Organization: GiveDirectly
Location: Nairobi
Grade: Mid level – Mid level
Occupational Groups:
Civil Society and Local governance
Project and Programme Management
Managerial positions
Closing Date:
About GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly (GD) provides cash grants directly to people living in extreme poverty. Since launching in 2011, GD has raised over $1B, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million recipients, launched operations in 15 countries, and continues to expand its reach across the Global South. GD has also grown the research base supporting unconditional cash with 20 randomized control trials from its programs, generating rigorous evidence across countries and contexts. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies byFast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) has been featured in theNew York Times Magazine,This American Life,Foreign Affairs, andThe Economist.
Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and agile. We work alongside 750+ individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. Team members at GiveDirectly attest that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but a fundamental part of our culture and values. We actively seek to recruit individuals from the communities we serve, and use DEI as a lens in our hiring practices, programs, and initiatives. Our goal is to maintain a workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work, and feel valued and respected for who they are. We strive to be inclusive of all cultures and experiences while upholding our values globally. In the spirit of our “Know Yourself and Grow” value, we recognize there is always room to improve our team’s working experience. But day to day, we aim to “Create Positive Energy” – we take care of one another, have fun, aim to maximize flexibility and accessibility in roles, and pursue professional development opportunities to stay challenged & engaged in our work.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.
Overview:
The Associate Field Manager, Risks will play a central role in ensuring that GiveDirectly delivers a gold standard product to donors and recipients. The Risks AFM will be responsible for supporting the Field Manager to regularly synthesize program delivery risks updates, community-related risks and challenges as well as field successes and challenges.
The Risks Associate Field Manager will work entirely independently and separately from the rest of the program teams. He/she will be firewalled from the rest of the field program teams with his/her interaction being entirely limited to his/her direct reports (team), the Risks Field Manager, the HRM, the Country Director, Country Finance Manager, direct Supervisor, and cross-country Risk Management teams.
He/she will directly supervise and lead programs audit and risk management Field Officers who will be based in the field and tasked with the responsibility of monitoring, detecting, and resolving program-related risks like fraud and safeguarding violations. He/she will own team-specific program audit process, including tracking performance of his/her team; owning survey and case resolution targets achievement; building a culture of mentorship and professional development for his/her direct reports; and supporting the Field Manager to identify opportunities for risk mitigation and process improvements
This role will require sharp judgment on operational issues and challenges, strong communication and interpersonal skills, exceptional personnel management and a strong commitment to GiveDirectly’s values, mission and model. This role will require regular travel to the field locations we are working in for at least 75% of the time.
Responsibilities:
Risk management
Assess and report underlying causes of risks related to GiveDirectly’s Urban Refugees cash transfer project implementation within the Nairobi Metropolitan
Lead in partner organization pre-engagement background due diligence to surface any pre-engagement risk flags
Lead in pre-enrollment partner organization list vetting to surface pre-enrollment risks, and flag recommendations on enrollment decisions.
Take the lead in investigating suspected fraud and abuse, including communicating appropriate matters to the Internal Audit manager for the necessary escalation and / or resolution
Lead the internal program audit team in Urban Refugees Project in detection of risks such as safeguarding, fraud, abuse, undeclared conflicts of interest; by ensuring confidential reporting, proactive detection, in-depth investigations and case management of the risks whenever they occur
Provide the lead in examining the quality of the program team’s data against set GD data quality standards and report any cases of inconsistency
Program management
Develop and own team work plans for the Urban Refugees project
Conduct team quality checks through field and remote calls shadowing and data reviews of team investigations and case notes
Manage reported cases, ensuring proper documentation in Salesforce and the offline interdepartmental collaboration cases tracker, track the progress of cases, communicate updates to relevant stakeholders and manage cases within the organization’s basic timelines
Support the Field Manager in creating and maintaining reports and dashboards that reflect team performance in relations to the set team target
Consistently keep the Field Manager and other management team updated on risks, internal risks checks outcomes and other productivity trends through weekly and monthly project reports
People Management
Model ethical behavior that encourages the team to adhere to GD policies and to also report misconduct within GD staff, partners, community and recipients
In consultation with the Field Manager, conduct staff career growth needs assessments (through structured surveys and 1:1 sessions) and liaise with the country HR Manager to deliver robust professional development sessions internally and externally
Support the Field Manager to identify, interview, hire, onboard and retain high capacity program audit for the the Urban Refugees Project
Develop a team with a high capacity for problem solving, critical thinking, and strong analytical and communication skills
Other roles
In collaboration with the Field Manager, work with country support teams – Human Resource, Finance, Administration to ensure your team has everything they need to perform their work
Maintain an active, visible and consistent commitment to the standard of behavior and ethics that is required throughout every aspect of the organization as stipulated in the Code of Conduct Statement
Desired abilities/experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Community Development, Sociology, Monitoring & Evaluation, Development Studies or related disciplines
2+ years working with vulnerable communities, preferably in field risks management
Proficiency in English and Kiswahili and in additional speak either Somali or Oromo.
Exceptional leadership ability with demonstrated success in driving high level performance by mentoring, motivating and building capacity for quality execution
Exceptional ability to problem-solve complex operational challenges in the field/proactively monitor and manage risks
Strong relationship building skills and the ability to represent the organization effectively to grassroot external parties
Demonstrated ability to work in a highly independent and self-directed manner, while effectively communicating upwardly about gaps and risks
Demonstrated ability to monitor and evaluate projects activities, while also drawing and disseminating learnings
Empathy, honesty, and the highest standards of integrity, including positive attitude, strong work ethic, strong follow-through mindset, and team-player mentality
Analytical and technical skills, including intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Excel, and use of data for decision making
Other preferences / nice to have
Professional certifications in project management, criminology and investigations, risk management, or any related certifications desirable but not a must
Previous experience in a management position
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.**
#LI-REMOTE