Legal Counsel, Corporate & Business Affairs

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. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows. Read our CEO's essay on what that will take.

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!

About this role

GiveDirectly is seeking a Legal Counsel, Corporate & Business Affairs to build our Business Affairs capability and serve as a primary legal partner to our global functions. You will help GiveDirectly structure complex corporate, commercial, funding, and charitable relationships and navigate the legal and regulatory questions that arise as the organization grows.

You will advise teams including Partnerships and Fundraising, People, Finance, Communications, Technology, Product, Grants Management, and public affairs. Your portfolio will include complex partnerships and transactions, non-standard gifts and fundraising arrangements, nonprofit regulatory matters, and organization-wide strategic initiatives.

A major initial priority will be building the legal and regulatory foundation for Data Partnerships and remote enablement. Working with Global Data Partnerships, Product, Technology, and program teams, you will develop workable approaches to data privacy and MNO data that can be used across GiveDirectly and adapted by program-facing Counsel to local contexts.

This is a broad role for a corporate and commercial lawyer with strong data-privacy expertise who can understand what teams are trying to accomplish, structure a practical path forward, and bring in specialist expertise when needed.

Reports to: Head of Legal

Level: Senior Manager

Location: Remote, with a requirement to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours. We can only employ people in certain places at the moment, so it's worth checking our current list of eligible countries to see if yours is included. If you're based elsewhere, it's not an automatic no, but do flag it early with your recruiter. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

Travel Requirement: ~ 1–2 trips per year, with additional travel as needed for significant partnerships or regulatory engagement

What you’ll do:

Build Business Affairs and advise global functions

• Serve as a primary legal partner to Partnerships and Fundraising, People, Finance, Communications, Technology, Product, Grants Management, and public affairs teams.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex corporate partnerships, funding arrangements, technology and vendor agreements, and other strategic transactions.
• Advise on corporate, commercial, employment, privacy, nonprofit, and operational matters arising within the teams you support.
• Partner with teams early to understand their objectives, develop workable structures, and provide practical advice on legal and business risk.
• Build templates, playbooks, and repeatable approaches that allow GiveDirectly to handle recurring work more consistently as the organization grows.

Support fundraising, charitable giving, and public affairs

• Advise on the structure, acceptance, and administration of significant or non-standard gifts, including bequests and other planned gifts, donor-advised fund grants, restricted gifts, securities, cryptocurrency, and other non-cash contributions.
• Draft and review gift agreements, donor restrictions, planned-giving documentation, and other funding arrangements, coordinating with tax or trusts-and-estates counsel where needed.
• Advise on charitable solicitation, fundraising disclosures, sponsorships, cause-marketing arrangements, commercial co-ventures, and related nonprofit regulatory requirements.
• Support public affairs, Communications, and other teams on lobbying, advocacy, public-policy engagement, and political-activity restrictions, including applicable registration, tracking, and reporting requirements.
• Develop practical guidance and escalation pathways so teams can identify when fundraising or external-engagement activities require Legal review.

Lead legal strategy for Data Partnerships and other strategic initiatives

• Lead legal strategy for new products, partnerships, and operating models that affect multiple programs, countries, or teams.
• As a major initial priority, develop GiveDirectly’s legal and regulatory approach to Data Partnerships, MNO data, and remote enablement.
• Serve as legal partner to Global Data Partnerships, leading the legal work required to establish relationships with MNOs, governments, and other data holders.
• Advise on data privacy, consent, data sharing, telecommunications regulation, and responsible data use, directing specialist analysis where needed.
• Draft and negotiate NDAs, data-sharing agreements, MoUs, and related arrangements, and support engagement with regulators and government partners.
• Work with Product, Technology, Programs, and program-facing Counsel to translate organization-wide approaches into workable models for particular countries and programs.

