GiveWell is a research organization that identifies and funds cost-effective giving opportunities, focusing on global health and well-being. Our work is funded by tens of thousands of donors who rely on our research to inform their giving. We’ve grown from directing $1.5 million in 2010 to directing ~$400 million in 2024.
We’re hiring a Head of Finance to lead GiveWell’s accounting and FP&A. You’ll manage a growing operational budget and a complex financial portfolio of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants while upholding high standards of external transparency, integrity, and compliance. You’ll report to our Head of Business Operations and work closely with all of GiveWell’s senior leaders.
Why we’re hiring this role right now: We’re seeking an experienced finance leader to build on the strong foundation laid by our current Controller as she moves on to new endeavors.
Manage the finance team: Our current team has a Senior Accountant and third-party support, and we plan to hire additional team members once we have the right leader in place. You’ll maintain high standards for current and future staff, coach your team to deliver outstanding results, and develop a strong finance team culture.
Financial compliance and integrity. You’ll own compliance requirements for our entities in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, and ensure that GiveWell maintains high standards for financial accountability and transparency.
Accounting: Reconcile, track, and report on hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable funds and grants according to donor restrictions and grant commitments. Your team will conduct general ledger accounting (expense review, revenue reconciliation, etc.), monthly close processes, multi-entity/currency consolidations, financial statement preparation, and other essential accounting functions.
Financial planning and analysis: Develop budgeting and forecasting processes, prepare budget-to-actual analyses for leadership, create financial models to support strategic decision-making, and establish appropriate cadences for financial reviews.
Cross-functional partnership: You'll maintain relationships with leaders across the operations, research, and outreach departments, partnering with teams to drive organizational objectives while maintaining appropriate controls. You'll ensure that critical financial decisions are well-informed, and you'll also advise department leaders on complex questions like budget planning, resource allocation, financial controls, and financial strategy.
Systems, processes, and policies: Formalize and document GiveWell's accounting policies and procedures. Take on projects like consolidating our UK and US general ledger systems, researching and implementing new sub-ledgers to enhance financial reporting capabilities, and integrating new systems with our existing general ledger.
We’re looking for someone who has at least seven years of experience in closely related finance work, and a CPA or a master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., accounting or a finance-focused MBA). Our ideal candidate has led a finance or accounting team through complex accounting projects and has worked in a high-growth organization.
We expect that strong candidates will have all or most of the characteristics listed below:
We also think these preferred characteristics will help you do well in the role and at GiveWell:
How does this role contribute to GiveWell’s mission?
We think excellent financial systems will increase our efficiency, reduce cognitive overhead for our fundraising and research teams, and allow us to move faster and more judiciously. A few specific areas where we think you’ll increase our impact:
How does this role interact with the rest of the organization?
You’ll build relationships with leaders across our Operations, Research, and Outreach departments and represent the finance team to the entire organization. You’ll be involved in every project that touches on long-term financial planning and analysis.
What are some of the reasons I might not like this role?
We’re seeking a hands-on leader who enjoys getting involved in the work. If you’re someone who prefers a role focused entirely on management or strategy, this might not be the best match for you.
What is the hiring process like?
Our basic plan for the hiring process is listed below. If you move to step 2, you’ll be in touch with a member of our recruiting team who will quickly answer any questions about logistics and timelines.
Please note that we could choose not to move forward at any stage of the process described above, and we do not share individualized evaluative feedback with applicants.
We plan to devote substantial time to reviewing applications, and we will respond to everyone who applies. We’ll review applications on a rolling basis, so it’s better to apply sooner. If we decide to close the application by a specific deadline, we’ll update this page at least one week in advance.
GiveWell makes grants to support cost-effective programs that save and improve lives. We focus on global health and poverty alleviation in the lowest-income parts of the world because that is where we’ve found we can have the greatest impact.
Since 2007, we’ve directed over $2.4 billion to cost-effective programs and interventions. In the last two years, we’ve made more than $500 million in grants. GiveWell is one of the world’s largest private funders of global development efforts, and we estimate that the funding we’ve directed will save more than 270,000 lives.
GiveWell is most well-known for recommending a small number of Top Charities, which currently support seasonal malaria chemoprevention, antimalarial nets, vaccine incentivization, and vitamin A supplementation. However, most of our research capacity is devoted to finding cost-effective opportunities outside of those programs.
Recent grants have:
We never take for granted that GiveWell’s work is good for the world. We make our reasoning public and transparent so others can challenge it (sometimes we even pay people to point out our errors). We go to unusual lengths to check our assumptions and assess our impact, including funding research and external analysis to address our uncertainties and insisting that our grantees conduct rigorous monitoring and evaluation. We change our minds when the evidence demands it.
We don’t want to miss candidates that could do great things at GiveWell. Practically, that means a GiveWell staff member reviews every application carefully and considers the whole picture of your background and potential. If you’re on the fence about applying because you meet some but not 100% of our preferred qualifications (some studies suggest this hesitation is especially common for women and people of color), we encourage you to apply anyway.
GiveWell is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer by choice. At minimum, this means that we comply with all federal, state, and local EEO and employment laws. Beyond the requirements of those laws, we value our team’s diversity in all respects, and we desire to maintain a work environment free of harassment or discrimination—we want our team members to thrive at GiveWell. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at careers@givewell.org. We will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read and consent to GiveWell's privacy statement for job applicants. By completing an application exercise, you acknowledge and assent to GiveWell's Work Trial Policy.
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