Responsibilities:
Set the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the central data team, which includes data engineering, analysis, data science, and our donor CRM
Oversee core data infrastructure, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security
Develop and motivate the team; recruit and retain inspiring teammates
Work with leaders across the org to deeply understand data needs and negotiate priorities to create clear focus for your team and avoid getting caught in reactive, service-provider mode
Make sure that the data and insights your team surfaces are actually having high impact on other teams' work – without having direct formal authority – through deep understanding of user needs, strong product mindset, and strong informal influence
Make our data more usable and trusted through working with source data owners to drive data quality improvements and creating a culture of high follow through on preventing and fixing bugs
Identify and drive investments that improve your team's output over time and ensure our data is secure, balancing investments with new features
Identify and lead the development of new data science capabilities for delivering cash, such as fraud detection or leveraging big data sources for poverty prediction
What you'll bring:
Exceptional alignment with GiveDirectly Valuesand active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity. We welcome and strongly encourage applications from candidates who have personal or professional experience in the low-income and/or historically marginalized communities that we serve.
8+ years of relevant experience in data engineering, analytics, or data science
4+ years of people management experience with a track record of developing high performing teams
Demonstrated expertise in guiding business decisions with data and designing metrics
Track record of being able to impact change even without direct formal authority
Strong ability to navigate ambiguity, many stakeholders, and competing priorities and create clear focus for the team
Strong product mindset and ability to pair deep understanding of business needs with technical expertise to spot high leverage opportunities
Strong ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively across cross-functional teams and senior business and technical stakeholders
Strong understanding of engineering and data science best practices to be able to create systems and processes that make the team more effective, and to prioritize technical investments against new features
Proficiency in SQL, Python, and modern data stack tools (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, or BigQuery; Tableau, Looker, or PowerBI, etc.)
Strong analytical skills with a solid understanding of data science and machine learning principles
Bonus: experience with Databricks, Spark, AWS
Must be able to travel ~1-2 times per year to one of our countries of operation for team retreats or field visits