Contribute across Legal

• Partner with other Counsel on matters that cross portfolios or require shared expertise.
• Coordinate external and local counsel where specialist or jurisdiction-specific support is needed.
• Take ownership of other priority legal matters as team and organizational needs evolve.
• Help strengthen the standards, tools, and ways of working used across our small, global Legal team.

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. 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.
• Qualification as an attorney in at least one jurisdiction, with relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• Strong corporate, commercial, and transactional experience, including structuring and negotiating complex partnerships and agreements.
• Experience advising on complex funding arrangements, external partnerships, or other transactions involving significant legal and business considerations.
• Demonstrated expertise in data privacy and data protection, including data sharing, consent, and the use of personal or regulated data.
• Ability to understand unfamiliar legal and regulatory frameworks - including nonprofit and fundraising requirements - and develop practical approaches to novel questions.
• Strong legal and business judgment, with the ability to assess risk in context and recommend a clear path forward.
• Experience advising multiple functions and building trusted relationships with colleagues, counterparties, and senior stakeholders.
• Ability to build new legal capabilities, manage a varied portfolio independently, and direct external or specialist advisors when needed.
• Excellent written, verbal, and negotiation skills; English fluency.
• Preferred:
• Experience engaging with data-protection authorities, telecom regulators, governments, or other public authorities.
• Experience negotiating data-sharing arrangements with MNOs or other holders of sensitive or regulated data.
• Experience advising on technology-enabled products or data-intensive operating models.
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets.
• Privacy or data-protection certification.
• Experience advising charitable organizations on fundraising, planned giving, bequests, donor restrictions, or non-cash gifts.
• Experience with tax-exempt organization law, charitable solicitation, cause marketing, lobbying, advocacy, or political-activity rules.
• Experience in international development, humanitarian response, or another mission-driven organization.

Compensation

At GiveDirectly, we strive to pay our employees generously and equitably. We use an accredited third party salary aggregator to calculate what we believe to be competitive pay based on role, location, and cost of living. We also have a no negotiation policy to ensure we are paying staff equitably across roles. Read more about our compensation philosophy here.

Unless otherwise noted, the benefits stipend may be used to cover benefits or taken as additional taxable income.

United States

• Base Salary: $134,400
• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$13,440, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $15,724 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $147,840+
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $21,393

United Kingdom

• Base Salary: £91,900
• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~£9,190 with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be £10,752 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: £101,090+
• Annual Benefits Stipend: £2,760

Kenya

• Base Salary: $106,280
• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$10,628, with potential for upside. For reference, with the organization’s current performance multiplier, this amount would be $12,434 in 2025)
• Estimated Total Compensation at Target: $116,908+
• Annual Benefits Stipend: $8,454

This role is fully remote, so if you are not based in the US, UK or Kenya, we will share an estimated salary benchmark for the country you are based in during the hiring process.

#LI-REMOTE

Why work at GiveDirectly?

At GiveDirectly, we work to ensure that you have everything you need to excel in your role and on your team, including:

• 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

We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process for all of our open roles. If there are questions or concerns you have about the accessibility of our hiring process, we warmly invite you to reach out to [email protected].

Working at GiveDirectly

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 working with communities to eliminate extreme poverty, 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 abuse or misconduct related matters involving potential new hires. We may also employ other robust pre-hire screens, including in-depth reference checks, criminal background checks, and sanctions screens.

These efforts help us continue to build and maintain trust with the communities we work with, and prevent abuse to our recipients and staff.

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect people and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance when it comes to preventing, reporting, or responding to any form of abuse or exploitation.” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

Reasonable Accommodations

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of the role, please email us at [email protected] with the email subject “Accommodation Needed”. We will work with you to ensure reasonable accommodations are made to support your needs.

Want to put your best foot forward on your GiveDirectly application? Take a look at our Candidate Application Prep Guide!

Referrals

Know the right person for this role? Please consider referring them. We offer a reward of $3,000 for a Senior Manager or above role, and $500 for a Manager role, paid if we end up hiring your referral. Thank you for sending great people our way!