[Hiring] Legal Counsel @GiveDirectly

Role Description

GiveDirectly is building a faster model for humanitarian response – using data, technology, and partnerships to identify people affected by crises and deliver cash within days. Making that possible requires legal pathways that can be established before a crisis and activated quickly when one occurs.

We are seeking a Counsel to build and lead that legal model. Approximately 70% of the role will focus on Emergency Cash, from preparing for future responses to leading the legal and regulatory work required during an active emergency. When a response is underway, EC work will take priority.

You will also serve as legal partner to GiveDirectly’s U.S. programs, which work with governments, funders, researchers, and community organizations to deliver cash to low-income Americans. The portfolio includes programs such as Rx Kids, guaranteed-income initiatives, and housing-stability programs. You will help teams design and expand these programs, structure partnerships, and navigate the legal issues affecting delivery and recipients.

This is a delivery-focused role for a practical lawyer who can build for scale, exercise clear judgment under pressure, and help ambitious programs move from idea to implementation.

Qualifications

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
• Qualification as an attorney in at least one jurisdiction, with relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• Experience advising on complex program, commercial, or regulatory matters in fast-moving or high-pressure environments.
• Strong commercial contracting skills, including drafting and negotiating complex partnership, technology, vendor, or data-related agreements.
• Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar legal and regulatory frameworks and advise where precedent, time, or information is limited.
• Strong legal and business judgment, including the ability to identify meaningful risks, assess tradeoffs, and recommend a practical path forward.
• Ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for colleagues without legal backgrounds.
• Experience coordinating external counsel, consultants, or other specialist advisors.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and data protection law.
• Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and reprioritize quickly during active emergency responses.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; English fluency.

Requirements

• Experience in emergency response, humanitarian operations, or other crisis-context legal work.
• Experience supporting the launch of programs or operations in new countries.
• Experience with U.S. public-benefits, family-law, charitable-assistance, or government-program matters.
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets.
• Experience supporting programs involving vulnerable populations or sensitive personal data.
• Experience in international development or another mission-driven organization.

Benefits

• At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably.
• Base Salary: $134,400 (U.S.), £91,900 (U.K.), $106,280 (Kenya).
• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$13,440 U.S., ~£9,190 U.K., ~10,628 Kenya).
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393 (U.S.), £2,760 (U.K.), $8,454 (Kenya).
• Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take.
• Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development.

Company Description

GiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026.

Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth.