Director, Mothers & Babies

Role Overview

• Own the product vision and multi-year strategy, translating it into annual and quarterly goals and clear “go/no-go” decision points.
• Define and maintain the core “hypotheses” that ground GiveDirectly’s investment in this product (impact/value, feasibility/delivery, and growth/fundability), including what evidence would change our confidence.
• Build a crisp roadmap that separates (a) what must be proven, (b) what must be built, and (c) what must be scaled—then ruthlessly prioritize to match the year’s goal.
• Lead program design choices (e.g., transfer size, timing/cadence, etc), grounded in evidence and operational realities.
• Ensure the program meets a high bar for recipient dignity, safeguarding, consent, and clarity
• especially given the sensitivity of pregnancy and newborn outcomes.
• Partner closely with programs teams to identify where reality diverges from our plans, diagnose root causes, and implement adaptations quickly and thoughtfully.
• Identify, evaluate, and manage partners critical to targeting and outcomes (e.g., community health NGOs, health facilities, government health systems, digital maternal health platforms).
• Define the operating model: what GiveDirectly must do vs. what partners can do better (and cheaper), and how responsibilities, incentives, data flows, and accountability work.
• Develop playbooks for recipient targeting/verification, enrollment of pregnant women, payment timing, troubleshooting, and issue escalation—then standardize across countries where appropriate.
• Set the measurement strategy and learning agenda: leading indicators, qualitative insight loops, and (where appropriate) the path to rigorous evaluation.
• Lead cross-functional execution without formal authority

Requirements

• Exceptional alignment to GD values, passion for our mission, and commitment to recipient dignity and empowerment
• 8+ years of professional work experience in similar role or function (product, programs, business development, partnerships)
• Proven leadership ability and management experience in building high performing teams
• Experience working with a distributed team in a multicultural environment
• Interest in working as part of a growing company, with awareness about the opportunities and challenges that come with a highly adaptive environment
• Strong, succinct communications: Skilled in speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across multiple stakeholders
• Analytical problem solver: Looks at problems w/ analytical and iterative mindset, with strong framework for prioritization

Benefits

• Competitive salary, including bonus
• Robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Flexible paid time off
• Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development