Job description
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.
Role Overview
We are seeking a Senior Product Director, International Rapid Response to design, build, and scale GiveDirectly’s capabilities for delivering cash transfers in response to global crises, including natural disasters, displacement, and conflict. This role will sit within GD’s growing product team and work cross-functionally to develop and implement technology, operational processes, and partnerships that enable us to reach affected populations faster, more effectively, more transparently, and with greater dignity and agency than other forms of assistance.
Reports to: VP, Product
Level: Senior Director
Travel Requirement: 10-20% (~1 week every 2 months)
What you’ll bring:
- 7+ years of experience in product management, operations, or technology development, ideally within the humanitarian, fintech, or international development sectors.
- Exceptional alignment to GD values
- Strong understanding of the global disaster response and/or humanitarian landscape, including knowledge of key actors, gaps, and opportunities.
- Experience building tech products from MVP to production, and a demonstrated track record of working closely with engineers to solve technological innovations
- Deep curiosity about our programs and open-minded about areas to improve and drive quality
- A track record for mobilizing resources (financial, human) around big ideas and opportunities (programmatic, research, etc)
- Excellent altitude awareness - Product leads should be able to flex between big picture vision and “in the weeds,” data-driven problem solving
- Excellent communication and project management skills, and be able to bring key stakeholders together around a common goal
- High discernment and conviction to make the hard decisions to say no to things and drive focus – an exceptional product owner strips things down to the most core things to focus on
- Experience using data to inform decision-making, and experience hands on with Excel and at least basic SQL strongly preferred.
- Nice to have: Experience as a founder or early founding member of a startup
What you’ll do:
- Develop and execute a product strategy for GiveDirectly’s humanitarian and rapid response initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and sector best practices.
- Lead the design and iteration of products, including software and technical products - that facilitate efficient and equitable cash delivery in crisis settings, including data pipelines, targeting methodologies, verification solutions, and payment integrations.
- Manage a small cross-functional team (including engineers and humanitarian specialists) and collaborate with programs, partnerships and research teams to pilot and scale innovative approaches for crisis response, leveraging mobile technology, geospatial data, and AI-driven decision-making
- Define and validate high level business and functional requirements for tech solutions
- Build partnerships with humanitarian organizations, donors, tech partners, and government agencies to enhance GD’s response capabilities and expand funding opportunities.
- Establish and refine key performance metrics to assess the effectiveness and impact of rapid response programs.
- Stay abreast of emerging trends and innovations in humanitarian aid, digital payments, and disaster response to continuously improve GiveDirectly’s approach.
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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