Program Officer, Maternal and Child Survival & Women's Health

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 157,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking a Program Officer for Maternal and Child Survival and Women’s Health (MCS + WH) to advance evidence-based strategies. This role leads cross-cutting research, synthesizes insights, and informs policy with partners and government stakeholders.

The position requires significant experience in global health, strong written and verbal communication, and the ability to manage complex projects in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Masters or other advanced degree preferred, public health or related field.
• 7+ years in global health with maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health experience.
• Ability to translate evidence into actionable recommendations for policymakers.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee MCS+WH projects, balancing priorities and timelines.
• Translate research findings into clear briefs, presentations, and materials.
• Develop external relationships with governments, partners, and donors.
• Support Deputy Director with analysis and cross-team information sharing.
• Lead and manage grants, contracts, and due diligence with grantees.

Skills

Policy translation

Stakeholder engagement

Project leadership

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree or higher

Job description

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofitfighting 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 (GD) Division 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 Regional and Country Office Teams to align the foundation’s health and development equity agenda with the government’s broader priorities.

Within GD, the Exemplars in Global Health (EGH) program equips decision-makers with the evidence, insights, and practical “know-how” needed to accelerate and scale interventions that improve the health of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Working with a global network of partners, EGH identifies and studies exemplars and best practices across health outcomes, primary health care systems, and service delivery strategies.

Through rigorous research, evidence synthesis, and timely analysis, EGH translates lessons from what works into actionable insights that help policymakers, practitioners, and funders strengthen systems, improve service delivery, and address pressing global health challenges.

We pursue this through:

1. The study of “positive outliers”—identifying countries or regions that have achieved exceptional progress in health outcomes and analyzing the drivers behind their success;
2. The study of emerging practices with global learning value, using prospective research and real-time analytics alongside implementation to meet the ambition of ‘learning by doing’;
3. The provision of internal advisory services to support teams in pursuit of the Foundation’s three goals toward 2045; and
4. External partnerships to scale exemplary practices with governments, policymakers, global health initiatives, and multilateral development banks.

Application Deadline: November 8, 2026

Your Role

The Program Officer, Maternal and Child Survival and Women’s Health (MCS + WH) manages Exemplars projects both as part of a team and independently, providing cross-cutting technical and partner facilitation support for the sub-team. The role focuses on leading projects that generate and synthesize evidence to inform strategies for maternal and child survival and women’s health, with an emphasis on translating analytics to actionable insights. The role reports to the Deputy Director, MCS + WH and will focus on developing practical ways to help priority partners generate and use learning on what works, where, and why.

Please note that relocation assistance is not available for this position.

What You’ll Do

• Synthesize and package actionable insights and cross-cutting themes and lessons learned across the MCS + WH pillar to inform strategy and decisions for internal and external audiences; translate complex research findings into “what works” in clear briefs, presentations, and other materials.
• Manage the MCS + WH research and investment portfolio and lead select projects, including day-to-day execution of grants and contracts; tracking achievements, budgets, and deliverables; supporting grantee selection, scoping, and due diligence for new investments; and troubleshooting implementation challenges in partnership with grantees to keep projects on track.
• Manage and expand select relationships across the foundation, with a focus on broader women’s health including Family Planning, Women’s Health Innovations, and other Gender Equality bodies of work; understand key strategies, questions, evidence, debates and emerging directions.
• Support the Deputy Director with materials, analysis, and coordination on MCS + WH topics, and facilitate information-sharing across foundation teams working on related agendas as well as integration pathways and tradeoffs with other verticals and within broader health systems.
• Provide support for external engagement across MCS + WH, owning and building specific external relationships aligned with technical expertise; coordinate logistics, content, and follow-up for external meetings and convenings in the portfolio and support the Deputy Director and Senior Program Officers in preparing for leadership conversations and high-level external engagements.

Your Experience

• Masters or other advanced degree preferred, preferably in public health or another related field.
• 7+ years of relevant experience in global health, including 5+ years of experience working across global maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health technical areas, with deep knowledge of relevant data, evidence, policies, and programs and externally recognized subject matter expertise in at least one of these areas.
• Demonstrated ability to translate evidence and technical insights into actionable recommendations used by policymakers and other decision-makers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), preferably in the area of MCS + WH.
• Experience with independent partner relationship management, including with subject-matter experts, technical teams, and decision-makers, and a passion for collaboration.
• Strong experience independently organizing and driving complex projects while effectively balancing multiple priorities on tight timelines.
• Strong communication skills, including strong writing, presentations, and the ability to efficiently synthesize materials.
• Comfort with highly unstructured and ambiguous situations, with the ability to proactively bring structure and resolution.
• Knowledge of LMIC governments, and/or global health/development institutions and partners (e.g., WHO, the Global Fund, Gavi, UNICEF, multilateral development banks) preferred.
• Experience living and working in low- and middle-income countries preferred.
• Excellent organizational, facilitation, oral, and written communication skills. Ability to work effectively and with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture, and distance, with excellent listening skills and compassion.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, diplomacy, and enthusiasm in a fast-paced environment, as a member of an integrated team.

**Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

#LI-TL1

The salary range for this role is $157,400 to $236,000 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 $173,100 to $259,700 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.

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 [e-mail] 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.