Legal Counsel, Emergency Cash & U.S. Programs

Overview

Job Description

Responsibilities

• - Build and deliver the Emergency Cash legal model
• - Serve as the primary legal partner to Emergency Cash across program strategy, design, launch, and delivery.
• - Build a repeatable legal model for emergency responses, including approaches to country entry, regulatory review, government engagement, contracting, data use, and the engagement of local counsel.
• - Develop response-readiness tools, templates, and decision frameworks that allow common issues to be addressed quickly while escalating matters requiring legal judgment.
• - During active responses, lead the legal work needed to launch and operate on emergency timelines, providing clear recommendations when information is incomplete.
• - Coordinate with country teams, program-facing Counsel, and local advisors to use existing knowledge and relationships while retaining legal ownership of the response.
• - Apply GiveDirectly’s global standards for MNO data and remote enablement to individual responses, working with the Corporate & Strategic Affairs Counsel on novel or cross-cutting issues.
• - Draft and negotiate the partnership, technology, vendor, data-sharing, and other agreements required to deliver emergency programs.
• - Capture lessons from individual responses and use them to strengthen the EC legal model over time.
• - Serve as legal partner to GiveDirectly’s U.S. programs across program design, implementation, expansion, and ongoing operations.
• - Advise on the legal design and delivery of U.S. cash programs, including eligible recipient populations, interactions with public benefits, tax treatment and reporting, payments involving minors or caregivers, family-law considerations, privacy and data use, and state-specific requirements.
• - Structure and negotiate program-specific agreements with governments, research institutions, community organizations, payment providers, and other partners.
• - Develop reusable guidance for recurring issues and coordinate state-specific or specialist counsel where needed.
• - Work with the Corporate & Business Affairs Counsel on organization-wide standards and initiatives affecting Emergency Cash or U.S. programs.
• - Partner with the Africa Programs & Country Operations Counsel when emergency responses occur in countries within that role’s portfolio.
• - Work with Legal Operations support to delegate recurring contracting, research, coordination, and administrative work appropriately.
• - Support other priority legal matters as needed as part of a small, global Legal team.

Required Skills

• - Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.
• - 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, including the ability to identify meaningful risks, assess tradeoffs, and recommend a practical path forward.
• - Ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for colleagues without legal backgrounds.
• - Experience coordinating external counsel, consultants, or other 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.

Benefits

• - A supportive team that works hard and cares hard
• - A robust health benefits plan (exact details will vary by country)
• - Flexible paid time off that staff is encouraged to take
• - Allowances for desk set-up and learning and development