Technical Program Manager, Emergency Cash

GiveDirectly is an organization that delivers rapid, technology-enabled cash assistance to people affected by crises, aiming to redefine how humanitarian responses leverage technology.

This role involves translating emergency response requirements into technical specifications and coordinating various cross-functional teams during crisis activations. The successful candidate will also contribute to strengthening global readiness by improving existing tools and identifying technical gaps to inform future product and technology development. The Emergency Cash team operates remotely, emphasizing trust, ownership, and flexibility. Due to the nature of emergency responses, the TPM may need to provide surge capacity and work across multiple time zones, following pre-established on-call schedules. This position is ideal for individuals who thrive in dynamic, ambiguous environments, can effectively bridge the gap between technical teams and field operations, and are passionate about innovating humanitarian technology. The role reports to the Senior Product Manager, Solutioning, Emergency Cash.

1. Lead the end-to-end technical program delivery during emergency activations, including scoping, requirements gathering, system configuration, implementation, quality assurance, testing, troubleshooting, and closeout.
2. Collaborate with various teams such as Product, Tech, Research, Engineering, Data, Payments, and Programs to ensure systems align with programmatic goals and function effectively in field conditions.
3. Ensure all deployed systems adhere to GiveDirectly’s standards for data protection, privacy, and financial controls.
4. Provide technical training and onboarding for surge staff, collaborators, and local partners.
5. Maintain and enhance technical documentation, deployment guides, and incident-response protocols to ensure consistency and speed in future responses.
6. Partner with Programs and Engineering to develop product roadmaps, define requirements, and prioritize improvements for emergency response scalability and reliability.
7. Monitor and report on technical readiness metrics, including uptime, deployment speed, integration failures, data quality, and testing coverage.
8. Conduct and document technical design and implementation retrospectives, lessons learned, and root cause analyses after each response to drive continuous improvement and inform product development strategies.
9. Support technical assessments, evaluations, testing, and adoption of new products and solutions to strengthen emergency response technical capabilities.
10. Assist in conducting risk assessments for systems and data flows within high-risk operating environments.
11. Identify and mitigate technical risks, such as connectivity issues, data loss, device theft, fraud, and system misuse, both before and during activations.
12. Contribute to incident reviews to enhance safety and resilience protocols.

1. Demonstrate exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly's values and core competencies, including emotional intelligence, problem-solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
2. Possess 5+ years of professional experience in relevant fields such as technical program management, product management, data analytics, software engineering, international development, emergency response, or management consulting.
3. Have proven experience managing timelines, operational risks, stakeholders, and complex deliverables across multiple workstreams.
4. Exhibit the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced and ambiguous settings, making sound judgments to balance speed, risk, and quality.
5. Be capable of making technical decisions in the absence of predefined playbooks, including evaluating novel technologies, system designs, and associated risks.
6. Possess working proficiency with a programming or statistical language (e.g., Python, R, Matlab, Java, Apex) for building automation and business logic.
7. Demonstrate high attention to detail and strong analytical instincts for rigorously validating data and code.
8. Employ a structured approach to problem-solving, driven to uncover and resolve root causes rather than just surface-level issues.
9. Have the ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders from diverse cultural, national, and social backgrounds.
10. Be fluent in English.
11. Hold a Bachelor's Degree.
12. (Preferred) Experience working with relational databases (e.g., SQL).
13. (Preferred) Experience with data visualization.
14. (Preferred) Understanding or interest in how technology supports emergency response operations (e.g., CVA platforms, identity verification, data collection tools, payment systems, mobile apps).
15. (Preferred) Experience working in humanitarian or emergency response contexts.
16. (Preferred) Familiarity with humanitarian coordination systems (UN clusters, INGO networks) and donor expectations.