SM Information Security and IT

GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly

IT
Nairobi, Kenya
Posted on Friday, April 28, 2023

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) provides cash grants directly to people living in extreme poverty. GD has raised over $800M since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.2 million recipients, and launched offices in 11 countries. We’re continuing expansion across the Global South. Over the past decade, GD has also supported large-scale, experimental research, expanding the evidence that cash has a positive short and long-term impact on recipients. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Across our global offices, our culture is candid, analytical, non-hierarchical, and agile. We work alongside 750+ individuals who come from 21 different countries and speak 69 different languages. Team members at GiveDirectly attest that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but a fundamental part of our culture and values. We actively seek to recruit individuals from the communities we serve, and use DEI as a lens in our hiring practices, programs, and initiatives. Our goal is to maintain a workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work, and feel valued and respected for who they are. We continue to grapple with balancing inclusivity of all cultures and experiences while maintaining cohesion in our values. While there is much that we are still learning, we take care of one another, have fun, as well as provide flexible working hours wherever possible.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by law.

Location: This is a fully remote position based in Africa, with a preference for one of existing offices (Nairobi, Kigali, Kampala, Rabat, Beira, Lilongwe, Goma, Monrovia)

About this role

We are looking for an entrepreneurial IT administrator to lead IT for the organization as a whole, across 8 country offices in Africa and our remote-first global team. This role reports directly to the Vice President of Technology. You’ll mature and develop our IT systems and processes. You’ll lead the charge on ensuring that we are maintaining best-in-class security practices. And ultimately, you will get to work with stakeholders across the organization to ensure they have the tools they need to get cash in the hands of people living in poverty.

Reports to: VP Technology

Responsibilities:

  • Lead the central IT function of the organization, including directly managing one team member and indirectly managing IT focal points across ten+ local offices
  • Lead development of IT strategy to ensure the GiveDirectly team has the right technology tools (software and hardware) to operate productively and securely, and lead initiatives to implement that strategy
  • Oversee administration of and configuration of critical cloud-based software tools used across the organization (such as Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, etc.)
  • Serve as the technical lead for IT-related and data protection policies and procedures, working with legal, risk, and compliance, including GiveDirectly’s Privacy Policy, IT Security Policy, and Data Breach Policy, and implementing compliance with GDPR and data protection laws across the countries where we work
  • Serve as the technical lead for IT-related and data protection related audits, working with legal, risk, compliance, and other leads in the tech department
  • Design and oversee systems for smooth and efficient IT operations such as onboarding and offboarding processes
  • As needed, conduct occasional country visits to support country teams, conduct trainings, and spot check IT compliance
  • Together with the IT manager, respond to and troubleshoot requests through our ticketing system
  • Manage the security of software and hardware tools used across GiveDirectly, including evaluating new vendors
  • Provide training and support to users across the organization

Core competencies and experiences

We’re looking for candidates with:

  • 5+ years of relevant professional experience, including people management and mentorship experience, with a track record of growing and developing teams
  • Experience owning large-scale, organization-wide projects with complex timelines, operational risk, stakeholders, and deliverables, with a high degree of autonomy
  • Ability to design new processes and systems that impact multiple teams from scratch
  • Deep knowledge of IT security best practices, including secure configuration of cloud-based software tools
  • Experience with IT troubleshooting and administration
  • Strong knowledge of data protection best practices, and comfort with navigating data protection regulations and audits
  • Deep comfort with Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets
  • Systematic approach to problem solving, drive to fix root causes, and high attention to detail
  • Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Comfort working remotely with a diverse and widely distributed team
  • Bonus but not required: fluency in Swahili, French, Kinyarwanda, Chichewa, Portuguese, Arabic
  • Exceptional alignment with GD values (outlined below)

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
  • A monthly benefits allowance that covers Health, Dental, and Vision monthly premiums
  • Unlimited PTO (that we encourage staff to take!)
  • Desk allowance and flexible work location

Read more about our ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts here and about our decision to move our central support teams to remote first here.

About the hiring process

Format: The hiring process follows the same general outline for all open roles:

First interview (30 mins)
Take home skills assignment (~2 hours)
Second interview (1 hour)*
Third interview (1 hour)*
Final interview (1 hour)
Reference checks (30 mins each)

*For some roles, second & third interviews are combined into a panel interview. If there are adjustments or variations on this process, those changes will be communicated during the first interview.

Venue: We conduct interviews over Google Meet with camera on (unless communicated otherwise).

Accessibility: Closed captioning is available during all Google Meet interviews, and interviewers will also post interview questions in the chat box throughout the call. If you need assistance accessing either of these features, please let your interviewer know at the start of your interview!

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

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