Research Director, Emergency Cash

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. Curious about what it's really like to work here? Read our values and hear from the people who do. If they resonate, this could be a great fit! About This Role This Research Director will own GiveDirectly 's learning agenda for Emergency Cash (EC) Programs, in close collaboration with the Senior Product Director for Emergency Cash, EC Response Leads, and other M&E staff. As the organization's internal expert on Emergency Cash research strategy and methods, they will own and continually redefine the scope of our Emergency Cash learning priorities as the portfolio evolves, including: Owning GiveDirectly ’s research and learning strategy for Emergency Cash Programs and other frontier topics within this portfolio, independently setting research priorities and weighing them against org-wide priorities, in coordination with product, partnerships, and fundraising leadership Full accountability for strategic impact evaluations and impact-focused research for Emergency Cash Programs across multiple countries — including developing research concepts, establishing new partnerships, and making resourcing decisions to support this work Setting the standards and systems for research best practice within the Emergency Cash portfolio, holding accountability for the quality, ethics, and compliance of Emergency Cash M&E approaches, and establishing new policies and processes where needed Because emergency cash response is a fast-evolving field, this role will frequently pilot new