Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Manager, Investigations
at GiveDirectly
🏢 About GiveDirectly
GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that delivers unconditional cash transfers directly to people living in extreme poverty, operating across multiple countries with a focus on evidence-based, scalable impact. Its remote-first, globally distributed team and commitment to rigorous research and innovation make it a unique place for mission-driven professionals. Working here means contributing to one of the most direct and effective anti-poverty interventions in the world.
About This Role
This role leads the creation and operation of a new Central Intake and Investigations Hub, managing staff misconduct and safeguarding concerns across GiveDirectly's global operations. You'll be responsible for establishing the Hub as a trusted, independent function, conducting complex investigations, and building systems and teams to handle cases consistently across multiple countries. It's a high-impact leadership position that directly contributes to organizational integrity and safeguarding.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve triaging new concerns from country offices, conducting or overseeing confidential interviews, and meeting with People, Internal Audit, and Safeguarding teams to calibrate on cases. You could also spend time analyzing case data to identify trends, refining case management systems, and mentoring your team of Program Managers. Expect frequent collaboration across time zones and a mix of strategic planning and hands-on investigative work.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who GiveDirectly Is Looking For
- 5–7 years of experience leading workplace misconduct investigations, including sexual misconduct and senior staff matters, across multiple countries and legal contexts.
- Demonstrated trauma-informed investigative practice and professional fluency in English plus working proficiency in French, Swahili, or Portuguese for confidential interviews.
- Proven ability to build and lead a team, design case management systems, and identify automation opportunities to scale operations without proportional headcount growth.
- Strong relationship-building skills to establish trust with People, Internal Audit, Safeguarding, and country leadership, ensuring early reporting and consistent handling of concerns.
📝 Tips for Applying to GiveDirectly
Highlight your experience in establishing or leading an investigations function from the ground up, emphasizing how you built trust and independence.
Provide concrete examples of complex investigations you led, including sexual misconduct and senior staff cases, and describe your trauma-informed approach.
Explicitly state your language proficiencies (English plus French, Swahili, or Portuguese) and give examples of conducting confidential interviews in those languages.
Show familiarity with GiveDirectly's global operations and cash transfer model, and explain how you would tailor investigations to diverse legal and cultural contexts.
Demonstrate your ability to design scalable systems and use data to identify patterns, themes, and risk concentration, as this role requires both operational and strategic thinking.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
In your cover letter, emphasize your hands-on experience leading complex investigations, particularly sexual misconduct and senior staff matters, across multiple countries. Highlight your trauma-informed practice and language skills, and explain how you would build the Hub as a trusted, independent function. Also, showcase your ability to manage a team, design case management systems, and use data to drive insights and automation.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Learn about GiveDirectly's global operations, including the countries where they work and their organizational structure, to understand the scope of the investigations function.
- → Research GiveDirectly's safeguarding and people policies, as well as any public reports on their handling of misconduct, to align your approach with their values.
- → Understand the legal and cultural contexts of the countries where GiveDirectly operates, especially those requiring French, Swahili, or Portuguese proficiency.
- → Explore GiveDirectly's commitment to evidence-based practices and how they apply data and technology to scale impact, as this relates to your systems design responsibilities.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Avoid generic statements about being passionate about investigations; instead, provide specific examples of cases you've led and systems you've built.
- Do not overlook the language requirement—failing to clearly demonstrate proficiency in French, Swahili, or Portuguese will disqualify you.
- Avoid focusing only on reactive investigations; emphasize your ability to build proactive intake and reporting mechanisms and foster a culture of early reporting.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!