Vacancies at GiveDirectly

Responsibilities Include

• Statistical analysis and predictive modeling. Own process end-to-end: implement statistical methods and build, train, and deploy predictive models to solve problems in cash delivery utilizing code (e.g., Python, R). Current priorities:
• Targeting. Implement and improve existing machine learning algorithms predicting poverty level from call-detail records (CDR) and geospatial data. This work enables us to remotely identify eligible recipients at scale, and has been highlighted in WIRED with findings published by our research partners in Nature.
• Risk prediction. Develop new risk prediction models that help us design programs and target recipient outreach to keep recipients and communities safe.
• Support data quality assurance. Work with the Senior Data Architect to design processes that ensure key metrics, models, and analysis are built on high quality data.
• Communication. Collaborate with leaders throughout the organization to define data product requirements, educate them about solutions, and make recommendations.

This role has a high degree of autonomy and the ability to shape our process from the ground up by determining best practices and informing the data product roadmap.

You are an analytical problem solver who knows how to:

• Frame a testable question from ambiguous requirements
• Gather, lean, and manipulate the required data
• Deliver answers that directly inform important decisions

You Deliver Results That Impact Real-world Outcomes By

• Solving for user needs and constraints
• Understanding when to build complex models and when simpler solutions are more appropriate
• Communicating takeaways clearly

You are intellectually curious and humble. You think probabilistically and measure the uncertainty of your predictions.

You are a mid-level to Senior Data Scientist with the following qualifications.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years experience working with data querying languages (e.g., SQL) and statistical modeling software (e.g., Python, R)
• 5+ years experience as a Data Scientist or related position applying statistical and/or machine learning (ML) techniques, with a deep understanding of the key parameters that affect their performance
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms – ability to apply the appropriate methods, as well as benchmark and diagnose predictions to rapidly improve performance
• Proficient in spark, dask, and/or other packages for distributed computing
• Ability to travel and deploy to international, on premise locations for up to 1 month at a time

go to method of application »

Responsibilities

• Partner with our field operations team to scope and operationalize new cash delivery program launches, helping GiveDirectly to reach more people across more geographies
• Lead a team of data coordinators, data associates, and technical program managers who build, manage, and implement the technology used to deliver those program launches, from surveys for enrolling recipients to the data model used to store data about payments in Salesforce (our central recipient data store), including being hands-on with implementation where needed
• Prioritize among a portfolio of project launches and negotiate timelines across functions to manage capacity within the team
• Scope and assess potential new projects from a technical perspective to inform strategic direction
• Build a strong team culture rooted in GiveDirectly’s values
• Drive the rapid growth of our team, which has doubled each of the last three years, including recruitment, onboarding, and designing systems and practices to scale
• Design and implement cross-cutting systems improvements to improve efficiency, scale, and/or recipient experience
• Debug and resolve issues across multiple layers of our technology stack, including Salesforce and our offline data collection app
• Develop and manage reporting of key metrics tracking field operations and payments

We’re Looking For Candidates With

• Fluency in English
• At least 5 years of professional experience (we welcome a range of skill sets and backgrounds; related fields could include product management, data analytics, software engineering, project management, program management, international development, or management consulting)
• Experience owning technical decisions when there isn’t a predefined “playbook”: evaluating novel technologies, designs, and risks
• Experience scaling and leading a team and building a team practice of structured problem solving, drive to fix root causes, and high attention to detail
• Experience writing code to manipulate data such as Python or R
• Deep comfort with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
• Experience managing timelines, operational risk, stakeholders, and complex deliverables across multiple workstreams
• Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Bonus but not required: experience working with relational databases (e.g. SQL)
• Bonus but not required: expertise in data visualization
• Bonus but not required: fluency in Arabic, Spanish, French, Swahili, Portuguese, or Kinyarwanda
• 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.

go to method of application »

