Finance Officer (Payments & Treasury)

What if the most effective way to fight poverty was also the simplest: give people money and trust them to decide what they need?

Since 2011, GiveDirectly has proven that idea at scale. We’ve delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty and crisis across 15 countries, and rigorous research shows the results: healthier kids, stronger businesses, sturdier homes, and more resilient families and local economies. Cash is now widely recognized as one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid.

Our ambition goes beyond our own programs. We want cash to become the benchmark for aid, much as the index fund became the benchmark for investing, so that every aid dollar is held to one question: is this doing more good than giving the money directly to people living in poverty?

We expect to hit $1B in revenue in 2026 with significant growth forecast for 2027. At the same time we are building a new technology stack and operating model designed for a roughly 10x change in scale, and we are actively pursuing partnerships with major funders to move even more money in bigger ways, to people who need it. We are known for our extensive integration of technology into field processes; our quantitative approach to performance measurement; and our commitment to rigorous, independent, experimental evaluation of our impact, with multiple Randomized Control Trials completed and others in progress.

Our team spans 20+ countries and 69 languages. Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We expect high ownership and give people real responsibility early. Our values are central to how we hire, work, and grow, and they are deliberately opinionated:

1. Recipients first. Recipients’ preferences come before those of donors or ourselves.
2. Team next. We optimize for organizational success, not individual success.
3. Be proactively candid. We say what we believe and share information openly.
4. Create positive energy. We aim to be a source of energy for colleagues, not a drain.
5. Think rigorously; act quickly. We reason from first principles, then act rather than debate.
6. Know yourself and grow. We own our imperfections and seek feedback to grow.
7. Accept reality. Propose solutions. We focus on what can change and bring solutions, not just problems.
8. Be productively ambitious. We take risks for step-change impact, not incremental progress.

If they describe how you like to work and they energize you, this could be a great fit.

We are one of Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2026, and our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows. Read our CEO's essay on what that will take.

The Finance team supports all financial activities in 10 countries, 9 of them in Africa. As part of the global finance team, you will run payment cycles across multiple countries and make them faster and more accurate. You’ll also support country finance operations, working closely with the rest of the Finance team.

You are a great candidate for this role if you have hands-on payments experience, strong numerical skills, learn new systems quickly, and already use technology and AI tools to work smarter.

• →Payments and treasury
  • →Run payment cycles in multiple countries end to end: preparing, validating and issuing payments, and resolving exceptions and failed payments quickly.
  • →Reconcile payments with bank and mobile money statements, and investigate and clear any differences.
  • →Support account funding, cash forecasting, and FX across multiple currencies to ensure payments are never delayed.
  • →Work with banks, mobile money operators and country teams to fix payment and funding issues.
  • →Improve and standardise payment processes across countries, and document them in clear SOPs.
  • →Use automation and AI tools to improve payment accuracy, speed and reporting.
• →Country finance operations
  • →Support country finance operations, e.g., petty cash counts, asset counts, and finance liaison with authorities on tax and statutory filings.
  • →Support the wider Finance team as needed to meet department goals.
• →Risk and compliance
  • →Apply strong controls in every payment process, including maker-checker, audit trails and segregation of duties.
  • →Handle recipient and payment data securely, and flag fraud risks early.
  • →Understand and implement compliance requirements from tax regulators and payment partners.
  • →Support in-country audits and special reporting to donors and regulators on request.

• Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
• A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or a related field, or equivalent experience. A professional qualification (ACCA, CIMA, CPA or similar, completed or in progress) is a plus.
• 2+ years of professional experience in accounting or finance, including at least 1 year running payments. For example: bulk or high-volume disbursements, bank and mobile money transfers, payment reconciliations and fixing failed payments.
• Strong numerical skills and close attention to detail. You can reconcile large datasets accurately under deadline pressure and catch errors before they reach recipients.
• Advanced Excel or Google Sheets (e.g. XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, pivot tables, data validation), and experience with finance and payments software (e.g. Intacct, Tipalti, Emburse, QuickBooks, online banking platforms).
• You use AI tools (e.g. Claude, ChatGPT) every day to work faster and better, for example to analyse data, draft procedures or investigate exceptions. You check AI output carefully and handle sensitive data responsibly.
• You learn quickly and do well in a fast-paced, high-volume environment where priorities and processes change often.
• Fluent English. Working knowledge of French or Portuguese is an advantage.

Base Salary: $16,030

Bonus at Target Performance: 10% 

Base Salary: $13,810

Bonus at Target Performance: 10% 

Base Salary: $14,840

Bonus at Target Performance: 10% 

GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant.

As a global organization working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing,  reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or  exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at careers@givedirectly.org with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!