Senior Manager, Grants Design

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Genf; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Geneva-based, seeks a Senior Manager, Grants Design to shape funding windows, eligibility rules, and templates for multi-country grants. You will lead cross-functional design efforts within the Grants Management Department to ensure seamless, data-informed grant delivery over Gavi 6.0.

You will collaborate with Strategy & Policy, CDD, and GDP teams, translating strategic directions into practical grant designs and tools for diverse country contexts.

Qualifications

• Advanced grant programme and funding design capabilities.
• Policy-to-operations translation for LMIC contexts.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills applied to funding models.
• Project and process management in fast-moving environments.
• Technical communication and synthesis for diverse audiences.
• Change management and stakeholder adoption across organisations.

Responsibilities

• Design and refine Gavi’s funding models and grant structures to align with strategic priorities.
• Define eligibility rules, funding pathways, and application requirements for transparent grants architecture.
• Lead the development and maintenance of grants guidance, tools, and templates for user-friendly processes.
• Coordinate with GMD, CDD, Strategy & Policy, and Secretariat teams to ensure upstream design translates downstream.
• Ensure grants design integrates with Gavi systems, including GMS and related evolutions.
• Use data and feedback to iteratively improve grants design and funding approaches.
• Support grants management transformation initiatives and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Grant design

Policy translation

Analytical thinking

Project management

Technical communication

Change management

Education

Advanced degree in public health or related field

Tools

GMS (Grants Management System)

Job description

Job Description

Position title: Senior Manager, Grants Design

Contract type / duration: 5 years Fixed-Term contract

Location: Geneva

Department: Grants Management Department (GMD)

Team: Grants Design and Partnership (GDP)

Reports To: Director, Grants Design and Partnership

Career Step: 4

About the Role

The Senior Manager, Grants Design sits within the Grants Management Department (GMD), specifically the Grants Design & Partnerships (GDP) team. GMD translates Gavi’s strategic and policy priorities into practical funding models, operational processes, and tools that ensure effective and accountable delivery of Gavi resources.

As part of the upstream design function, the role works closely with colleagues across GMD (including Senior Specialists for Grants Management Optimisation and Grants Effectiveness), the Country Delivery Department (CDD), Strategy & Policy teams, and—where relevant—Alliance partners and implementing organisations.

The core mission of this role is to translate Gavi’s strategic directions into clear, coherent, and operational grants designs. This includes shaping funding windows, designing application pathways, and developing guidance, tools, and templates that enable countries and partners to access and use Gavi funding effectively. The role ensures design choices are informed by data, operational realities, and lessons from implementation and contribute directly to the execution of Gavi 6.0 over the next five years.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and refine Gavi’s funding models and grant structures, ensuring clarity, simplicity, and alignment with strategic priorities and programmatic needs across Gavi 6.0.
• Define eligibility rules, funding pathways, and application requirements that enable countries and partners to navigate the grants architecture transparently and efficiently.
• Lead the development, improvement, and maintenance of grants guidance, tools, and templates, ensuring consistent, user friendly, and operationally viable application and design processes.
• Coordinate across GMD, CDD, Strategy & Policy, and relevant Secretariat teams to ensure upstream grant design translates smoothly into downstream grants making and management, supported by clear processes, tools, and communication.
• Ensure grants design is fully integrated with Gavi systems and digital solutions, including the Grants Management System (GMS), and works closely with technical colleagues to align design changes with system evolution.
• Use evidence, data (including GMS data), and feedback from implementation to continuously improve grants design, ensuring insights are communicated clearly to stakeholders and inform iterative refinement of funding approaches.
• Support grants management transformation initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, change management communications, and transition planning to facilitate adoption of new funding models, guidelines, processes, tools, and systems across internal and external stakeholders.

Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.

Your Experience and Skills

Professional Experience

• Typically, 8-12 years of experience in global health, international development, development finance, or related sectors.
• Demonstrated experience designing or managing grants programmes or funding mechanisms—ideally multi country, large scale, or operating within complex stakeholder environments.
• Experience translating strategic or policy priorities into operational programme or funding design, preferably within a multilateral, government, or large international NGO environment.
• Experience engaging with or working within multilateral organisations, global partnerships, or international funding mechanisms.
• Exposure to or participation in large-scale funding, grant management, or operational systems within international organisations.
• Experience with cross-functional coordination in international context, collaborating across Secretariat units (e.g., Strategy & Policy, CDD, GMD teams) and with external partners to build coherent, multi stakeholder design solutions.
• Experience operating across diverse, multi stakeholder international environments.

Education and Qualifications

• Advanced degree in public health, economics, international development, public policy, or a related discipline is essential.
• Additional qualifications or training in programme management, development finance, or grants management is an asset.

Technical and Functional Skills

Must have

• Grant Programme and Funding Design (Advanced) - ability to design funding windows, rules, eligibility criteria, and operational structures for multi country grants or international funding mechanisms.
• Policy-to-Operations Translation (Advanced) - proven ability to convert strategic and policy directives into practical grant design features, operational processes and user friendly tools for LMIC contexts.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills (Advanced) - ability to analyse complex programme requirements, historical evidence, and operational data to inform funding models and improve design choices.
• Project & Process Management (Advanced) - ability to lead structured design processes, manage multiple inputs, maintain version control, and deliver design products on time in fast moving environments.
• Technical Communication & Synthesis (Advanced) - ability to synthesise complex grant structures, rules, and models into clear, concise guidance for diverse audiences—including senior leadership, Alliance partners, and country teams.
• Change Management & Stakeholder Adoption (Advanced) - ability to support the implementation of grants management reforms through stakeholder engagement, communications planning, and adoption strategies across diverse internal stakeholders and alliance partners.

Good to have

• Grants management systems or programme data platforms experience (e.g., GMS).
• Programme design support experience or operational reform initiatives in multilateral or donor environments.
• Global health partnerships exposure or other large funding mechanisms.

Languages needed

• Essential: Fluent English (written and spoken)
• Strong asset: Working knowledge of French
• Additional assets: Working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic

How Your Work (Behaviours and Mindsets)

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement – Builds strong, trust based relationships across diverse teams and partners; works transparently to align upstream and downstream processes.
• Communication & Influence – Communicates clearly and persuasively; adapts complex grant design concepts for technical and senior audiences to build alignment and influence decisions.
• Independent Judgement & Prioritisation – Operates autonomously in dynamic environments; manages competing priorities proactively and maintains progress with minimal supervision.
• Problem Solving & Analytical Thinking – Navigates ambiguity with sound judgement; applies structured, design oriented problem solving to develop practical funding solutions.
• Resilience & Solutions Orientation – Demonstrates initiative, resilience, and a constructive, solution focused mindset while working across multiple priorities and evolving contexts.