Legal Counsel, Emergency Cash & U.S. Programs

Overview

This role is responsible for building and leading a legal model that enables Emergency Cash responses using data, technology, and partnerships—so legal pathways can be established before a crisis and activated quickly when one occurs.

Approximately 70% of the role focuses on Emergency Cash, including legal and regulatory work during active emergencies. When a response is underway, Emergency Cash work takes priority.

You will also serve as a legal partner to U.S. programs, supporting program design, partnership structuring, and legal navigation to help deliver cash to low-income Americans.

Responsibilities

Build and deliver the Emergency Cash legal model

• Serve as the primary legal partner to Emergency Cash across program strategy, design, launch, and delivery.
• Build a repeatable legal model for emergency responses, including approaches to country entry, regulatory review, government engagement, contracting, data use, and engagement of local counsel.
• Develop response-readiness tools, templates, and decision frameworks to resolve common issues quickly while escalating matters requiring legal judgment.
• During active responses, lead legal work needed to launch and operate on emergency timelines, providing clear recommendations even when information is incomplete.
• Coordinate with country teams, program-facing Counsel, and local advisors—using existing knowledge while maintaining legal ownership of the response.
• Apply global standards for MNO data and remote enablement to individual responses, working with Corporate & Strategic Affairs Counsel on novel or cross-cutting issues.
• Draft and negotiate partnership, technology, vendor, data-sharing, and other agreements required to deliver emergency programs.
• Capture lessons from individual responses and use them to strengthen the Emergency Cash legal model over time.

Lead legal support for U.S. programs

• Serve as legal partner to U.S. programs across program design, implementation, expansion, and ongoing operations.
• Advise on legal design and delivery of U.S. cash programs, including:
  • eligible recipient populations
  • interactions with public benefits
  • tax treatment and reporting
  • payments involving minors or caregivers
  • family-law considerations
  • privacy and data use
  • state-specific requirements
• Structure and negotiate program-specific agreements with governments, research institutions, community organizations, payment providers, and other partners.
• Develop reusable guidance for recurring issues and coordinate state-specific or specialist counsel when needed.

Contribute across Legal

• Partner with Corporate & Business Affairs Counsel on organization-wide standards and initiatives affecting Emergency Cash or U.S. programs.
• Partner with Africa Programs & Country Operations Counsel when emergency responses occur in countries within that role’s portfolio.
• Work with Legal Operations support to delegate recurring contracting, research, coordination, and administrative work appropriately.
• Support other priority legal matters as part of a small, global Legal team.

Requirements

• Qualification as an attorney in at least one jurisdiction, with relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• Experience advising on complex program, commercial, or regulatory matters in fast-moving or high-pressure environments.
• Strong commercial contracting skills, including drafting and negotiating complex partnership, technology, vendor, or data-related agreements.
• Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar legal and regulatory frameworks and advise where precedent, time, or information is limited.
• Strong legal and business judgment, including ability to identify meaningful risks, assess tradeoffs, and recommend a practical path forward.
• Ability to translate complex legal requirements into clear, actionable guidance for colleagues without legal backgrounds.
• Experience coordinating external counsel, consultants, or other specialist advisors.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and data protection law.
• Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and reprioritize quickly during active emergency responses.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; English fluency.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in emergency response, humanitarian operations, or other crisis-context legal work.
• Experience supporting the launch of programs or operations in new countries.
• Experience supporting the launch of programs or operations in new countries.
• Experience with U.S. public-benefits, family-law, charitable-assistance, or government-program matters.
• Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, particularly in emerging markets.
• Experience supporting programs involving vulnerable populations or sensitive personal data.
• Experience in international development or another mission-driven organization.

Compensation & Benefits

United States

• Base Salary: $134,400
• Bonus at Target Performance: 10% (~$13,440; 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; 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; 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

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

Location

• Remote
• Requirement to overlap with an East Africa timezone by at least 3 hours.
• The employer can only employ people in certain places at the moment (eligible countries list provided during hiring).
• The employer is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas in the U.S. or U.K. at this time.

Travel Requirement

• Approximately 3–4 trips per year, plus travel as needed during active emergency responses.