Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Deputy Director, High Impact Countries Cluster

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation$262K — $406K *
Healthcare
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Advanced degree or equivalent experience in public health or related fields.
  • 15+ years of experience in public health, epidemiology, or statistics.
  • Proven leadership in managing impactful teams and programs.
  • In-depth understanding of global health dynamics at various institutional levels.
  • Track record in strengthening health systems in low-income countries, especially in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, or India.
  • Strong strategic planning and implementation skills with a focus on health and immunization systems.
  • Excellent data analysis, writing, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Lead a team focused on strengthening immunization systems and increasing coverage in priority countries.
  • Collaborate with the Polio PST and other teams to synchronize health strategies.
  • Manage talent acquisition, onboarding, and performance evaluation within the sub-team.
  • Foster a productive team culture and effective resource management in the Immunization PST leadership team.
  • Engage with Gavi and partners to influence immunization effectiveness.
  • Represent the Foundation's work to government and stakeholders, highlighting its values.
  • Oversee foundation investments and facilitate the development of annual budgets and plans.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to have a significant impact on global health and immunization.
  • Collaborative work environment with health and development professionals.
  • Engagement with top international organizations like Gavi and government partners.
  • Access to ongoing professional development and mentorship opportunities.
  • Travel opportunities to priority countries, offering cultural and professional experiences.
Full Job Description

The Team

The Global Development Division (GD) includes a diverse range of program areas focused on finding creative ways to ensure solutions and products get into the hands of people in low-income countries. We focus on areas with the potential for high-impact, sustainable solutions that can reach millions of people. Our strategies include Emergency Response, Immunization, and Polio Eradication. A common theme across these programs is focus on innovative delivery, including an emphasis on strengthening primary health care systems. Our teams work in close partnership with these Country Office Teams to align the foundation’s health and development equity agenda with the government’s broader priorities.

Vaccines are a core priority of the Gates Foundation and can save millions of lives a year when delivered effectively. The mission of our Immunization Program Strategy Team (PST) is to urgently reach children, adolescents, and adults -- no matter where they live -- with the vaccines they need. Our goal is a world free of vaccine-preventable diseases, and we do this by working with countries, development partners, and civil society organizations, to make sure that vaccines and immunization are effectively prioritized and delivered. Robust and resilient immunization programs are critical to achieving the promise of vaccination and are a cornerstone of primary health care, and we work to ensure that there are sufficient, affordable supplies to meet demand. We seek to bring new perspectives to challenging problems as we focus on results that can be delivered at scale. All our work on vaccines and immunization contributes to Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), which is a vision and commitment by the global community to extend the full benefits of immunization to all by 2030.

Your Role

The Deputy Director, High Impact Countries, you will lead a team to support implementation of Foundation strategies to strengthen routine immunization systems, reach missed communities, and increase immunization coverage in one or more priority countries (Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, India). This will require working closely with the Africa, Polio, and other Gates Foundation Program Strategy Teams (PSTs) to ensure successful management of financial and human resources, priorities, strategy, execution, and reporting for the foundation’s immunization efforts. You will need to advance the strategy through collaboration, influence, and strategic allocation of resources. The DD will lead a sub-team of program officers whose work primarily focuses on outcomes in these settings. You will need to ensure connection of these geographically focused efforts to other parts of the Immunization PST and other relevant teams beyond the PST. The DD will be a member of Immunization PST leadership team. In this capacity, the DD is expected to engage in the development of the Immunization PSTs strategic vision, setting overall strategy, goals and expectations, and leading the team to meet impact goals and objectives.

What You’ll Do

  • The DD will ensure that our priority geographies have sound investment portfolios grounded in contextually relevant, country specific targets. The DD will need to engage other PSTs and country office teams, where relevant, to develop synchronized plans and opportunities for engagement across teams. This effort will require close collaboration with Polio PST, Africa teams, and other health PSTs.
  • The DD will need to regularly and seamlessly connect functional parts of the Immunization PST to goals in these key geographies by enabling opportunities for the other Immunization PST sub-teams to support these countries with additional approaches and activities that contribute to achieving the PST goals.
  • This role will manage people and be responsible for hiring the talent needed to achieve the sub-team goals, ensuring successful employee onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, setting priorities, integrating project and change management, giving and seeking feedback, providing coaching, measuring progress and holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievement and lessons learned
  • Contribute to creating an effective immunization PST leadership team that supports team success, establishes an inclusive and productive team culture, effectively manages resources, sets priorities, stewards Foundation resources, develops strategies, and reports on results to Foundation leadership, co-chairs, and other stakeholders.
  • Lead on the engagement strategy with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance partners who are engaged in these geographic settings creating opportunities for the team’s activities and learnings to positively influence Gavi approaches and effectiveness
  • You will represent the Foundation’s work with Government officials, partners, grantees, and other stakeholders in a way that reinforces Foundation values and priorities
  • Oversee and guide the team in the management of foundation investments (voice, grants and contracts) working with external partners to drive progress and impact in our key geographies
  • Facilitate the development of annual investment plans and budgets, develop, modify and implement strategy under the leadership of the Director. Work with foundation leadership as requested to address cross-cutting issues and improve functions and performance
  • Provide strategic guidance in crafting grants and contracts that require complex research or analytics.
  • Accountable for the identification and assessment of key portfolio risks, and the development and management of mitigation/contingency plans at the portfolio level
  • Advise, mentor, and support colleagues within the foundation and their grantees in the design, enhancement, and execution of project, initiatives and engagements. Manage partnerships and grantee relationships to achieve impact, for example, by conducting site visits, convening meetings of key partners, monitoring and evaluating components of grants
  • Serve as a foundation spokesperson on engagement priorities for global development and related issues internally to foundation Co-chairs and leadership and externally to industry and global development partners
  • This position requires up to 30% travel

Your Experience

  • Advanced degree or equivalent work experience providing similar expertise
  • 15+ years of experience in public health, epidemiology, statistics, or related fields.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead and manage an impactful and effective team with clear priorities, roles and responsibilities, evidence directed strategies, effective financial management, and healthy team culture.
  • In depth understanding of global health across global, regional, and country levels with insight into intrinsic institutional motivations and incentives across a range of actors from Government, UN Partners, Global Health Institutions, Local CSOs, NGOs, Development Banks, and others
  • Demonstrated track record in supporting health and immunization system strengthening in low-income countries. Direct experience in two or more of Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan, India as well as familiarity with Polio Eradication will be preferred.
  • Proven ability to lead and influence others in a constructive, impact-focused manner including partners, including government, other donors, and grantees to create a common vision and visualize simple and effective but implementable solutions to complex problems. Experience in strategic planning and strategy implementation.
  • Demonstrated excellence in scientific writing and data analysis, written and oral communication skills, and experience advocating and communicating with a broad and diverse audience.
  • Experience in a role requiring collaboration in a complex organization and working with external organizations.
  • Growth mindset – curious about innovative approaches, able to change direction, willing to seek feedback and course correct.

The salary range for this role is $238,400 to $369,400 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $262,200 to $406,400 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

#LI-AD1

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

About Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a private foundation founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. The foundation was launched in 2000 and is based in Seattle, Washington. The primary goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology. The foundation is one of the largest charitable organizations in the world, with an endowment of over $50 billion. The foundation has made significant contributions to global health, including the eradication of polio in India and the development of new vaccines for malaria and tuberculosis. The foundation also supports a variety of educational initiatives, including the development of new technologies for teaching and learning.
Learn more about Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Size
1,600 employees
Industry
Founded
2000

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

More Healthcare Jobs

Find similar Deputy Director, High Impact Countries Cluster jobs: