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

Our Global Health (GH) Program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in poor countries. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in developing countries but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery. Where they don’t, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, biologics, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, and pneumonia. These strategies are supported by functional and cross-cutting teams that focus on Discovery & Translational Sciences, Vaccine Development, Surveillance, Integrated Development, Diagnostics, and Innovation Introduction.

With a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the Pneumonia & Pandemic Preparedness (PPP) Team aims to 1) accelerate the reduction in childhood deaths from pneumonia, meningitis, and neonatal sepsis; 2) improve disease surveillance for public health action; 3) minimize mortality and prevent transmission during epidemics and pandemics; and 4) prevent mortality due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk pathogens. We accelerate the development and commercialization of novel and lower-cost vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for our target populations. Our prevention efforts target the following pathogens: pneumococcus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), group B streptococcus (GBS), meningococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, as well as pandemic influenza and coronaviruses. Given that a growing portion of deaths in young children happen before a child is old enough to be immunized, we are developing vaccines that can be delivered safely during pregnancy (maternal immunization) to protect vulnerable infants during the first months of life through antibodies transferred from their mothers. We are also focused on antimicrobial resistance as an increasing global health threat that disproportionately contributes to neonatal sepsis deaths. To guide prioritization of global health interventions, we support surveillance for definitive causes of childhood mortality in LMICs. We also implement and evaluate innovative surveillance approaches and help countries integrate surveillance information for better public health decision-making.

Your Role

As a key member of the PPP team and the foundation’s cross-cutting surveillance team, the Senior Program Manager will coordinate foundation-wide efforts to support day-to-day operations and strategic planning for surveillance. This position will provide portfolio management support for our surveillance efforts to advocate for and build a stronger, more integrated disease surveillance ecosystem in the post-COVID era. Areas of focus within the PPP surveillance portfolio include a broad range of foundation investments in collaborative disease surveillance including mortality surveillance (CHAMPS and sample registration systems) and serosurveillance. Beyond the PPP portfolio, this role requires cross-foundation coordination of surveillance activities with other teams, including Africa Regional Office; Genomics, Epidemiology, & Modeling; Global Policy & Advocacy; and Global Health Agencies & Funds. This role will also work with Program Strategy Teams (PSTs) on other infectious disease surveillance programs to ensure coordination and integration of surveillance activities. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required to build strong, positive relationships across internal teams, external partners, and grantees.

The role will report to the Deputy Director, Surveillance & Epidemiology (DD). This role will be a member of PPP’s Strategy & Implementation Management team and have a secondary reporting line to the Deputy Director, Strategy Planning and Management (DDSPM).

What You'll Do

This role will work closely with the foundation’s surveillance leadership team to provide stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, portfolio management, financial planning, implementation support, and communications for the cross-cutting surveillance strategy.

• Stakeholder engagement: Serve as a thought partner and advisor to the Deputy Director, Surveillance and Epidemiology, by working together to build, cultivate, and manage relationships with key partners in global health surveillance and mortality reduction and to coordinate with other donors to ensure investments advance common goals and standards.

• Strategy development and execution: Support leadership to define strategy and articulate theory of action; translate strategy goals into execution plans with clearly defined outcomes; manage strategy review and annual planning processes for the surveillance team (e.g. annual workshops) to develop surveillance-specific deliverables; lead key surveillance projects related to strategy and/or partner management; and provide secondary support for executing and managing large investments (e.g. CHAMPS).

• Portfolio management: Facilitate the cross-cutting surveillance team’s meeting structure and governance to support management decision-making and resource allocation; monitor investment portfolio and track financial payout of surveillance investments to ensure resources have the greatest impact; provide analytic and research support for decision making or other leadership requests; provide project management support (agenda, materials, facilitation, minutes, follow-up items) to leadership team for surveillance team meetings, partner convenings, team retreats, and conferences as needed; and enable opportunities for continuous learning and knowledge management.

• Business operations: Identify areas for process optimization and develop solutions to improve team efficiency and productivity; coordinate surveillance team onboarding with respective hiring managers; and support Program Coordinator in grant execution and management as needed.

• Communications: Develop and maintain strategy dissemination materials for the surveillance strategy; support coordination and content development of materials for external talks and foundation leadership meetings; escalate issues in a timely fashion to appropriate stakeholders; and serve as a central point of contact for teams working on the cross-foundation surveillance strategy.

Your Experience

We are looking for people who enjoy the challenge of working on problems to create solutions that have the potential for ground-breaking change. We seek a self-starter with proven project management skills who can provide both strategy and operational capacity for the cross-cutting surveillance strategy at the foundation.

We are looking for individuals with:

• Master’s degree with 5+ years of experience

• Master’s degree in public health preferred.

• Experience in two or more of the following areas preferred: project management, epidemiology, disease surveillance, global health policy and advocacy.

• Detailed knowledge of program management of complex strategy development, execution planning, and business process redesign projects with ability to lead or run multiple projects simultaneously.

• Experience building relationships and collaborating with internal and external partners to get things done with efficiency, flexibility, and diplomacy.

• Proven ability to create structures and develop frameworks to address problems and increase clarity and visibility of decisions, trade-offs, and impact on organizational resources.

• 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 project management and leading or running multiple projects simultaneously.

• Familiarity and/or experience in global health or development, public health research, and/or management consulting.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team effort.

• Experience in working on teams with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.

• Experience working in low- and middle-income countries preferred.

• Proven facilitation skills with ability to identify, organize, and frame issues clearly for discussion or decision making.

• Demonstrated passion for the Foundation’s values with a commitment to deliver results against our mission.

• This role will require the ability to travel up to 15% domestically and internationally to grantee meetings, conferences, and convenings.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

**We will be accepting applications until: June 3, 2024 PT, COB

The salary range for this role is $166,300 to $249,500 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 $181,200 to $271,800 USD . As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hire 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.

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

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

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.

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/) works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.