Country Director, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa

Organization: GiveDirectly
Location: Addis Ababa
Grade: Senior level - Senior
Occupational Groups:
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
Closing Date: Closed

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the poorest people in the world. The Brookings Institution estimates that $100B 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 $800M since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1 million people, and launched offices in 11 countries. We’ve also supported 19 large-scale, experimental research projects that indicate strong recipient impact of our programs – including the largest universal basic income experiment in history. We use concrete evidence to inform the design of our programs: from research results published in leading journals, to in-depth qualitative work. 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.

We’re looking for exceptional talent to grow our collaborative, diverse team. Joining GiveDirectly provides the opportunity to work alongside individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. We’re actively working toward an equitable and inclusive environment for all team members, and seek candidates who will bring diverse perspectives and experiences to our organization. We recruit from organizations across all industries: our team has hailed from sectors including start-ups, government, consultancies, investment banks, and nonprofits.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and fast-paced. We value ability, adaptability, and willingness to learn. We offer competitive salary and benefits, as well as performance-based bonuses.

GiveDirectly in Ethiopia

GiveDirectly is planning to launch an office in Ethiopia in 2023 - given the high levels of poverty and compounding crises across the country, we believe that more resources, especially in the form of evidence-based unconditional cash, are essential to the country at this moment.

GD has one committed project focused on livelihoods in the Sidama region that is expected to launch in Q2 2023, with multiple other opportunities on the horizon across the humanitarian, refugee, social protection, and livelihoods spaces. While the initial operation will be small, we plan for Ethiopia to be on par with our larger country programs within 2 years, with multiple ongoing projects and a staff of 100+.

In addition to executing a range of programs, GiveDirectly Ethiopia will also aim to be an innovator in the space as it has been in other countries, including using mobile payments in areas it has not been done before.

Role Overview

You will be joining GiveDirectly at an exciting time as we launch our work in Ethiopia, reaching thousands of recipients. You will be responsible for managing all aspects of the GiveDirectly Ethiopia country office setup and expansion. Your role will involve building the processes, team, and partnerships that both enable the achievement of short-term goals and KPIs and create the conditions for long-term growth. You will be able to draw on resources from the partnerships, tech, finance and operations verticals, but will ultimately be accountable to both recipients and donors for delivering a gold-standard product. The ideal candidate is a motivated self-starter passionate about addressing poverty in Ethiopia, excellent at building relationships both on the government and donor front.

Reports to: Regional Director

Responsibilities

Partnership Development and Relationship Management

● Communicating GD’s model and values to external actors to make a compelling case for cash

● Build and manage high quality relationships with donors and government stakeholders

● Own revenue targets by proactively seeking out funding opportunities in-country

while maintaining a robust opportunity pipeline to sustain year over year growth

● Work with national and local government officials to secure permissions for maintenance and expansion of programs

● Communicate about GiveDirectly’s model and values to donors, the media, and other partners to make a compelling case for cash.

Program Management

● Design ambitious work-plans and build accompanying budgets ensuring the country meets targets and a high bar of operational excellence across all programs

● Backstop, manage, and guide an operations team in overcoming challenges, staying on schedule, and delivering quality results.

● Be accountable for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with recipients paid, recipient experience, and operational efficiency.

Internal Audit

● Collaborate and coordinate with GiveDirectly’s Recipient Safeguarding and Advocacy team in order to protect our recipients and prevent misconduct, including designing appropriate controls

● If necessary, provide leadership and oversight of investigations of alleged misconduct, ensuring zero tolerance for fraud and best in class safeguarding standards

Team Management

● Motivate and coach a large team, including direct management of the country management team

● Build capacity of managers at all levels by ensuring that they have clearly defined metrics for success, regular feedback on progress, and exciting growth opportunities

● Designing and implementing initiatives that promote GD’s values into team practices while monitoring and actioning feedback from the team..

● Take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and security of the GD team

● Identify key areas in need of hiring / redundancy planning and buffer to increase the resiliency of the team

● Ensure country operations are in compliance with registration and regulatory requirements.

Strategic Planning

● Lead strategic planning for GiveDirectly in Ethiopia

● Set and manage towards country goals, that create a roadmap for our success in Ethiopia

Required Skills and Experience

● 10+ years of relevant experience - e.g., in non-profit country management, organizational leadership, partnership development, program management, consulting, or entrepreneurship - with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility

● Experience fundraising from major institutional and trust donors (e.g. USAID, FCDO, World Bank, or EU)

● Outstanding relationship management abilities, including ability to represent GiveDirectly at the highest levels.

● Experience leading government and external stakeholder partnerships in Ethiopia

● Enthusiasm for fast-paced, innovative environments whilst maximizing the long-term sustainability of the GiveDirectly country presence

● Team management experience, including hiring and building teams

● Exceptional communications skills: written and verbal, including with senior audiences

● Good organizational and/or project management skills

● A high degree of autonomy and resourcefulness.

● Problem solver: you look at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization. You can run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions.

● Professionally proficient in English and Fluent in Amharic.

● Alignment with GiveDirectly Values, including the ambition to pursue industry-changing success.

● Active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.

● Experience working in Ethiopia and understanding of the Ethiopian country context

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 - as well as candidates from under-represented genders, ethnicities, and other groups. You can read more about our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here.

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

● A monthly benefits allowance that covers health, dental, and vision monthly premiums

● Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)

● Desk allowance and flexible work location

Read more about our ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here and about our decision to move our central support teams to remote first here.

About the hiring process

Format: The hiring process follows the same general outline for all open roles:

First interview (30 mins)Take home skills assignment (~2 hours)Second interview (1 hour)*Third interview (1 hour)*Final interview (1 hour)Reference checks (30 mins each)

*For some roles, second & third interviews are combined into a panel interview. If there are adjustments or variations on this process, those changes will be communicated during the first interview.

Venue: We conduct interviews over Google Meet with camera on (unless communicated otherwise).

Accessibility: Closed captioning is available during all Google Meet interviews, and interviewers will also post interview questions in the chat box throughout the call. If you need assistance accessing either of these features, please let your interviewer know at the start of your interview!

We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to careers@givedirectly.org.

**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.**

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