Legal Counsel, Emergency Cash & U.S. Programs
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Job Description
Legal Counsel building scalable emergency cash legal models and advising GiveDirectly’s U.S. cash programs. Drafting agreements and guiding humanitarian responses across jurisdictions.
Responsibilities:
- Serve as the primary legal partner to Emergency Cash across program strategy, design, launch, and delivery
- Build a repeatable legal model for emergency responses, covering country entry, regulatory review, government engagement, contracting, data use, and local counsel
- Develop response-readiness tools, templates, and decision frameworks
- Lead legal work during active emergency responses and provide clear recommendations under uncertainty
- Coordinate with country teams, program-facing Counsel, and local advisors
- Apply global standards for MNO data and remote enablement to individual responses
- Draft and negotiate partnership, technology, vendor, data-sharing, and other agreements
- Capture lessons from responses and strengthen the Emergency Cash legal model
- Provide legal support for U.S. programs across design, implementation, expansion, and operations
- Advise on recipient eligibility, public benefits, tax treatment, payments involving minors or caregivers, family law, privacy, data use, and state requirements
- Structure and negotiate agreements with governments, research institutions, community organizations, payment providers, and other partners
- Develop reusable guidance and coordinate state-specific or specialist counsel
- Collaborate with Corporate & Business Affairs Counsel, Africa Programs & Country Operations Counsel, and Legal Operations
- Support other priority legal matters within the global Legal team
- Report to the Head of Legal
Requirements:
- 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
- Ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyers
- 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 quickly during active emergency responses
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; English fluency
- Ability to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours
- Preferred: experience in emergency response, humanitarian operations, or crisis-context legal work
- Preferred: experience supporting programs or operations in new countries
- Preferred: experience with U.S. public-benefits, family-law, charitable-assistance, or government-program matters
- Preferred: experience across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets
- Preferred: experience with vulnerable populations or sensitive personal data
- Preferred: experience in international development or another mission-driven organization
- Must be eligible to work in an eligible country; GiveDirectly cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K.
Benefits:
- 15% bonus at target performance, with potential for upside
- Annual benefits stipend: $21,393 (United States), £2,760 (United Kingdom), or $8,454 (Kenya)
- Robust health benefits plan (exact details vary by country)
- Flexible paid time off
- Desk set-up allowance
- Learning and development allowance
- Supportive team
- $3,000 referral reward for Senior Manager or above roles, paid if the referral is hired
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