Legal Counsel, Corporate & Business Affairs

GiveDirectly is a global organization providing direct cash transfers to people living in poverty. The Legal Counsel, Corporate & Business Affairs will build the Business Affairs capability, advise global functions on complex corporate, commercial, funding, charitable, and regulatory matters, and lead legal strategy for Data Partnerships, data privacy, and remote enablement.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a primary legal partner to Partnerships and Fundraising, People, Finance, Communications, Technology, Product, Grants Management, and public affairs teams
• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex corporate partnerships, funding arrangements, technology and vendor agreements, and other strategic transactions
• Advise on corporate, commercial, employment, privacy, nonprofit, and operational matters arising within the teams you support
• Partner with teams early to understand their objectives, develop workable structures, and provide practical advice on legal and business risk
• Build templates, playbooks, and repeatable approaches that allow GiveDirectly to handle recurring work more consistently as the organization grows
• Advise on the structure, acceptance, and administration of significant or non-standard gifts, including bequests and other planned gifts, donor-advised fund grants, restricted gifts, securities, cryptocurrency, and other non-cash contributions
• Draft and review gift agreements, donor restrictions, planned-giving documentation, and other funding arrangements, coordinating with tax or trusts-and-estates counsel where needed
• Advise on charitable solicitation, fundraising disclosures, sponsorships, cause-marketing arrangements, commercial co-ventures, and related nonprofit regulatory requirements
• Support public affairs, Communications, and other teams on lobbying, advocacy, public-policy engagement, and political-activity restrictions, including applicable registration, tracking, and reporting requirements
• Develop practical guidance and escalation pathways so teams can identify when fundraising or external-engagement activities require Legal review
• Lead legal strategy for new products, partnerships, and operating models that affect multiple programs, countries, or teams
• As a major initial priority, develop GiveDirectly’s legal and regulatory approach to Data Partnerships, MNO data, and remote enablement
• Serve as legal partner to Global Data Partnerships, leading the legal work required to establish relationships with MNOs, governments, and other data holders
• Advise on data privacy, consent, data sharing, telecommunications regulation, and responsible data use, directing specialist analysis where needed
• Draft and negotiate NDAs, data-sharing agreements, MoUs, and related arrangements, and support engagement with regulators and government partners
• Work with Product, Technology, Programs, and program-facing Counsel to translate organization-wide approaches into workable models for particular countries and programs
• Partner with other Counsel on matters that cross portfolios or require shared expertise
• Coordinate external and local counsel where specialist or jurisdiction-specific support is needed
• Take ownership of other priority legal matters as team and organizational needs evolve
• Help strengthen the standards, tools, and ways of working used across our small, global Legal team

Requirements:

• 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
• Qualification as an attorney in at least one jurisdiction, with relevant post-qualification legal experience
• Strong corporate, commercial, and transactional experience, including structuring and negotiating complex partnerships and agreements
• Experience advising on complex funding arrangements, external partnerships, or other transactions involving significant legal and business considerations
• Demonstrated expertise in data privacy and data protection, including data sharing, consent, and the use of personal or regulated data
• Ability to understand unfamiliar legal and regulatory frameworks - including nonprofit and fundraising requirements - and develop practical approaches to novel questions
• Strong legal and business judgment, with the ability to assess risk in context and recommend a clear path forward
• Experience advising multiple functions and building trusted relationships with colleagues, counterparties, and senior stakeholders
• Ability to build new legal capabilities, manage a varied portfolio independently, and direct external or specialist advisors when needed
• Excellent written, verbal, and negotiation skills; English fluency
• Location: Remote, with a requirement to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours
• We can only employ people in certain places at the moment, so it's worth checking our current list of eligible countries to see if yours is included
• We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time
• Travel Requirement: ~ 1–2 trips per year, with additional travel as needed for significant partnerships or regulatory engagement
• Experience engaging with data-protection authorities, telecom regulators, governments, or other public authorities
• Experience negotiating data-sharing arrangements with MNOs or other holders of sensitive or regulated data
• Experience advising on technology-enabled products or data-intensive operating models
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets
• Privacy or data-protection certification
• Experience advising charitable organizations on fundraising, planned giving, bequests, donor restrictions, or non-cash gifts
• Experience with tax-exempt organization law, charitable solicitation, cause marketing, lobbying, advocacy, or political-activity rules
• Experience in international development, humanitarian response, or another mission-driven organization