Senior Product Manager International Rapid Response Payment Systems

About this role GiveDirectly is seeking a Senior Product Manager to drive the design, evaluation, and deployment of cutting‑edge payment solutions that support cash transfers to people affected by crises or in extreme poverty—anywhere in the world. This individual will serve as the technical and strategic lead on payment rails and digital transfer mechanisms within the International Rapid Response (IRR) Product team, with a strong focus on reaching displaced and crisis‑affected populations with unconditional cash assistance efficiently, securely, and with dignity. Reports to: Senior Product Director, International Rapid Response Level: Senior Manager Travel Requirement: approximately once per quarter What you’ll do Payments Product Strategy and Roadmapping Own the product vision, roadmap, and prioritization for international payments infrastructure. Translate strategic objectives into actionable product goals, features, and success metrics. Regularly evaluate and refine product‑market fit in the context of fast‑evolving program and country needs. Investigate and Innovate Global Payment Channels Identify, assess, and recommend international payment solutions that can reach populations in fragile and underserved markets. Develop partnerships with global and regional payment aggregators, mobile money platforms, remittance providers, and stablecoin or crypto partners. Pilot and evaluate alternative transfer modalities, including blockchain‑based or decentralized finance (DeFi) approaches, particularly in contexts where traditional banking access is limited. Build and Scale Payment Infrastructure Design systems for integrating new payment rails into GD’s operations, ensuring compliance, security, and scalability. Define and document technical and operational requirements for payment implementation in humanitarian and development settings. Collaborate with engineers and data teams to ensure seamless integration with targeting, verification, monitoring, and payments systems. Research & Landscape Analysis Map and compare emerging technologies and vendors in the payments space, with a focus on rapid deployment and cross‑border capabilities. Conduct technical due diligence on vendors and track trends in stablecoin, mobile finance, and blockchain applications. Cross‑functional Collaboration Work closely with program managers, engineers, field teams, and finance/legal teams to ensure payment strategies align with on‑the‑ground realities and compliance frameworks. Ensure excellent handoff of provider execution, oversight and compliance to implementation teams. Support crisis response deployments with technical insight and problem‑solving on‑the‑fly to ensure people get paid. Performance and Reliability Management Define and monitor key metrics (e.g., transaction success rates, payment speeds, reconciliation gaps). Coordinate root cause analyses and mitigation planning for issues affecting reliability, latency, or compliance, and feed this into the product and FSP strategy. Drive Efficiency and Creativity Leverage your creativity to solve the unique challenges of delivering money in unpredictable, unstable, or disconnected environments. Continuously refine internal payment playbooks and propose systemic improvements to speed, reliability, and recipient experience. What you’ll bring Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Values and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow‑through, and fostering inclusivity. 5+ years of experience working with international digital payment systems, financial technology platforms, and/or crypto/blockchain‑enabled services. Demonstrated understanding of global remittance infrastructures, mobile money networks, cross‑border compliance issues, and KYC/AML processes. Hands‑on experience evaluating and/or implementing stablecoin or cryptocurrency payment solutions in low‑infrastructure environments. Experience in a high ambiguity, low‑structure environment — you create clarity, not wait for it. Ability to collaborate inclusively with stakeholders across varied social, national, and cultural backgrounds, including communicating technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Analytical problem solver: looks at problems with analytical and iterative mindset, with strong framework for prioritization. Intermediate to advanced data manipulation and analysis skills to derive insights from payment data. Technical fluency with payments APIs and technical documentation, including data security standards and the ability to identify areas of concern or strength. Language Requirement: English fluency. Nice to Have Experience operating in crisis or humanitarian contexts (e.g., conflict zones, natural disasters). Prior work with startups or experimental products in global south or emerging markets. Comfort working in SQL, python, R or other scripting data manipulation tools for performance monitoring. Compensation The United States base salary for this role is $129,000. The Kenya base salary for this role is $101,221. 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. Equal Opportunity Employer GiveDirectly is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to the person’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Flagging for US applicants: We invite you to "Know Your Rights" as an applicant. Commitment to Safeguarding As a global organization serving some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, GiveDirectly takes the safeguarding of its recipients, staff, and partners seriously. To that end, GiveDirectly is a member of the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, and will systematically check with previous employers about any sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment issues relating to potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre‑hire screens, including in‑depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens. GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority. These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we serve, and prevent harm to our recipients. #J-18808-Ljbffr