How to apply for Chief Technology Officer

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that delivers unconditional cash transfers directly to people living in extreme poverty. It has delivered more than $1B to over 2 million people across 15 countries since 2011, and it is preparing to scale to billions of dollars per year. The culture is described as candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical, with high ownership and real professional growth.

About the role

This chief technology officer role leads the building and rebuilding of the technology, systems, and ways of working needed for a sustained $5B+ per year operation. The software you build will safely and securely move billions of dollars to millions of vulnerable people in some of the poorest and highest-need parts of the world. The role requires strong engineering judgment, team building, and organizational judgment.

A typical day

A typical day may involve working with engineering and organizational leaders to rebuild systems for scale, reviewing security and money movement processes, and making judgment calls about team structure and ways of working. Because the role is remote and the culture is non-hierarchical, you would likely spend time in direct, candid conversations with people across the organization. The exact daily routine is not described in the job details, so ask about team structure, decision-making, and how the CTO works with the CEO and other leaders.

Who GiveDirectly is looking for

• Has led engineering or technology at a company that moves large amounts of money or handles high-stakes transactions at scale.
• Can build and rebuild systems and teams, not just maintain existing ones, and has done so during periods of rapid growth.
• Applies strong judgment to security, reliability, and fraud prevention in low-resource or high-risk environments.
• Is comfortable with a candid, analytical, non-hierarchical culture and can operate with high ownership.

Tips for this application

• Read the CEO's essay on what it will take to deliver billions of dollars a year, and reference specific points from it in your application.
• Connect your experience to the exact scale target: $5B+ per year and millions of recipients in 15 countries.
• Show how you have built or rebuilt technology and systems during rapid growth, not just managed steady-state operations.
• Address security and safe money movement directly, since the role explicitly involves moving billions to vulnerable people.
• Apply early. The priority deadline is rolling and early applications are heavily encouraged.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your experience leading technology at a organization that handles large-scale money movement or high-stakes transactions.', 'A concrete example of building or rebuilding systems and teams during a period of rapid growth.', 'How you approach security, reliability, and fraud prevention when moving money to vulnerable people in high-need regions.', "Why GiveDirectly's cash transfer model and its planned scale to $5B+ per year fit your skills and judgment."]

Research before applying

• Read the CEO's essay on what it will take to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty.
• Review GiveDirectly's values and the employee stories on its site to understand the candid, analytical, non-hierarchical culture.
• Study GiveDirectly's cash transfer model, its research base, and its operations across 15 countries since 2011.
• Look into GiveDirectly's coverage in The Economist, NPR, TED, The Washington Post, and Time100's Most Influential Companies of 2026.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would build and rebuild technology and systems to support a sustained $5B+ per year operation.
• Your approach to safely and securely moving billions of dollars to millions of vulnerable people.
• How you have built, scaled, and organized engineering teams during rapid growth.
• How you apply engineering and organizational judgment in low-resource or high-risk environments.
• How you would work within a candid, analytical, non-hierarchical culture with high ownership.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on technical stack or tools without addressing the scale, security, and money movement requirements of this role.
• Ignoring the nonprofit context and the fact that the work directly affects people living in extreme poverty.
• Applying with generic language that does not reference GiveDirectly's specific scale targets, culture, or cash transfer model.