Head of People

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is reshaping international giving by providing cash grants directly to the world's poorest populations. Since launching in 2011, GiveDirectly has raised over $1 billion and delivered cash to more than 2 million people across 15 countries. The organization has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the most innovative non-profit companies and featured in leading publications including the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

The global team spans 21 countries, speaks 69 languages, and includes approximately 150 staff at headquarters and 650 in country operations. GiveDirectly's culture is candid, analytical, agile, and deliberately non-hierarchical, with values that center the people served in all decision-making.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced, business-oriented Head of People to design and run the human systems that power our mission. This is a strategic leadership position where you will connect talent to organizational performance in a global, distributed, and exceptionally lean context.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and operate talent acquisition strategies to attract world-class talent across multiple geographies and time zones
• Design organizational structures that support GiveDirectly's growth and mission alignment
• Lead leadership development programs to build capability across the organization
• Establish performance management systems that drive accountability and high performance
• Design competitive rewards and compensation strategies
• Manage HR operations and employee relations across distributed teams
• Serve as a hands-on operator and strategic architect, balancing operational excellence with visionary thinking
• Build and mentor a people operations team

Required Experience & Skills

• Proven experience as a Head of People, VP HR, or equivalent in scaling organizations
• Track record designing and implementing talent, organizational design, and performance systems
• Strong business acumen with ability to connect people strategy to organizational outcomes
• Experience in global, distributed, or remote-first organizations preferred
• Comfort working in resource-constrained, lean operating environments
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically
• Experience with non-profit or mission-driven organizations a plus
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Location & Work Environment

This role is remote, with a strong preference for candidates located in the East Africa Time (EAT) timezone and/or in any of GiveDirectly's countries of operation. If not located in an EAT timezone, the selected candidate must be able to overlap at least 3 hours daily with EAT working hours.

What We Offer

GiveDirectly creates an environment where team members can thrive, succeed, and grow. The organization supports high ownership, flexibility, mutual care, and provides meaningful professional development opportunities. You'll work with an exceptional global team united by a commitment to ending extreme poverty.

Application Details

Priority application deadline: December 5, or until critical mass of applications is reached. To learn more about GiveDirectly's values and culture, candidates are encouraged to review the organization's values statement before applying.