Legal Counsel, Emergency Cash & U.S. Programs

About GiveDirectly

What if the most effective way to fight poverty was also the simplest: give people money and trust them to decide what they need?

Since 2011, GiveDirectly has proven that idea at scale. We’ve delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty and crisis across 15 countries, and rigorous research shows the results: healthier kids, stronger businesses, sturdier homes, and more resilient families and local economies. Cash is now widely recognized as one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid.

Our ambition goes beyond our own programs. We want cash to become the benchmark for aid, much as the index fund became the benchmark for investing, so that every aid dollar is held to one question:

is this doing more good than giving the money directly to people living in poverty?

We’re growing fast, and this is a rare and important moment to join.

We expect to hit $1B in revenue in 2026 with significant growth forecast for 2027. At the same time we are building a new technology stack and operating model designed for a roughly 10x change in scale, and we are actively pursuing partnerships with major funders to move even more money in bigger ways, to people who need it.

We are known for our extensive integration of technology into field processes; our quantitative approach to performance measurement; and our commitment to rigorous, independent, experimental evaluation of our impact, with multiple Randomized Control Trials completed and others in progress.

How we work

Our team spans 20+ countries and 69 languages. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We expect high ownership and give people real responsibility early. Our values are central to how we hire, work, and grow, and they are deliberately opinionated:

Recipients first.

Recipients’ preferences come before those of donors or ourselves.

Team next.

We optimize for organizational success, not individual success.

Be proactively candid.

We say what we believe and share information openly.

Create positive energy.

We aim to be a source of energy for colleagues, not a drain.

Think rigorously; act quickly.

We reason from first principles, then act rather than debate.

Know yourself and grow.

We own our imperfections and seek feedback to grow.

Accept reality. Propose solutions.

We focus on what can change and bring solutions, not just problems.

Be productively ambitious.

We take risks for step-change impact, not incremental progress.

If they describe how you like to work and they energize you, this could be a great fit.

Want to learn more? Read and listen:

• We are one of Time100’s
• Most Influential Companies of 2026, and our work has been covered by
• The Economist, NPR, TED

, and

The Washington Post

. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows.

Read our CEO's essay on what that will take.

About this role

GiveDirectly is building a faster model for humanitarian response – using data, technology, and partnerships to identify people affected by crises and deliver cash within days. Making that possible requires legal pathways that can be established before a crisis and activated quickly when one occurs.

We are seeking a Counsel to build and lead that legal model. Approximately 70% of the role will focus on Emergency Cash, from preparing for future responses to leading the legal and regulatory work required during an active emergency. When a response is underway, EC work will take priority.

You will also serve as legal partner to GiveDirectly’s U.S. programs, which work with governments, funders, researchers, and community organizations to deliver cash to low-income Americans. The portfolio includes programs such as Rx Kids, guaranteed-income initiatives, and housing-stability programs. You will help teams design and expand these programs, structure partnerships, and navigate the legal issues affecting delivery and recipients.

This is a delivery-focused role for a practical lawyer who can build for scale, exercise clear judgment under pressure, and help ambitious programs move from idea to implementation.

Reports to:

Head of Legal

Level

: Senior Manager

Location:

Remote, with a requirement to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We can only employ people in certain places at the moment, so it's worth checking our current list of eligible countries to see if yours is included. If you're based elsewhere, it's not an automatic no, but do flag it early with your recruiter. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

Travel Requirement:

~ 3–4 trips per year, plus travel as needed during active emergency responses.

What you’ll do:

• Build and deliver the Emergency Cash legal model
• Serve as the primary legal partner to Emergency Cash across program strategy, design, launch, and delivery.
• Build a repeatable legal model for emergency responses, including approaches to country entry, regulatory review, government engagement, contracting, data use, and the engagement of local counsel.
• Develop response-readiness tools, templates, and decision frameworks that allow common issues to be addressed quickly while escalating matters requiring legal judgment.
• During active responses, lead the legal work needed to launch and operate on emergency timelines, providing clear recommendations when information is incomplete.
• Coordinate with country teams, program-facing Counsel, and local advisors to use existing knowledge and relationships while retaining legal ownership of the response.
• Apply GiveDirectly’s global standards for MNO data and remote enablement to individual responses, working with the Corporate & Strategic Affairs Counsel on novel or cross-cutting issues.
• Draft and negotiate the partnership, technology, vendor, data-sharing, and other agreements required to deliver emergency programs.
• Capture lessons from individual responses and use them to strengthen the EC legal model over time.
• Lead legal support for U.S. programs
• Serve as legal partner to GiveDirectly’s U.S. programs across program design, implementation, expansion, and ongoing operations.
• Advise on the legal design and delivery of U.S. cash programs, including eligible recipient populations, interactions with public benefits, tax treatment and reporting, payments involving minors or caregivers, family-law considerations, privacy and data use, and state-specific requirements.
• Structure and negotiate program-specific agreements with governments, research institutions, community organizations, payment providers, and other partners.
• Develop reusable guidance for recurring issues and coordinate state-specific or specialist counsel where needed.
• Contribute across Legal
• Work with the Corporate & Business Affairs Counsel on organization-wide standards and initiatives affecting Emergency Cash or U.S. programs.
• Partner with the Africa Programs & Country Operations Counsel when emergency responses occur in countries within that role’s portfolio.
• Work with Legal Operations support to delegate recurring contracting, research, coordination, and administrative work appropriately.
• Support other priority legal matters as needed as part of a small, global Legal team.

What you’ll bring:

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
• Qualification as an attorney in at least one jurisdiction, with relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• Experience advising on complex program, commercial, or regulatory matters in fast-moving or high-pressure environments.
• Strong commercial contracting skills, including drafting and negotiating complex partnership, technology, vendor, or data-related agreements.
• Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar legal and regulatory frameworks and advise where precedent, time, or information is limited.
• Strong legal and business judgment, including the ability to identify meaningful risks, assess tradeoffs, and recommend a practical path forward.
• Ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for colleagues without legal backgrounds.
• Experience coordinating external counsel, consultants, or other specialist advisors.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and data protection law.
• Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and reprioritize quickly during active emergency responses.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; English fluency.
• Preferred: Experience in emergency response, humanitarian operations, or other crisis-context legal work.
• Experience supporting the launch of programs or operations in new countries.
• Experience with U.S. public-benefits, family-law, charitable-assistance, or government-program matters.
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets.
• Experience supporting programs involving vulnerable populations or sensitive personal data.
• Experience in international development or another mission-driven organization.

Base Salary:

$134,400

Bonus at Target Performance:

10% (~$13,440, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $15,724 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target:

$147,840+

Annual Benefits Stipend:

$21,393

United Kingdom

Base Salary:

£91,900

Bonus at Target Performance:

10% (~£9,190 with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be £10,752 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target:

£101,090+

Annual Benefits Stipend:

£2,760

Kenya

Base Salary:

$106,280

Bonus at Target Performance:

10% (~$10,628, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $12,434 in 2025)

Estimated Total Compensation at Target:

$116,908+

Annual Benefits Stipend:

$8,454

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

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 supportive team that works hard and cares hard
• A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take
• Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development

We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to careers@givedirectly.org.

Working at GiveDirectly

Flagging for US applicants:

We invite you to "

Know Your Rights

" as an applicant.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme

, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing,  reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or  exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application?

Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!

Referrals

Know the right person for this role? Please consider referring them

. We offer a reward of $3,000 for a Senior Manager or above role, and $500 for a Manager role, paid if we end up hiring your referral. Thank you for sending great people our way!