Senior Counsel, Emergency Cash & U.S. Programs

GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Counsel to build and lead a legal model for humanitarian response, focusing on Emergency Cash and U.S. programs. This role involves 70% Emergency Cash work, including preparing for future responses and leading legal/regulatory work during active emergencies.

Core Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary legal partner for Emergency Cash across program strategy, design, launch, and delivery.
• Build a repeatable legal model for emergency responses, including country entry, regulatory review, government engagement, contracting, data use, and local counsel engagement.
• Develop response-readiness tools, templates, and decision frameworks for quick issue resolution while escalating complex matters.
• Lead legal work during active emergencies, providing clear recommendations with incomplete information.
• Coordinate with country teams, program-facing Counsel, and local advisors while retaining legal ownership.
• Apply GiveDirectly’s global standards for MNO data and remote enablement to individual responses.
• Draft and negotiate partnership, technology, vendor, and data-sharing agreements required for emergency programs.
• Capture lessons from responses to strengthen the Emergency Cash legal model over time.

U.S. Programs:

• Serve as legal partner for U.S. cash programs, including Rx Kids, guaranteed-income initiatives, and housing-stability programs.
• Advise on legal design and delivery, including eligible recipient populations, public benefits interactions, tax treatment, payments involving minors, privacy, and state-specific requirements.
• Structure and negotiate agreements with governments, research institutions, community organizations, and payment providers.
• Develop reusable guidance for recurring issues and coordinate specialist counsel where needed.

Cross-Legal Contributions:

• Collaborate on organization-wide standards and initiatives affecting Emergency Cash or U.S. programs.
• Partner with Africa Programs & Country Operations Counsel during emergency responses in their portfolio.
• Support Legal Operations in delegating recurring tasks like contracting, research, and coordination.
• Assist with other priority legal matters as part of a small, global Legal team.

Qualifications:

• Qualification as an attorney with relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• 5+ years of experience advising on complex program, commercial, or regulatory matters in fast-moving environments.
• Strong commercial contracting skills, including drafting and negotiating complex agreements.
• Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar legal frameworks and advise with limited information.
• Strong legal and business judgment, including risk assessment and tradeoff analysis.
• Experience coordinating external counsel, consultants, or specialist advisors.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and data protection law.
• Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and reprioritize during emergencies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; English fluency.

Preferred:

• Experience in emergency response, humanitarian operations, or crisis-context legal work.
• Experience supporting program launches in new countries.
• Experience with U.S. public-benefits, family-law, or government-program matters.
• Experience across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets.
• Experience supporting programs involving vulnerable populations or sensitive data.
• Experience in international development or mission-driven organizations.