Manager, External Relations

What You’ll Bring

• A strong ownership mindset, with the initiative to identify challenges and drive solutions independently in a fast-paced, high-performance environment.
  
• 4-6 years of experience in the development sector, supported by a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field.
  
• Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: social protection, climate resilience, graduation approaches, emergency response, refugee programming and/or maternal and child health.
  
• Experience contributing to policy engagement or government partnerships.
  
• Experience in resource mobilization, including successful engagement with major donors such as the World Bank and FCDO.
  
• Experience representing organizations with national and international stakeholders, including government, donors, and media.
  
• Exceptional communication, organizational, and analytical skills, with professional fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili.
  
• The ability to work with a high degree of autonomy while collaborating effectively across teams and providing informal leadership as needed.
  

Government Relations and Policy Engagement

• Manage defined government relationships and support the Country Director in strengthening GiveDirectly’s position as a trusted partner.
  
• Secure required approvals to support program expansion and ensure compliance with national and local regulations.
  
• Serve as the primary liaison between government partners and GiveDirectly, ensuring timely, accurate two-way communication, including regular reporting and escalation of risks or policy changes.
  
• Support field teams to operate in line with government guidance and protocols, proactively identifying and addressing areas of misalignment or emerging risk.
  
• Track and analyse relevant national policy developments, and support strategic engagement led by the Country Director - in particular in relation to social protection, climate resilience, graduation approaches, emergency response, refugee programming and maternal & child health.
  

Fundraising, Policy influencing, and Partnerships management

• Support the Country Director to analyze and keep track of key policy developments at national Government level, and to actively engage upstream to influence these.
  
• Support development and execution of a country-level path to scale for GiveDirectly’s prioritized project models in-country.
  
• With the support of the Partnerships Director - Policy, develop contextualized policy influencing goals to drive this path to scale by influencing Government and in-country funding opportunities.
  
• Contribute to the development and management of the country fundraising pipeline and track performance against ambitious fundraising goals.
  
• Build and manage partnerships with NGOs and UN agencies to expand opportunities for collaborative, cash-based programming, including in climate resilience, graduation, and maternal and child health.
  
• Contribute ideas and research to identify innovative fundraising opportunities (e.g., blended finance, conservation finance, insurance) aligned with GiveDirectly’s project models.
  
• Develop high-quality, brand-aligned materials for engagement with the government and funders, including one-pagers, proposals, pitch decks, and FAQs - in collaboration with the Fundraising and Communications teams.
  

External Representation and Media Relations

• Develop clear, consistent messaging and talking points for government, donor, and media audiences, including on sensitive or high-risk issues.
  
• Build relationships with key national and local media, bloggers, and influencers to advance GiveDirectly’s policy and influencing priorities, with the support of the global Communications team.
  
• Identify compelling stories from across programs and translate them into effective media pitches and communications products.
  
• Serve as the main point of contact between country teams and the global communications team, coordinating proactive outreach and incident response as needed.
  
• Monitor traditional and social media to manage reputational risk, working closely with programs, audit, and leadership teams to address emerging issues.
  
• Support international and national media engagement to highlight the impacts of cash transfers, including on climate resilience, graduation pathways, and mother and child outcomes.
  

Team Leadership and Development

• Team Oversight: Manage the Content Associate Field Manager to amplify recipient voices and produce relevant evidence of cash impact.
  
• Provide effective coaching and management support to the Content Associate Field Manager to strengthen processes, grow the team’s skills, and drive continuous improvement.
  
• Inclusive Culture: Cultivate a collaborative and inclusive work environment, setting clear goals and expectations, while fostering open communication and constructive feedback across teams.