US Program Associate

Responsibilities

• Recipient Experience & Customer Service (40%)
• Lead customer service, including directly supporting recipients via an email-based help desk and through phone support, with the potential to oversee additional customer service staff or contractors as the program scales
• Coach applicants through the intake process with a focus on applicants who are experiencing significant barriers
• Case manage applicant/recipient concerns, adhering to GiveDirectly's safeguarding and protection policies
• Meet periodically with recipients in person to build trust and to identify problems or areas for program or process improvements
• Serve as a trusted resource for recipients, responding to their communications in a timely and professional manner
• Respond to and resolve one-off recipient issues through communication, data entry, and/or escalation of more serious matters to the appropriate individuals
• Direct Program Support (40%)
• Support a range of operational and project management duties to ensure GiveDirectly's U.S. projects are executed with excellence and in line with our values, particularly "recipients first"
• Lead select operational processes, including conducting verification of applications directly and overseeing other verification staff as the program scalesSupport other field ops processes, including payments and follow-up surveys, and execution across various program stages
• Support whole-team knowledge management and process documentation, refreshing protocol and process docs regularly
• Work closely with other members of the U.S. team to identify process challenges and propose solutions (e.g. increasing operational efficiency, improving recipient experience)
• Become an expert in the various tech systems used to support project execution and excellence
• Track and report operation

Additional Information

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! Location: Cleveland, Ohio; For this role, we are looking for candidates based in Cleveland or the greater Cleveland area. About this role The U.S. Program Associate will support implementation for large-scale cash initiatives in the U.S. As a critical member of GiveDirectly's U.S. programs team, you will support operations, internal coordination, and team processes. You will often be the project point person for community engagement and customer service. You will be expected to support Managers and Senior Managers across multiple projects, and as a result, you must be excited to work in a fast-paced environment and be comfortable managing multiple workstreams at one time. Through this, you will have the opportunity to learn and develop new skills on a fast-growing team. Associates should be able to: Support multiple projects and workstreams simultaneously (multi-task), especially by driving process (e.g. metric tracking, survey design) Over time, own whole components of projects, including but not limited to customer service and/or delivering payments Proactively identify areas for efficiency in projects and team management (e.g. streamlining customer service management) Support community engagement and coordination, including acting as a liaison for partner organizations and community members as appropriate Reports to: US Program Manager Level : Associate Travel Requirement: This role will require commuting within a candidate's base location 2-4 days per month in order to support in-person activities related to community outreach and program launch, with the potential for other travel within Ohio. This travel would require a car, driver's license, and insurance. In addition, there will be travel to New York or elsewhere in the US for team events 2-3 times per year. Costs incurred for work-related travel outside of Cleveland will be reimbursed.

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