office's overall vision and strategy, partnering with leadership on problem-solving.
Work with GiveDirectly’s Product team to design, test, and refine new protocols and highly scalable, tech-enabled program models.
Anticipate operational risks, from research partnerships, pilots, or expansion into new geographies and build mitigation plans.

What You'll Bring

Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly's Values and demonstrated core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
A “player-coach” mindset, comfortable owning strategy while doing hands-on execution, including field-level troubleshooting.
5+ years of management experience, ideally including managing managers, in a high-performance, fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to work independently and in a self-directed manner, while proactively communicating upward about gaps and risks.
Strong project management skills, able to run multiple workstreams, distinguish “important” from “critical,” and build more efficient systems along the way.
Strong analytical and data skills, comfortable working with incomplete or messy datasets and translating findings into clear recommendations, with high proficiency in Excel.
Strong communication skills, written and verbal, across internal teams, government counterparts, and donors.
Fluency in Portuguese and English required.
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.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

GiveDirectly is committed to observing all local, national, and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and the basic human rights of all people. We maintain a policy of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH), and expect everyone who works for GiveDirectly to treat the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority. GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and conducts background and reference checks on potential hires.

Compensation

GiveDirectly strives to pay staff generously and equitably, benchmarking total compensation against similar roles at similar organizations in-market. Compensation for this role is set according to GD Mozambique's salary bands; we maintain a no-negotiation policy to ensure pay equity across roles.

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 careers@givedirectly.org 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!