Senior Global Director of Country Operations

Priority application deadline: 25 February 2026

Level: Global Head of Country Operations 

Reports to: VP Programs 

Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel 15%-25% for county office visits and team offsitesl

About this role:

GiveDirectly is seeking a Global Head of Country Operations to strengthen and scale operations across all our country offices. This role will shape the operating model that powers GiveDirectly’s next decade of growth. They will build strong country office foundations and level up our ability to scale and serve recipients excellently and adaptively, working in partnership with our COO and other department leads across the organization. The ideal candidate has delivered results across a diverse set of contexts, brings order to chaos, and can partner with senior leaders as well as they can roll up their sleeves to get critical work shipped.. This is a rare opportunity to architect the backbone of a global organization delivering hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

What we’re looking for: 

• Proactive thinker and systems builder, who can both resolve today’s issues and also prepare us for tomorrow’s opportunities
• Track record of delivering results and owning increasing responsibilities
• Gets things done. Thrives in a lean, fast paced, and hands on environment
• Excellent ability to influence and manage diverse stakeholders, including change management
• Able to juggle a wide range of responsibilities reliably and nimbly
• Diverse work background: Has demonstrated adaptability across high-performing contexts and demands e.g. in AI/tech, management consulting, or other private sector
• Operations breadth across functions like finance, HR, procurement, compliance, ethics, IT, audit, and/or risk, compliance, ethics, IT, corporate audit, and/or risk management. 
• Deep experience living and/or working in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Excited about GD values and mission

What you’ll do: 

Build country office foundations and systems across HR, finance, procurement, compliance, IT, security, and risk management - reducing friction so dollars reach recipients faster and more reliablyOversee financial management across country offices, both directly and indirectly ($350M+ per year)

• Build high-performing country office structures: clear roles, crisp accountability, and strong operating routines.
• Coordinate and represent country office realities in global standards setting, resource allocation, and priority setting, working with country offices across Sub-Saharan Africa, the US, and beyond
• Operationalize global standards: Ensure rollout of global standards in ways that are context appropriate, meaningful, and rigorous

Lead country office launches and wind downLead proactive, high-leverage initiatives that advance our ability to scale efficiently and nimbly

• Own or support crisis management when needed
• Other responsibilities as required

Example Deliverables

• Partner with COO to refresh roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities and how they are split between country directors and global shared services departments
• Lead an ops & finance working group to to identify and test step-change efficiency improvement at scale (using budget & process data, then piloting changes)
• Launch a new country office in a crisis-prone region in 3 months
• Systematize contracting approval processes to cut cycle time  by 2x while maintaining compliance & auditability.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly we aim to pay generously and equitably. We benchmark total compensation (base + bonus) to the ~75th percentile for comparable roles and maintain a no-negotiation policy to promote equity across staff. The base salary will be benchmarked to the candidate’s location; we will share the relevant salary benchmark during the hiring process. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

We are open to considering exceptional candidates at both the Senior Director or a higher level, depending on experience and fit.

• The United States Senior Director's base salary for this role is $145,000, and the higher leveling is $170,700, with an additional 15% bonus.
• The Kenya Senior Director's base salary for this role is $120,000, and the higher leveling is $145,000, with an additional 15% bonus.
• The UK Senior Director's base salary for this role is £106,374, and the higher leveling is £122,330, with an additional 15% bonus.

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

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

 #LI-REMOTE