Job Title: Country Director
Organisation: GiveDirectly
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About Organisation:
GiveDirectly is driving a re-evaluation of the assumptions underlying international philanthropy with a provocative model: we deliver donations directly to the extreme poor and let them decide what to do with them. This approach builds on two converging trends: the rapid spread of electronic last-mile payments solutions in the emerging markets, and the large body of experimental evidence showing that direct transfers are as or more cost-effective at reducing poverty than more traditional, top-down approaches. GiveDirectly’s field operations utilize state-of-the-art technology and business processes to deliver transfers securely, efficiently, and transparently. Our unorthodox approach – allowing the poor, and not the donor, to choose where they invest – has prompted debate in the popular press and among policy makers.
Job Summary: The Country Director will lead the Uganda country office in its entirety. They will build, fundraise, develop, and execute the Uganda Country Strategy. They will also lead the program teams, fundraising, and external relations to achieve short-term goals (i.e., funding targets and annual KPIs) and drive long-term growth. This role will ultimately be accountable to recipients and donors for delivering a gold-standard product.
Level: Director
Travel Requirement: Must be able to travel about once a month across the country
and internationally 1-2 times per year
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Program Management – 30-40%
- Accountable for ensuring GD Uganda programs operate on time, at target efficiency, and meeting GD’s quality standards
- Backstop, manage, and guide the programs team in overcoming challenges, staying on schedule, and delivering quality results.
- Be accountable for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with recipient experience and operational efficiency.
- Budget management that ensures efficient allocation and utilization of donor funds and resources
- Work with national and local government officials to secure permissions for maintenance and expansion of programs.
- Create and maintain a strong culture of safeguarding and anti-fraud across the country office and all activities, including working closely with GD’s global safeguarding, IA, finance, and compliance teams to build best practices into country operations, program design, and implementation. In country coordination across programs, IA, and safeguarding, including chairing weekly/bi-weekly IA, Safeguarding, and programs coordination meeting
- Proactively mitigate fraud and operational risks through close coordination with the Internal Audit team to prevent misconduct and protect our recipients, including designing appropriate prevention controls and response measures
Fundraising and Partnerships – 25-35%
- Develop and maintain strong strategic partnerships with donors, including private foundations, government agencies, and individual donors, to secure funding for GiveDirectly programs
- Design ambitious cash transfer programs and accompanying budgets
- Represent GiveDirectly to the public, media, government, and other stakeholders and serve as the organization’s spokesperson in the Uganda office.
- Work with the global fundraising team to develop compelling fundraising materials and messages that resonate with donors in Uganda.
- Lead the country team in developing and implementing fundraising activities, such as events and campaigns, to raise awareness and support for GiveDirectly’s work.
- Communicate about GiveDirectly to donors, the media, and other partners
- Host or coordinate hosting of country visits by HNWs, funders, and other partners
Strategic Planning and Prioritization – 5-10%
- Lead strategic planning and prioritization for GiveDirectly in Uganda.
- Ensure collaborative and strategic workplanning across departments
- Overall accountable for GD’s presence, work, and activities in Uganda
- Develop country strategy for GD in Uganda that advances GD’s success in Uganda while also laddering up well into GD’s org-wide strategic priorities and direction
- Set and manage towards country goals that create a roadmap for our success in Uganda
- Develop and implement a fundraising strategy for the Uganda office and own revenue targets, drive opportunities, and maintain a robust pipeline to sustain year over year growth
- Participate in annual retreat(s) and organization-wide planning, cross country coordination efforts, and input the perspectives, priorities, and experiences of GD Uganda into org wide policies and practices
- Lead national level government relationships and/or partner with SM-ER to handle these relationships
- Manage SM-ER and ensure the GD Country Office meets GD’s standards when it comes to external relations and government expectations as outlined in the mother MOU governing our relationship.
Team Management – 5-15%
- Motivate, coach, and hold to high standards a large team, including direct management of the country management team.
- Build the capacity of managers at all levels by ensuring they have clearly defined expectations for success, regular feedback on progress, and understanding of any growth opportunities that match strengths to organizational needs
- Promulgate practices and norms that animate GD’s core values, in partnership with HRM
- Lead workforce planning, including thoughtful hiring and succession planning, while ensuring the team remains appropriately lean and efficient.
- Take reasonable steps to ensure the safety and security of the GD team
Country Operations – 5-15%
- Lead coordination between the country office and GD’s global risk management verticals, including internal audit, compliance, external relations, and safeguarding, in order to ensure business continuity.
- Oversee country operations as a whole, including balancing the roles and responsibilities across the country management team, managing directly the HR Manager, the Office and Procurement Manager, and dotted line management of the Finance Manager, IA-Manager, and Safeguarding Manager.
- Work with relevant country office management to ensure country compliance with global standards and flesh out country protocols to put in practice global policies in ways that are clear and relevant to the Ugandan country context.
- As necessary, provide leadership and oversight of investigations of alleged misconduct, ensuring zero tolerance for fraud and upholding safeguarding standards, and disciplinary matters
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- 10+ years of relevant experience – e.g., in non-profit country management, organizational leadership, partnership development, program management, social entrepreneurship, or consulting – with a track record of demonstrated excellence and increasing responsibility.
- Experience leading government and external stakeholder partnerships
- Proven track records of securing significant funding from major institutional donors (e.g. US Government, FCDO, World Bank, or EU)
- Ability to lead and set strategic vision at a national level.
- Enthusiasm for a fast-paced environment that lacks pre-defined playbooks
- Team management experience, including hiring and building teams.
- Outstanding relationship management abilities, including ability to represent GiveDirectly at the highest levels
- Exceptional communication skills: written and verbal, including with diverse audiences from senior officials to institutional and High Net Work funders to field teams
- Strong organizational and/or project management skills.
- A high degree of autonomy and resilience
- Problem solver: you look at problems with an analytical and iterative mindset, with a strong framework for prioritization. You can run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions.
- Alignment with GiveDirectly Values, including the ambition to pursue industry-changing success. Active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem-solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
- Language Requirement: English, other Ugandan languages a bonus
- Authorization to work in Uganda or ability to obtain such authorization within a fixed time frame
Desired Skills and Experiences
- Experience working in Uganda and understanding of the Uganda context is very highly desired.
How to Apply:
All applicants should apply online at the link below.
Deadline: 17th October 2025
For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Level of Education: Bachelor Degree
Work Hours: 8
Experience in Months: 120