Senior Manager, MobileAid DRC

Location: This role must be based in DRC.

GiveDirectly in DRC

GiveDirectly DRC was established in 2018 to deliver mobile cash transfers to poor and rural populations, with the goals of promoting food security, poverty reduction, and financial inclusion. Our aim was to demonstrate the operational feasibility and cost-effectiveness of delivering large-scale digital cash transfers in one of the world’s least developed countries.

Since its founding four years ago, GiveDirectly DRC has used mobile phones to transfer more than $14 million to over 70,000 recipients across four provinces: South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri, and Kinshasa.

GiveDirectly’s activities in the DRC have expanded to include, among other achievements:

• Successful proof-of-concept pilots of mobile-based cash transfers, including large lump sums;
• The implementation of innovative targeting technologies for disadvantaged urban populations in Kinshasa, in partnership with the country’s social protection agency, the Fonds Social de la RDC;
• And contactless cash delivery to recipients in Beni and Bunia affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19.

You will be joining GiveDirectly DRC at an exciting time in its history, as we prepare to launch several new programs and strengthen our partnerships with the Government of the DRC.

Role Overview: 

GiveDirectly (GD) DRC is looking to bring on a Senior Manager to lead and further develop its MobileAid program for internally displaced people (IDPs), as well as to help build strong partnerships for GD, with telcos, the Government, and other implementing partners. In this role, you will be crucial in delivering cash to internally displaced people affected by shocks, by building partnerships, and designing, improving, and managing operations for GDs MobileAid program for IDPs. This is an opportunity to drive impact and innovation in DRC’s cash sector at a time when cash is receiving unprecedented attention and interest in the public eye. 

The Senior Manager will also support the development, implementation, and scale-up of a system that uses mobile phone data to identify individuals or communities in need of humanitarian assistance. You'll work at the intersection of technology, data analysis, and humanitarian aid, enabling faster, more targeted response efforts in DRC. You will also play a key role (PMO) the Congo Cash Consortium for GiveDirectly, a consortium which will help us scale the approach in eastern DRC. 

What you’ll do:

End-to-End Project Management

• Own a rich project management plan and coordinate with stakeholders to ensure successful end-to-end execution
• Define, track, and report operational and efficiency metrics 
• Design operational models for new programs, including assessing trade-offs of different design decisions (e.g. targeting, payments, customer service)
• Dynamically identify operational vulnerabilities (e.g. fraud, brand risk etc) and create solutions to de-risk
• Directly supervise multi-layered teams whose responsibilities include field operations, program quality assurance, and technological support

Business Development and Communications 

• Evaluate, create and drive new program opportunities, driving the end-to-end deal cycle from pitching to launch
• Scope new markets, including operational diligence, feasibility, and risk assessments for pilots and inbound proposals
• Identify and pursue fundraising opportunities for new programs
• Collaborate with the partnerships team to create content to drive donor conversations and position GiveDirectly as a leader in the global cash space 
• Collaborate with the communications team at global level to produce relevant content to explain externally the impact of the project

Project and People Management

• Lead cross-functional project teams, managing internal stakeholders and ensuring strong delivery of projects. 
• Directly manage one or more Managers to deliver high-quality operations and programming 
• Create a strong team culture rooted in GiveDirectly’s values. Cultivate and grow exceptional talent.
• Establish and maintain high-quality relationships with telcos and operational partners
• Drive communication and alignment across a variety of internal and external stakeholders including GiveDirectly senior management, telcos, operational partners, field teams and external stakeholders

Support GiveDirectly’s collaboration with telecoms, using mobile phone data for targeting

• Become fluent in a Machine Learning model and engage with the technical teams to improve and further develop it 
• Develop the strategy (technical, operational, governance) and project plan for engaging with  telecom(s) and other relevant partners (e.g. Flowminder) to implement Flowminder IDP detection model to support program targeting 
• Learn from other GiveDirectly country teams and global teams involved in rapid response, tech solutions and remote targeting. 
• Work with Data Scientists and external advisors to determine what technical and assurance mechanisms we need to put in place as part of our collaboration with telecoms, to ensure model quality and trustworthiness

Demonstrating impact

• Create, in conjunction with the programmes team, and the global research team M&E framework and implement it 
• Providing inputs for donor reports 
• Develop documents to demonstrate the impact of the projects GiveDirectly is running in DRC and write this up so that it is accessible to donors 
• Working with the Communications Team at the global level and in the country to produce high-quality inputs for external and internal communications 

Qualities we’re hiring for: 

• Deep ownership mindset (i.e. the default assumption that when you identify a problem, you’re likely going to be the one to solve it!) 
• Strong communication skills, including speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across diverse audiences
• Willingness to travel and work from differing working locations
• Passion for the role cash transfers can play in giving recipients choice & driving impact at scale 
• Analytical thinking and problem solving; capacity to analyze datasets and turn analysis findings into improvement recommendations with a program management mentality
• A team player with strong leadership, interpersonal skills and professional experience;
• Excellent representational and communication skills, 
• Have an understanding of both humanitarian operations and mobile technologies is highly desirable
• Ability to approach tasks with resourcefulness and to work in a highly self-directed manner
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously building more robust, efficient systems for the long term
• Enthusiasm for dynamic environments where work can change quickly

In addition to the specific skills required for each role, we’re looking for candidates who are aligned with our Values, and who actively demonstrate our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem-solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelors or Masters Degree in a relevant field 
• 4-7+ years of work experience in a problem-solving heavy role (including but not limited to: field management, consulting, analytics)
• Fluency in spoken and written English and French
• Ability to become fluent with data privacy and protection principles, particularly in relation to the use of telecommunications and geolocation data in humanitarian settings.
• Experience working with or for mobile network operators or on data analysis
• Exceptional ability to work analytically through complex operational questions & run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions
• Consortium management experience would be an advantage 
• Experience and high comfort level working in fragile contexts like DRC, ideally previous experience in DRC
• Ability to to travel up to 40% of the time away from the locality in which you are based in DRC. There may also be some travel outside DRC for team gatherings generally within Africa.

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.

• We’ll be updating this JD with the salary details over the next few days.

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, learning & development