Senior Software Engineer (Remote) at GiveDirectly USD 91,000 Per Yr

Senior Software Engineer (Remote) at GiveDirectly USD 91,000 Per Yr – GiveDirectly Kenya Job Details

About the Role

GiveDirectly is recruiting a Senior Software Engineer (Remote) to join its engineering team. This is a full-time position based in Kenya, working on systems that directly enable cash transfers and crisis response at scale across Africa and beyond. The role sits at the intersection of NGO operations and software engineering, where your code affects hundreds of thousands of people in low-income communities.

You’ll work on a range of technical challenges: building donor-facing platforms, payment delivery infrastructure, and rapid-response tools deployed during crises. The position offers substantial autonomy and the chance to shape technical strategy within an organization committed to evidence-based development work.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable, reliable systems that underpin donor platforms, direct payment delivery, and crisis response infrastructure reaching hundreds of thousands of users globally.
• Lead full lifecycle development of new features and services, from system architecture through deployment, monitoring, and post-launch optimization.
• Strengthen engineering velocity by enhancing CI/CD pipelines, eliminating manual deployment steps, and expanding automated test coverage across the codebase.
• Partner with product, operations, and data teams to understand field-level program requirements and deliver tools that directly support on-ground delivery.
• Investigate and resolve production incidents with emphasis on identifying root causes and implementing permanent solutions rather than temporary workarounds.
• Champion sustainable engineering practices across the team, including code testing, technical documentation, and production monitoring standards.
• Influence the technical roadmap with consideration for system scalability, long-term maintainability, and recipient user experience.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Demonstrated alignment with GiveDirectly’s organizational values and competencies: emotional intelligence, analytical problem-solving, project management, follow-through, and commitment to inclusivity. Candidates with lived or professional experience in low-income or historically marginalized communities are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Fluent English communication, both written and verbal.
• Minimum 4 years of professional software development experience shipping production systems.
• Solid background in backend architecture, including databases, cloud infrastructure, and API design.
• Practical experience with software deployment infrastructure and related tooling.
• Proficiency in strongly-typed, object-oriented languages such as Java, C#, or Go, combined with scripting language experience like Python or Ruby.
• Track record of owning technical work end-to-end, proactively identifying system improvements, and consistently leaving codebases more maintainable than before.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; able to break down complex technical problems, articulate trade-offs, and collaborate effectively with non-technical stakeholders like technical program managers and product leaders.
• Preferred: Production experience with Python and AWS; background in payments or financial systems; familiarity with microservice or serverless architecture patterns.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: USD $91,500 per year.
• Performance bonus at target: 15% (~USD $13,725, with potential upside; 2025 estimated total with performance multiplier: ~$16,063).
• Estimated total compensation at target performance: USD $105,225+.
• Annual benefits stipend: USD $8,453 (flexible—may be used for benefits or taken as additional taxable income).
• This Senior Software Engineer (Remote) at GiveDirectly USD 91,000 Per Yr position is fully remote; candidates outside the US, UK, and Kenya will receive a localized salary benchmark during the hiring process.

What to Expect

• A fully remote working arrangement with the flexibility to contribute from Kenya or elsewhere, provided you align with the organization’s time zones and collaboration needs.
• Involvement in a mission-driven NGO environment where technical decisions have measurable impact on program delivery and recipient outcomes in real time.
• This Senior Software Engineer (Remote) at GiveDirectly USD 91,000 Per Yr position in Kenya is open to qualified candidates. Click Apply below to submit your application.