Taimaka is accepting applications for a new Executive Director to scale one of the most cost-effective pediatric malnutrition programs operating in global health. After years of piloting, Taimaka has treated over 16,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in northern Nigeria and recently received a major GiveWell grant to scale our program. This creates a natural transition point for a new leader to take Taimaka into its new phase of scale.
Taimaka is currently funded to scale to treating 35,000 patients per year by the end of 2028. We believe a reasonable mid-term expansion target is treating 100,000 children per year by the end of 2030 (saving between 5,956 and 16,644 lives from 2026-2030). However, our ability to reach that goal will depend on our new Executive Director solving key organizational bottlenecks to enable our staffing and programs to grow that large, while delivering on our current commitments to pave the way for funding growth. As a result, we think this position will be an extremely high-leverage role for an experienced operator committed to cost-effective impact.
Taimaka is GiveWell-funded, Founders Pledge-recommended, and AIM-incubated. We believe the special sauce that makes us a highly cost-effective organization is our senior leadership team's deep commitment to EA values. We think it matters a lot that we find someone who shares these values as our new Executive Director.
Overview of the role
The Executive Director will be responsible for renewing existing grants and scaling Taimaka’s malnutrition programs. It’s a full-time position, with at least 3 months of the year spent working with the team on-site in Nigeria.
The full job description is posted here, but here’s an overview of the Executive Director’s responsibilities. They will:
We’re preparing for a handoff period of several months where the current and future Executive Director will work together to prepare the organization for a smooth transition.
Who should consider applying (and who shouldn’t)?
We’re looking for a senior leader committed to cost-effective, evidence-based impact in global health. You might be a strong fit if you have leadership experience in a scaling nonprofit that prioritizes cost-effectiveness or have led complex organizations in resource-constrained environments. Strong candidates can confidently work with donors and institutional funders while keeping the counterfactual value of these funds top of mind.
This role is unlikely to be a good fit for someone interested in remote-only, advisory, or research-focused roles, or for those most interested in high-level strategy without wading into the operational details. Candidates with an edge in technical or research skills may be a stronger fit for our Cost-Effectiveness Researcher or Technical Lead roles instead.
A few practical details
The application deadline is January 26th, and we expect to follow up with candidates within two weeks of that date. We aim to make an initial offer for this position in February or March 2026.
If this role sounds like a potential fit, you can find the full job description and application link here. If you know someone with relevant leadership experience who might be excited by this role, we would be grateful if you shared this opportunity with them. We expect many strong candidates to come via referral.
Motivated to join the team but unsure about your fit for the Executive Director Role? We're hiring for two other roles that will be instrumental to Taimaka's growth. Take a look at the JDs below for more details:
