Field Officer, Internal Audit (Fixed Term Contract) at GiveDirectly

About GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly (GD) aims to reshape international giving – and millions of lives – by providing cash grants directly to the world’s poorest. The Brookings Institution estimates that $70B of cash transfers would be required to eliminate the poverty gap; the aid sector currently spends $135B each year, much of it on evidence-free interventions. GiveDirectly wants to change that, establishing cash transfers as a benchmark for foreign aid – as the index fund is a benchmark for the financial industry – and in the process accelerating the end of extreme poverty.

GD has raised over $1B since launching in 2011, delivered cash to more than 1.5 million people in 15 different countries. We’ve also supported large-scale, experimental research that indicates strong recipient impact of our programs. As a result, GD has been celebrated as one of the most innovative non-profit companies by Fast Company, while the growing cash transfer movement (and GD’s leading role within it) have been featured in the New York Times Magazine, This American Life, Foreign Affairs, and The Economist.

Our culture is candid, analytical, agile, and non-hierarchical. Our global team of ~150, and country operations teams of ~650, together come from 21 different countries speaking 69 different languages. From software engineers to seasoned humanitarian workers, former management consultants to public servants, researchers to field operations -- it’s an incredible group of people.

Our values are central and deliberately opinionated. We genuinely center the people we serve in our decision making, and strive to build an ambitious, dynamic and high performing environment. We strongly encourage you to read through our values carefully, if they reflect how you like to work and energize you, this could be a great fit.

We work hard to create an environment in which all our team members can thrive, succeed and grow.  We support flexibility, take care of each other, have fun, and create professional growth opportunities.

Overview:

The Field Officer will play a critical day-to-day role in ensuring that GiveDirectly is able to deliver cash transfers to recipients safely. The Field Officer will be part of the team that is responsible for preventing, detecting, mitigating and investigating field-based risks for GiveDirectly.

The role will reward high-quality judgment on operational questions and challenges, work ethic, communication skills, and a strong commitment to GiveDirectly’s mission and model. In brief The Field Officer will be expected to audit the work of the enrolment team, whose core responsibility is surveying households and enrolling them in our programs.

Key Responsibilities

Recipient engagement (60%): 

• Directly engage with high risk recipients to provide them with the necessary support so that they receive their transfers safely.
• Directly engage with recipients to  identify any corrections or improvements in field processes that are needed. 
• Investigate and resolve any recipient cases that have been flagged to the Internal Audit team.
• Identify and escalate key risks associated with GD’s programs in the community.

Risk monitoring (30%):

• Work with the Internal Audit, Associate Field Manager in undertaking risk monitoring activities within the community.
• Measure the quality of data received from the field teams against set data quality standards, reporting any cases of inconsistency.
• Report any cases of fraud and bribery by GD staff and or recipient(s) that are identified through the appropriate escalation channels. 
• Utilize technology in order to flag any abnormalities in operation. 

Other (10%)

• Support the Internal Audit, Associate Field Manager in onboarding processes of new team members. 
• Assist the Internal Audit, Associate Field Manager with hosting visitors to the project location.
• Assist with response to “crisis” events (e.g. refusal spikes, government shut-down, coordinated fraud, etc.)
• Promote effective team culture by encouraging recognition of positive achievements, planning team events periodically, and other team-building initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Social Sciences, Community Development, Development Studies, or a related field.
• Fresh graduates from Turkana are highly encouraged to apply.
• MUST be a resident of Turkana County.
• Proficiency in Turkana language is a MUST.
• Fluency in Kiswahili; proficiency in English is preferred.
• Possess critical thinking ability and good judgment in resolving operational glitches.
• Possess high-quality problem solving, work ethic.
• Good time-management skills.
• Particularly skilled with interpersonal skills, honesty  and high integrity.
• Strong interest in the mission of GiveDirectly and commitment to advancing GiveDirectly  distinctive values.
• Physical fitness and the ability to cope with difficult weather conditions or terrain.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to represent the organization effectively to external parties.
• Have the ability to exercise patience and good judgment in resolving recipient’s challenges.

Apply

https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/givedirectly/jobs/4568183005?gh_src=oIcbvw