How to apply for Senior Manager, Investigations(Full time)

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 2+ million people across 15 countries since 2011, and its work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. It is preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year if funding allows.

About the role

This role leads the newly created Central Intake and Investigations Hub, an independent function that works across the whole organisation. You will triage and assess concerns and allegations from every program and country, run the most complex investigations yourself, and support colleagues elsewhere who handle the rest. The bigger initial task is to establish the function, not just run cases.

A typical day

A typical day may involve triaging new concerns and allegations from different programs and countries, leading the Hub team, and working on the most complex investigations yourself. The details of the daily routine are not given in the job description, so ask about team structure, caseload, and how the Hub works with colleagues elsewhere.

Who GiveDirectly is looking for

• Experienced investigator who has built or stood up an investigations function, not only run cases.
• Can triage and assess allegations objectively across multiple programs and countries.
• Comfortable leading a team while personally handling the most complex investigations.
• Works independently across the whole organisation and produces appropriate findings and recommendations.

Tips for this application

• Show that you have established an investigations function before, not just worked cases. GiveDirectly says the bigger initial task is to establish the function.
• Describe how you have triaged and assessed concerns from different programs and countries. The role covers every program and country GiveDirectly works in.
• Give examples of complex investigations you personally led, since you will take the most complex cases yourself.
• Explain how you have supported colleagues elsewhere who handle investigations, because the Hub supports colleagues rather than doing everything itself.
• Read GiveDirectly's values and the CEO's essay on what it will take to deliver billions a year, and refer to them in your application.

What to cover in your cover letter

Emphasize your experience building an investigations function from the ground up. Explain how you triage and assess allegations objectively across multiple countries and programs. Give a concrete example of a complex investigation you led yourself. Show how you have led a team while supporting colleagues who handle other investigations.

Research before applying

• Read GiveDirectly's values and the page with quotes from people who work there.
• 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 coverage in The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post, and its Time100 Most Influential Companies recognition.
• Check what is publicly known about GiveDirectly's programs in the 15 countries it works in, since the Hub covers every program and country.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would establish the Central Intake and Investigations Hub as a standalone, independent function.
• How you triage and assess concerns and allegations that arrive from every program and country.
• A complex investigation you led yourself, and the findings and recommendations that came out of it.
• How you lead a team while supporting colleagues elsewhere who handle the rest of the investigations.
• How you keep an investigations function independent while working across the whole organisation.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying as a case investigator only. The role requires establishing a function, not just running cases.
• Ignoring the cross-organisation scope. Concerns reach the Hub from every program and every country.
• Treating the role as fully independent of colleagues. The Hub investigates some cases itself and supports colleagues elsewhere who handle the rest.