Senior Product Manager

Summary

Join GiveDirectly as a Senior Product Manager, Mobile Operator Data and lead the approach to working with MNO data. You will provide technical supervision of collaborations with telecommunications companies globally, driving the design, implementation, and scale-up of systems using mobile phone data to identify those in need of humanitarian assistance. This role involves partnering with telecommunication companies, serving as the technical backstop for country teams, developing data pipelines, supporting program operations, ensuring ethical data use, contributing to strategy and innovation, and building momentum for using mobile data in humanitarian aid. The position requires 5+ years of experience in a technical or data-focused role, ideally in mobile technology, humanitarian tech, or international development, along with extensive experience managing complex partnerships and negotiating collaborations. You will report to the Senior Product Director, International Rapid Response and must be able to travel approximately 1-2 times per year. The role is fully remote but requires at least a 3-hour overlap with an East Africa timezone.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in a technical or data-focused role, ideally in mobile technology, humanitarian tech, data science, or international development
• Extensive experience managing complex partnership relationships and negotiating collaboration frameworks to achieve project outcomes
• Experience working with or for mobile network operators and a demonstrated understanding of the MNO business model, incentive structures, and sensitivities
• Experience working with or analyzing mobile phone data (e.g., call records, tower data, mobile money)
• Ability to coordinate the evaluation of machine learning algorithms for appropriate methods, model validation, and fairness metrics and guide model design in collaboration with technical teams
• Deep understanding of data privacy and protection principles, particularly in relation to the use of telecommunications and geolocation data in humanitarian settings. Experience applying frameworks such as GDPR, Responsible Data for Children, or Humanitarian Data Ethics standards is strongly preferred
• Excellent project management skills
• Extensive experience managing partnerships and coordinating across teams
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership, learn quickly, and drive complex projects independently
• Highly organized, with a strong curiosity and creative approach to solving difficult, real-world data problems
• Clear and compelling communicator who can explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Strong alignment with GiveDirectly’s values and mission
• English fluency

Responsibilities

• Lead mobile data program design initiatives: Design and manage end-to-end data analysis approaches using mobile network operator (MNO) data for recipient identification and enrollment, in collaboration with internal teams and external partners
• Partner with telcos: Serve as GiveDirectly’s technical lead in negotiations and collaboration with telecommunications companies to enable access to and use of mobile data for program design
• Technical Backstop: Serve as the technical backstop for country teams, vendors and partners to ensure high quality, principled analytic and processing approaches to mobile network operator (MNO) data
• Develop and refine data pipelines: Oversee the creation and validation of mobile data processing pipelines to ensure data integrity, privacy compliance, and analytical rigor
• Support program operations: Work with country teams and internal and external data science capacity to pilot and implement mobile-data-informed enrollment strategies that improve targeting speed, accuracy, and inclusivity
• Ensure ethical use of data: Uphold principles of responsible data use and data minimization in all work, ensuring privacy, consent, and security are upheld
• Contribute to strategy and innovation: Identify new opportunities to integrate mobility data into GiveDirectly’s humanitarian and cash transfer programming across countries
• Build Momentum: Ensure GiverDirectly’s experience with mobile data across contexts is advancing a broader goal to create a global capacity to work with mobile network operator (MNO) data wherever relevant

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with GIS tools, Python, R, and/or SQL
• Advanced data science degree or commensurate experience with machine learning
• Experience in humanitarian response, displacement, or poverty alleviation contexts
• French language skills

Benefits

• 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