Director, Policy at GiveDirectly

About this role

• This new role, reporting to our new VP Partnerships, is an exciting opportunity for a senior technical expert with experience of cash programming in a range of contexts and a track record of effective policy influencing, to join our team.  We want you to lead our long-term policy influencing efforts around the potential of cash to address poverty - supporting both our own programming, but also our wider mission to increase the proportion of development assistance provided as unconditional cash.  GiveDirectly is involved in an exciting range of cash programming - including to address extreme poverty, malnutrition, gender equality, and the climate crisis.
• Reports to: VP, Partnerships
• Level: Director
• Travel Requirement: 30% travel
• Language Requirement: English- Professional working proficiency

What you’ll do:

• Lead & coordinate the development and execution of GiveDirectly’s long-term global policy influencing efforts on cash transfers, working closely with the Research Director, Advocacy Director and other senior leaders to ensure coherence.
• Lead relationships with external stakeholders (other relevant organizations & institutions) advocating in the cash space at the national, state, and local levels, collecting learnings & best practices to inform GiveDirectly’s policy & advocacy strategy. This may include representing GiveDirectly at external-facing events and supporting other team members to do the same.
• Lead the organization’s efforts to map and engage with key cash and social protection networks/working groups working on policy, and supporting appropriate representation by colleagues across the organization.  Support Regional Directors and Country Directors to engage with and understand regional and national policy frameworks relevant to our work.
• Advise on how global/international and donor policies relating to cash should be incorporated into the design and development of ‘best in class’ cash programming and research.
• Coordinate the development of thematic policy and advocacy strategies as needed, working closely with advocacy, research and communications teams.
• Develop and review public messaging and materials, including policy and advocacy language, for presentations, press, online materials, and other materials as needed.
• Ensure new policy developments are disseminated internally throughout the organization, including through the development of summary materials and communications to the Executive Leadership Team and wider staff.

What you’ll bring:

• Required: 7+ years senior leadership experience in a similar role or function.
• Preferred: practical experience designing and delivering cash transfer programmes, ideally in more than one country context and in both humanitarian and development contexts.
• Knowledge of key social protection policy debates and ability to engage effectively in influencing the sector, particularly regarding links between humanitarian cash/nexus issues and longer-term social protection systems, and combining larger cash lump sums with longer term social protection systems.
• A strong understanding of the evidence base for multi-purpose cash transfer interventions across a range of different outcomes.
• Demonstrated track record of coordinating between multiple teams both internally and externally.
• 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.
• A deep understanding of one or more specialist areas such as: gender equality and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), cash and social protection policy,  disability inclusion, cash for climate, graduation approaches etc., is a plus.
• A belief that people living in poverty deserve the dignity to choose for themselves how best to improve their lives
• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly 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.