Senior Manager - Field Operations and Programs

Reports to: Program Director
Level: Senior Manager
Manages: Program Managers

Role Purpose

The Senior Manager (SM) provides senior leadership for field operations and program implementation, ensuring high-quality delivery, scalable systems, and strong people management across programs. The role owns field execution standards, operational systems, and talent development, while Program Managers retain accountability for day-to-day delivery and the Program Director retains accountability for country-level execution and strategy.

The Senior Manager acts as the bridge between strategy and execution, translating Program Director priorities into strong operational practice across teams.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Field Operations Leadership (Standards & Performance)

• Provide senior oversight of field operations across programs, ensuring consistent implementation quality, data integrity, and adherence to operational standards.
• Hold Program Managers and Field Managers accountable for meeting delivery targets (e.g., households enrolled, efficiency benchmarks, recipient experience).
• Conduct periodic field visits to assess system effectiveness, implementation quality, and staff performance.
• Identify cross-program delivery challenges and escalate systemic issues to the Program Director with proposed solutions.
• Review and endorse operational pilots and targeting approaches before scale, assessing feasibility, efficiency, and risk.
• Serve as the escalation point for cross-program operational risks prior to Program Director involvement.

2. Systems Building & Operational Model Improvement

• Own continuous improvement of the field delivery model, with a focus on scalability, efficiency, and reliability.
• Lead initiatives to:
• Strengthen data quality assurance systems
• Improve backend checks and automation
• Integrate technology into enrollment, monitoring, and follow-up protocols
• Oversee risk mitigation plans proposed by Program, Product, and Field Managers, particularly for:
• Complex pilots or research partnerships
• Operational slowdowns or delivery risks
• Ensure operational systems remain aligned with Program Director priorities and organizational strategy.

3. Senior People Management & Talent Development

• Foster a high-performance culture across field teams, emphasizing accountability, feedback, and professional growth.
• Directly manage senior field staff (e.g., Program Managers, Field Managers), setting expectations for strong people management at all levels.
• Oversee hiring plans for field teams, supporting managers in recruitment, onboarding, and training where needed.
• Lead performance reviews for direct reports and build their capacity to conduct effective reviews for their teams.
• Identify high-potential staff and, in partnership with managers, support accelerated development and promotion pathways.
• Identify structural gaps or inefficiencies in field team org charts and propose resourcing or design adjustments to the Program Director.

4. Data, Performance Monitoring & Decision Support

• Use data to monitor field and program performance, identify trends, and inform operational improvements.
• Oversee survey design and updates for new and existing programs, ensuring alignment with program objectives and data quality standards.
• Coach teams on effective use of data for problem-solving and performance management.
  • Act as the primary interface with GiveDirectly’s global data teams for field-related needs, ensuring clarity of requirements and adherence to timelines.
  • Synthesize data into clear insights and recommendations for the Program Director and management team.

5. Cross-Functional Coordination & Internal Communication

• Partner with Product, Data, Finance, and Operations teams to ensure field execution supports program objectives and product priorities.
• Communicate clearly and concisely across written, verbal, and presentation formats.
• Present regularly to internal leadership on field performance, risks, and improvement initiatives.

6. External Support 

• Support the Program Director and Country Director in donor visits and external engagements by providing operational and field context.
• Assist in internal rollout of new programs, pilots, or technologies by ensuring field teams are prepared, informed, and aligned.

Desired Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of work experience in a problem-solving heavy role (field management, consulting, analytics)
• Exceptional ability to work analytically through complex operational questions & run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions
• Strong communications skills, including speaking, writing, presenting, and negotiating across diverse audiences
• Strong operational acumen (including ability to rapidly get up-to-speed on GD field model)
• Experience with field work, field data collection
• Ability to approach tasks with resourcefulness and to work in a highly self-directed manner
• Ability to manage day-to-day operations while simultaneously working to build and institutionalize more robust, efficient systems
• Passion for the role cash transfers can play in giving recipients choice & driving impact at scale 
• Strong interest in advancing the values and mission of GiveDirectly

**GD is committed to observing all local, national and international laws that protect children, vulnerable adults, and basic human rights of all. GD is committed to a policy of “zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH)” and expects anyone who works for GD to uphold the protection and safeguarding of our recipients as a priority.**

About You and The Role 

Zipline’s Nest Applications Software team builds and manages the fulfillment, maintenance and flight systems that power our operations in Africa. We are responsible for the software that manages medical inventory, order processing, and flight coordination for automated delivery at scale. Our work spans internal platforms that streamline supply chain, and financial workflows, as well as external-facing applications that allow customers to place and track orders. By connecting every corner of the business through software, we ensure Zipline can operate efficiently, intelligently, and globally.

