Deputy Director, High Impact Countries Cluster

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

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.

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Hiring Requirements

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

Candidate Accommodations

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact [email protected] with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.