Senior Manager, Business Operations

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!

About this role

GiveDirectly is seeking a highly analytical, structured, and execution-oriented Senior Manager, Business Operations to drive cross-functional initiatives and make core operational functions run more effectively across GiveDirectly.

This role supports core operational functions including Finance, HR, Compliance, Legal/Risk, Internal Audit, Corporate Audit, Procurement, Safety/Security, Safeguarding, and IT. As GiveDirectly scales, improving how these functions prioritize, coordinate, and execute will be critical to sustaining impact and managing risk.

You will own a portfolio of high-priority operational workstreams and initiatives, often in ambiguous and high-stakes contexts, leading both analysis and execution to improve efficiency, strengthen systems, and support faster, clearer decisions. This role is designed to increase organizational leverage — ensuring leadership priorities translate into clear execution, and that teams operate with greater clarity, speed, and consistency.

This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and is an individual contributor (IC) role with significant ownership and autonomy — designed for a high-performing individual ready to take on a broad set of challenges early in their career, with opportunity to expand scope and leadership over time.

Location: Flexible (proximity to a GD office preferred: New York, Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, London). We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

Travel: ~2–3 trips annually

What we’re looking for

• A structured problem-solver with 5–7 years experience in consulting, strategy or operations in business or social impact contexts; you turn ambiguity into clear, actionable plans.

• Highly analytical — you use data to diagnose issues, generate insights, and drive decisions (not just report on them).

• A builder and operator — you’ve led complex, cross-functional work end-to-end and delivered measurable improvements in performance or efficiency.

• Systems-minded — you spot inefficiencies quickly and design processes, tools, or workflows that make teams run better at scale.

• A clear, direct communicator — you cut through complexity and influence senior stakeholders with concise, well-structured thinking.

• An influencer without authority — you align teams, navigate tradeoffs, and move work forward across functions.

• Technically fluent — comfortable with spreadsheets, dashboards, and project tools; excited to apply AI and automation to real operational problems.

• High ownership, low ego — you take responsibility for outcomes, prioritize ruthlessly, and follow through.

• Motivated by impact — you want your work to matter, and you’re excited to apply your skills to help GiveDirectly deliver cash to people living in poverty more effectively and at greater scale.

What you’ll do

Drive execution and shape priorities across GiveDirectly

Own and drive a portfolio of high-priority workstreams and initiatives. Translate leadership priorities into clear plans, coordinate execution across teams, and ensure consistent follow-through. Identify bottlenecks, surface tradeoffs, and inform prioritization and resource allocation decisions in partnership with the COO and functional leaders.

Lead analytics and decision support

Conduct cross-functional analyses across Finance, HR, Risk, and other operational areas to identify trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities. Build dashboards where needed, but primarily translate data into clear insights and recommendations that inform leadership decisions.

Improve systems, processes, and operating rhythms

Own and improve core operating mechanisms across the Global Shared Services portfolio (e.g., prioritization, tracking, and cross-functional coordination). Streamline workflows, reduce manual work, and strengthen internal systems. Build scalable solutions that enable teams to operate more effectively as GD grows.

Drive AI and automation use cases

Identify and implement practical AI and automation opportunities — including workflow automation, analytics enhancement, and knowledge management — with a focus on reducing manual effort and improving decision-making.

Lead cross-functional initiatives

Drive initiatives such as audit follow-up, compliance improvements, cost-efficiency efforts, and policy rollouts. Structure ambiguous problems, align stakeholders, and deliver results across teams.

Act as a high-trust thought partner to leadership

Act as a high-trust thought partner to the COO and functional leaders. Help diagnose challenges, evaluate tradeoffs, and shape solutions to high-impact operational questions, particularly where priorities or the path forward are unclear.

What success looks like in 12–18 months

• Clear, trusted dashboards and analytics in place across the Global Shared Services portfolio, improving visibility into performance, risks, and priorities.

• 2–4 high-impact process or system improvements delivered, resulting in measurable efficiency gains (e.g., reduced manual work, faster cycle times, improved data quality).

• Successful delivery of multiple cross-functional initiatives with strong stakeholder alignment.

• 3–5 AI or automation use cases implemented and adopted, reducing manual workload and improving output quality.

• Stronger coordination across operational teams, with clearer prioritization and fewer execution bottlenecks.

• Increased leadership bandwidth and more effective decision-making through better structured analysis and execution.

Why this role

• High ownership and visibility: Work directly with senior leadership across multiple core functions.

• Breadth of scope: Gain exposure across Finance, HR, Risk, and other operational areas, developing a broad understanding of how the organization operates.

• Apply structured problem-solving to high-stakes, real-world challenges: See how your work directly improves GiveDirectly’s ability to deliver cash at scale.

• Build and scale systems: Move beyond analysis to implement solutions that have lasting organizational impact.

• Growth opportunity: This role is designed as a high-impact generalist position with the opportunity to expand scope and leadership over time.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

Unless otherwise noted, the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.

United States

• Base Salary: $109,200

• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$10,920, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization's current performance multiplier, this amount would be $12,776 in 2025)

• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $120,120+

• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393

United Kingdom

• Base Salary: £71,400

• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~£7,140, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization's current performance multiplier, this amount would be £8,354 in 2025)

• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £78,540+

• Annual Benefits Stipend: £2,760

Kenya

• Base Salary: $77,500

• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$7,750, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization's current performance multiplier, this amount would be $9,068 in 2025)

• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $85,250+

• Annual Benefits Stipend: $8,453

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, 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 supportive team that works hard and cares hard

• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)

• Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take

• 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 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 [email protected] 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!