What You’ll Do

• Work with senior leadership to develop strategy and deploy relationship owners (President, Co-Founder(s), Research Director, etc.) in conversations with some of the world’s top philanthropists (MacKenzie Scott, Jack Dorsey, Vitalik Buterin, etc.). In some instances, you will also own direct relationships with key donors
• Manage, develop, and grow a team of 4+, while creating and executing a plan for future hires
• Oversee the acquisition of new high-net-worth individual donors
• Define and implement scalable systems for (i) tracking how and when we communicate with existing donors (ii) identifying and acquiring new donors
• Architect innovative touchpoints and content so donors can understand the impact of their donations
• Represent team internally in coordination with teams across the org (Ops, Tech, Research, Finance, Marketing)
• Design and curate programs in collaboration with Ops, Research, and Tech teams to match funders' priorities
• Through all projects, build scalable, high-quality processes; rigorously analyze what works & doesn’t work, and reprioritize where necessary
• Develop and hit or exceed fundraising KPIs, targets, and team goals

What You’ll Bring

• 7+ years of experience in high-performing results-driven environments
• 4+ years of people management experience, with proven leadership ability in rapidly scaling high-performing teams
• Demonstrated track record of coordinating between multiple teams both internally and externally
• Passion for building processes and structure to enable scale
• Experience building a team culture of structured problem solving, drive to fix root causes, and high attention to detail
• Proven ability to manage the urgent alongside driving persistent, continual improvement and quality
• Strong, succinct communications: Skilled in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders
• Analytical problem solver: Looks at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization
• 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.

go to method of application »

What You’ll Do

• Lead the technology build out for all new cash delivery program launches, helping GiveDirectly reach more people across more geographies
• Manage managers, each of whom manage a team of technical program managers and data associates
• Develop and grow the team through rapid scaling, including building norms and culture to enable the team to operate efficiently and maintain quality with rapid growth
• Build a culture of system design, data modeling, and project management best practices
• Partner with the engineering team to define software products to solve new challenges in cash delivery
• Serve as strategic decision maker on vendor selection for off-the-shelf tools to expand tech stack capability
• Drive roadmap discussions with teams across the organization, including operations, research, finance, and fundraising, including working across stakeholders to shift from a service mindset to product mindset
• Ensure the team follows best practices for data privacy and security, to ensure protection of recipient data

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of experience in a similar field (e.g., technical product/program management, software engineering, systems engineering, data analytics)
• 4+ years of people management experience, including managing managers, with proven leadership ability in rapidly scaling high performing teams
• Demonstrated track record of delivering tech products from ambiguity to delivery
• Passion for both building process and structure to enable scale & jumping into open-ended problems
• Experience building a team culture of structured problem solving, drive to fix root causes, and high attention to detail
• Proven ability to manage the urgent alongside driving persistent, continual improvement and quality
• Strong systems thinking and ability to weigh short and long term tradeoffs of technical design decisions
• Strong ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively across cross-functional teams and senior business and technical stakeholders
• Knowledge of data security and privacy best practices
• Experience writing code, such as Python, R, Java, etc.
• 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.

go to method of application »

This is an exciting opportunity to lead consumer-facing delivery technology for the world's fastest-growing NGO. You'll be responsible for recruiting, retaining, and developing the best of the best; designing and structuring key technical processes; and building a strong tech-led culture at GiveDirectly. You will also lead the delivery of GiveDirectly's ambitious "end of poverty" consumer product.

What You’ll Do

• Lead consumer facing and delivery technology for the world’s fastest growing NGO
• Recruiting, retaining and developing a highly talented team with a GD values-aligned, tech-excellence culture
• Represent the technical organization at Executive Committee and the technology’s capabilities to external stakeholders (e.g. donors and partners)
• Lead the delivery of the “end of poverty” consumer product
• Foster a product mindset to ensure tight definition of requirements empowering the delivery of innovative solutions
• Ensure the tech function effectively contributes to the strategy and future development of GD

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience including time as both Individual Contributor and CTO
• Deep Engineering experience with some Product function experience
• International experience, especially with remote teams