Senior Manager, Research & Insights Storytelling

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. 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) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.

Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.

We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow. We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

Position type: Full-time, open-ended contract

Location: Remote

About The Role

We’re hiring a strategic communicator to lead how GiveDirectly shares what we’re learning. You’ll lead the strategy and execution behind how we communicate research findings, surface insights, and shape evidence-based narratives — especially for catalytic donors (philanthropists, foundations, institutions).

This is a cross-functional role; you won’t be doing everything alone. You’ll work with domain experts across Research, Fundraising, Product, Policy and Comms with a clear goal: ensure our most important insights don’t just sit in PDFs — they shift how funders think, where money moves, and what policymakers prioritize.

You’ll have a strong team around you, collaborating with others who bring executional strength in writing, design, data, and distribution, partnering especially closely with Mary Blair (Manager, Research & Insights Storytelling) & Tyler Hall (Senior Director, Communications).

Your job is to lead the thinking, shape the story, and keep us focused on what matters most.

This Role Requires Someone Who Can...

• Dig deep: You chase threads in data and reports to surface compelling insights
• Connect dots: You synthesize findings across studies and programs to shape big-picture narratives
• Code-switch: You know when and how to write like an economist, activist, or journalist
• Triple-check: You communicate clearly and credibly — you don’t let “simplification” become “sloppy.”
• Get it done: You push projects forward across teams, even when no one reports to you.
  
  

What You’ll Do

Insight Product Development and Dissemination

• Lead the strategic release of research outputs, tailoring content and messaging to the right audience at the right moment, from GiveWell to VoxDev, national policymakers to Giving Pledge donors.
• Repackage insights across audiences, ensuring that findings shared with one audience can be credibly and effectively remixed for others.
• Continuously test and learn what formats, framings, and distribution channels are most effective at capturing attention and building belief, with the ultimate goal of acquiring new catalytic donors.
  
  

“Internal Journalism” on Data/Research

• Lead a consistent drumbeat of research storytelling, working with a small cross-functional team to develop original content — decks, social posts, donor briefings, blog posts, — that’s crisp, credible, and compelling.
• Ensure the wider team is regularly surfacing sticky insights, from new data points to surprising trends, across GiveDirectly’s diverse programs. Make the case for why they matter, shape the narrative, and guide them through to publication.
• Occasionally dig into data yourself to disaggregate a trend or clarify a stat — no need to be a statistician, just comfortable self-serving from Excel, Stata, R, or SQL when needed.
  
  

Narrative Research/Insights and learning

• Translate complex research into accessible narratives that resonate with philanthropic, policy, and lay audiences without oversimplifying.
• Coach internal communicators (senior staff, fundraisers, spokespeople) to speak credibly and confidently about our evidence, including how to acknowledge limitations and identify what’s genuinely new.
• Shape our public learning arc: from building audience literacy ahead of major research releases, to spotlighting key milestones, to articulating the “so what” of findings in a way that lands with different types of donors and influencers.
• You’ll shape the narrative direction, not execute everything alone. This role partners closely with Comms, Research, Policy, and Product teams to bring insights to life
  
  

You Are Likely A Fit If You…

• Are a skilled translator of research for different audiences: you can go from a 60-page RCT to 5-word donor headline to Devex-ready op-ed.
• Understand evidence deeply, but also understand timing & depth: you know what makes a message credible, when to simplify, and how to tap into the zeitgeist / current debates.
• Bring a strong editorial/journalistic sense about what makes something interesting, what the salient details are, and what framing is needed – avoid jargon and center on a clear “so what.”
• Are fluent in the development and philanthropy discourse: you know how places/people like Gates Foundation, GiveWell, Ken Opalo, CGD, or ODI think and talk.
• Are fluent in the tech, finance, & econ discourse: you know how people like Sam Altman, a16z, Emily Oster, the Collison brothers, or Tyler Cowen think and talk.
  
  

Qualifications (must Have)

• Have 7–10 years of experience in research strategy, policy influence, communications, and philanthropic engagement – especially where evidence and advocacy intersect.
• Have built and executed strategic communication agendas, with strong experience in how to make the wonky not just scrutable but unignorable.
• Comfort with data analysis or data visualization tools (e.g., Flourish, Canva, basic Excel/Stata/R/SQL)
• Are excited to co-create strategy with others, then lead on execution. You know how to build consensus and momentum.
  
  

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.

• The United States base salary for this role is $108,000.
• The Kenya base salary for this role is $77,500.
  
  

If you are not based in the US or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

Working at GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

Commitment to Safeguarding

As a global organization serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, 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 sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

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.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve, and prevent harm to our recipients.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!