How to land a job at GiveDirectly

Founded in 2008, GiveDirectly is a nonprofit organization focused on assisting families living in extreme poverty in low-income areas. The organization distinguishes itself from traditional development aid by its commitment to making unconditional cash transfers directly to recipients, typically via mobile phones. This model also allows for immediate assistance during crises like conflicts and natural disasters, where quick and scalable support is essential. In addition, direct cash transfers allow individuals to decide how best to utilize the funds to improve their circumstances — as they see fit. Direct cash transfers are a fast-growing tool in humanitarian aid, but despite being one of the most studied approaches in aid, they are far less popular in development. Supporters say that cash transfers have long-lasting effects on education, well-being, and economic outcomes: Studies have found school enrolment odds increase by 23%, entrepreneurship increases by 11%, as well as a 27% reduction in skipped meals and a one-third reduction in domestic violence. Champions such as Rory Stewart, the former United Kingdom international development minister who served briefly as president of GiveDirectly, say the evidence shows they are far more effective than most traditional interventions, and have criticized major donors for not using them more. As the organization continues to grow its impact, many prospective candidates are keen to understand what it takes to secure a position with the organization. In this article, we spoke with Marie Cadelina, GiveDirectly’s senior manager of talent acquisition, who provided an overview of how to navigate the application process effectively. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity Can you describe the recruitment process at GiveDirectly? We have a structured recruitment process that generally consists of a first interview, a skills assessment, and then two additional interviews. We do our best to prepare candidates for each stage by sharing a guide of what to expect, and how to put your best foot forward both on the application and during the interview process. We are also a remote-first organization, so wherever possible/applicable, we hire folks from across the globe — however, we do our best to prioritize candidates from our countries of operation so that our staff reflects the communities we serve. We anchor to a set of core competencies and skills, and we use these competencies to evaluate candidates for our open roles. For example, in addition to relevant previous experience, we generally evaluate candidates on emotional intelligence, critical thinking, their ability to follow through on their commitments, and their ability to foster an inclusive culture. Frequent and timely communication is also an important part of our process. We have a lean but mighty recruitment team that does its best to keep candidates updated on the status of their applications. Transparency is also important to us. To that end, we try to include information about salary in the job description, and we also go over compensation and benefits during the first interview. We want candidates to be equipped with that information as early as possible. We’re always open to feedback about our processes and candidates are always invited to share feedback with their recruiter or hiring manager. What advice do you have for applicants to stand out in each stage [CV, cover letter, interview, etc.]? My number one tip for your application is to make sure you’re putting real thought and effort into your application questions and CV. We don’t use artificial intelligence to review applications. Instead, a real team of humans goes through what is often a very high volume of applications to find the best fit for our open roles, and we read through all the submitted materials. We also tend to prioritize CVs that highlight achievements. In other words, don’t just list your responsibilities, list what you accomplished and what results you achieved. If invited to interview, we highly recommend coming prepared with examples, and being ready to engage in scenario-based questions. We both want to learn (1) about your previous experience and (2) how you would apply that experience to situations that are directly related to the open role. Keep in mind the competencies we’re generally on the lookout for (mentioned above) and be prepared to showcase how you’ve exhibited those competencies in your previous experiences. Finally, we love when candidates have questions for us — about the role specifically, or about GiveDirectly. It shows us that the candidate is engaged and interested, and it makes for a stronger impression. What types of roles have been a priority for GiveDirectly this past year, and what roles will be a focus moving forward? This past year, we’ve focused our efforts mainly on building out many of our core teams including tech, safeguarding, compliance, and finance. Looking ahead to the coming months, our focus will primarily be on continuing to strengthen the leadership team for our program-related work — in other words, making sure we have all the right people in place to deliver as much cash as possible to our recipients. We encourage folks interested in roles at GiveDirectly to keep a close eye on our Careers page, as we often will post roles towards the end of the year/early next year. Beyond technical skills, what makes a candidate a great employee at GiveDirectly? In addition to experience and expertise, we are mainly on the lookout for candidates who are deeply aligned with GiveDirectly’s mission and core values. We are actively interested in speaking to candidates who have personal or professional experience in the communities we serve. We can tell pretty early in the recruitment who has done their research on — and who is excited about — our work, so we encourage interested candidates to review our website, and read our blogs and articles written about our work. We firmly believe that interviewing is a two-way street. As much as we’re looking for candidates who are a good fit for our org, candidates should also be seriously considering whether or not GiveDirectly is the right career and values fit for them. How would you describe the company culture at GiveDirectly, and what qualities do you look for in candidates to ensure they align with this culture? Our organizational culture is a huge part of the staff experience, and it’s something we take very seriously. To that end, we seek prospective staff who get excited by the idea of working across different cultures, work styles, and personalities! We are committed to using diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as a lens through which we create our processes and policies, to make sure we’re creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued. You can read more about our ongoing journey here. We’re also intentionally not a very hierarchical organization, so you’ll find that leadership is very accessible and genuinely wants to hear staff’s opinions on major decisions. In short, we really want people who care deeply about the work we do, and who care deeply about supporting their colleagues. If you are offered a role at GiveDirectly, we highly recommend scheduling casual info chats with current staff members to learn more about what it’s like to work at GiveDirectly, to help you decide if you want to accept your offer. Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? Update your Devex profile and start connecting with top global development recruiters now.