Product Lead at GiveDirectly [Private]

Priority application deadline: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 (or until we have a critical mass of applications)

Location: This role is fully remote but must overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

About this role

GiveDirectly has established a Product team responsible for identifying new program areas for exploration and implementation while deepening our impact in existing ones. Products at GiveDirectly are double-sided - serving the needs of our recipients on one side, and donors on the other - and include large technology components as well as the careful design of in-person operations. They range from our flagship large lump sum cash work to highly targeted support for specific populations or locations; the Product team works across fundraising, program implementation, and Research and Technology to build end-to-end initiatives and bring them to market. This role is responsible for assembling and leading cross-functional teams to drive product development, optimization, and scale. 

They may oversee single products, if large and/or complex, or a portfolio of products at different stages of development. 

Product leads must: 

• Be entrepreneurial generalists, with capabilities / experience across at least 2 of 3 following areas: software & technology, development research & evidence, and program delivery 
• Demonstrate strong go-to-market instincts, with track record for mobilizing resources around big ideas and opportunities
• Be data driven with excellent altitude awareness, and should be able to flex between big picture vision and “in the weeds,” data-driven problem solving
• Show discernment and conviction in ambiguity, making the hard decisions to say no to things and drive focus
• Have track record of driving big results without direct formal authority (strong influence and high follow through)

Level: Director

Reports To: VP Product

Travel: Must be willing to travel to program sites up to 1X per quarter for 1-2 weeks

 

Responsibilities: 

Set vision and define success for their products

• Product leads must set multi-year vision and annual/quarterly goals for their products, as well as defining interim milestones to track progress
• They should have a clear sense of their products’ value proposition and competitive advantage (what makes this product better than the next best alternative?), while leveraging GiveDirectly evidence and external research to do so
• Set minimum standards for their products, in close consultation with the Programs teams, and closely monitor implementation to identify gaps and areas of concern

Design & build products 

• Define the target outcomes of the product, taking into account donor and market priority outcomes as well as recipient’s own desired outcomes 
• Define the major programmatic features based on evidence and operational learnings to drive to these outcomes (e.g., transfer size, timing, tranches, touchpoints) 
• Define the technology we will use to deliver the program (existing in-house, new in-house, vendor, partner platform etc) 
• Select and work with any needed partners, designing their components to be complimentary to our own 
• Build needed components of your design that may not exist yet - for example, a new satellite targeting capability, a new SMS system,, scripts for new touchpoints - leading with the needed external or internal stakeholders (e.g., internal engineering teams, vendors, academic partners) 
• Partner with programs teams to troubleshoot implementation, leveraging ops and program data to identify pain points and drill down into solutions

Support fundraising

• Product leads will conduct or oversee robust market assessments for their products, and be propositional on how GiveDirectly positions those products 
• They will also support fundraising efforts, primarily by supporting existing relationship owners but occasionally owning their own relationships with key funders (e.g. anchor funders) 

Manage high performing cross-functional teams

• Product leads are responsible for assembling (with the VP of Product) and motivating cross-functional teams toward a common goal 
• Drive for alignment with their product teams, establishing key operational principles and ways of working early (given they will not manage direct reports)
• “Clean escalate” as needed to VP of Product if and when there is misalignment between key product stakeholders 

Qualifications: 

• 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 

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to ensure that staff’s total compensation package (base compensation + bonus)  falls within the 75th percentile of similar roles, at similar organizations. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

• The United States base salary for this role is $154,400.
• The Kenya base salary for this role is $120,000.

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US 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

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