What You'll Do  

• Deep dive into your users’ problems to simplify operational workflows which enable the business to move efficiently 
• Architect simple, modular, flexible software systems that evolve with fast changing business needs.
• Lead backend and frontend development of major projects across all aspects of a modern tech stack.
• Establish strong automated testing practices across unit, integration, and system layers.
• Improve reliability, observability, and operational robustness of production systems.
• Systematize AI-assisted workflows across development, testing, and operations.
• Maintain clear engineering patterns, code quality standards, and review discipline.
• Mentor junior engineers through direct coaching, pairing, and design reviews.
• Increase team throughput by reducing friction, simplifying architecture, and eliminating waste.

What You'll Bring 

• 8+ years building and operating production-grade distributed systems.
• Deep experience developing full stack software using Python, Go, or a similar object-oriented language.
• Frontend experience using React or similar Javascript frameworks.
• Experience architecting distributed and event-driven systems using Kafka or similar technologies.
• Database modeling and performance tuning experience with Postgres.
• Demonstrated history of designing systems that are simple, flexible, and resilient.
• Proven implementation of comprehensive automated testing strategies.
• Experience driving architectural decisions in fast-changing environments.
• Track record of mentoring and growing junior engineers.

Nice to Haves

• Experience building modern fulfillment, logistics, or warehouse systems.
• Willingness to spend significant time in Kigali, Rwanda, via travel or relocation.
• Production experience with Kubernetes and AWS.

What Else You Need to Know   

The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

About the Role

The Zipline Maps team is responsible for producing the high-precision geospatial data that our fully autonomous drones need to safely and reliably navigate complex urban environments—flying from fulfillment centers directly to homes, businesses, and other delivery locations. We build and maintain systems for collecting and aggregating spatial data from a variety of sources, validating our flight routes over the latest information, and providing geospatial services to stakeholders across the company. We use these tools to measure and manage risk and ensure regulatory compliance in each jurisdiction.

As Zipline grows, the imperatives of scale are driving the development of robust systems that enable distributed teams to manage geographic data around the world. We analyze the accuracy of elevation models, estimate and track the completeness of ground feature datasets, evaluate the impact of new distribution centers, model an evolving regulatory landscape, and keep everything up-to-date as time passes and the world changes around us.

As a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer, you’ll play a critical role in shaping the systems that bridge complex backend services with human operators around the world. You’ll collaborate with designers, product managers, and map editors to deliver elegant user interfaces that turn sophisticated data and workflows into simple, intuitive experiences.

This role is not just about building features—it’s about creating the face of Zipline’s technology. From operational dashboards that track thousands of daily deliveries, to interfaces that help regulators evaluate safety and compliance, to design systems that empower our entire engineering org, your work will directly influence how the world interacts with autonomous delivery at scale.

What You'll Do

• Build and scale full-stack systems that power Zipline’s global mapping and flight validation workflows
• Develop intuitive web applications for map annotators, and regulators to interact with complex geospatial data
• Build robust APIs and data pipelines that integrate multiple geospatial data sources, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and regulatory compliance
• Create reusable component libraries and design systems to ensure consistency across tools and dashboards
• Improve system reliability, performance, and observability to support autonomous delivery at global scale

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of experience building and maintaining production web applications
• 2+ years of experience leading frontend projects, driving architectural decisions, and mentoring other engineers
• Strong expertise with Rust, Python, React (or similar frameworks), and modern full-stack tools
• Experience building component libraries and design systems that balance flexibility with consistency
• A customer-obsessed mindset, with the drive to continuously improve products in close feedback loops with real users
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach to solving problems across distributed teams

What Else You Need to Know   

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

Please Note

We have received reports stating that certain individuals are reaching out to people under false pretenses, claiming to be Zipline employees, affiliates, agents, or representatives. They may seek to gain access to your personal information or to acquire money from you by offering fictitious employment opportunities or by claiming that they are contacting you on Zipline’s behalf.

Genuine Zipline employees or representatives will never ask you for money or payment in exchange for employment opportunities or other related services. Any such offer of employment or any other service in exchange for fees that claims to be from us is deceitful and part of a fraud.

If you believe you have been targeted by a fraudulent party, we ask that you immediately get in touch with us via email at security@flyzipline.com upon receiving a suspicious offer or claim.