Senior Program Officer, Federal Government Relations

Gates Foundation; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 213,000 - 363,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gates Foundation is seeking a Senior Program Officer based in our Washington, DC office to lead advocacy strategies and manage grant portfolios advancing health and development priorities. You will build relationships with US decision-makers and coordinate with Federal Government Relations to drive policy impact.

Applicants should bring extensive US government experience, a strong policy background, and a track record in strategic planning and grants management.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree with 10+ years of experience or equivalent.
• Authority in health and development policy.
• Mastery of US federal budgeting and decision processes.
• Strong network with senior US government staff.
• Extensive experience in the US government related to health priorities.
• Experience in strategic planning and implementation.
• Knowledge of global health and US foreign assistance context.
• Proven ability to manage, monitor, and evaluate grants.
• Able to work in a dynamic, multi-team environment with external partners.
• Unrestricted work authorization in the job location.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and track issues across the foundation’s health and development priorities, relative to federal issues.
• Establish and sustain relationships with key US decision-makers who support funding and policy decisions on foundation priorities.
• Identify foundation policy and funding priorities and create opportunities to engage government partners in the US.
• Work with Federal Government Relations team to develop, implement, and evolve coordinated engagement strategies.
• Align USG-facing global health advocacy with foundation strategy and integrate with other teams.
• Update leadership on political and policy trends within the portfolio.
• Identify potential advocacy partners, assess alignment, and lead grants.
• Represent the foundation to key external constituencies.
• Support inclusive culture through modeling behaviors and raising issues.

Skills

Health policy expertise

US government experience

Policy advocacy

Strategic planning

Grant management

Networking with senior officials

Work authorization unrestricted

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

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 mission of the Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation's work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation's objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation's resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, U.S. and Gender Equality programs and Foundation Communications to build the environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives.

The North America Team develops and executes policy, advocacy, communications and government relations strategies to build political support and advance domestic and global programmatic priorities that are funded by, or executed within, the United States, Canada, and the United Nations.

Application Deadline

Friday, November 13, 2026

Your Role

As Senior Program Officer, you report to the Deputy Director, Federal Government Relations in our Washington, DC office. You develop and implement advocacy strategies in coordination with the Federal Government Relations team and lead one or more portfolios of grants to advance key foundation priorities in global program strategy teams. You develop and maintain relationships with key US decision-makers who are directly involved in areas of interest to the foundation. You also have experience working in the US government.

• This is a 10-month limited-term opportunity with Foundation benefits. Please note that relocation assistance is not available for this position.

What You’ll Do

• Monitor and track issues across the foundation’s health and development priorities, relative to similar issues raised at the federal level.
• Establish and sustain relationships with key US decision-makers who support funding and policy decisions on foundation priorities.
• Identify foundation policy and funding priorities and create opportunities to engage relevant government partners in the US about these - to advance foundation program and policy goals.
• Work closely with colleagues on the Federal Government Relations team to develop, implement, and evolve coordinated engagement strategies for maximum impact.
• Align USG-facing global health advocacy with foundation strategy and integrate with other foundation teams’ operations.
• Update leadership, as needed, on political and policy trends within the portfolio.
• Identify potential advocacy partners, assess their alignment with foundation strategies, evaluate capacity, and lead grants, including assessing their performance over time.
• Represent the foundation to key external constituencies.
• Support inclusive culture through modeling behaviors and actions; raise issues in a timely fashion to appropriate internal collaborators.

Your Experience

• Advanced degree with 10+ years of experience, or equivalent.
• Recognized internally and externally as an authority in aspects of health and development policy.
• Mastery-level knowledge of the US federal government budget and decision-making processes.
• Network of and access to US senior level staff and/or government officials with proven ability to expand networks, as needed.
• Significant experience working in the US government, with an emphasis on roles that align with the foundation’s health and development priorities.
• Experience in strategic planning and strategy implementation.
• Knowledge of the current global health and foreign assistance context in the US, and of international development policy.
• Demonstrated expertise to manage, monitor, and evaluate grants.
• Experience working in a dynamic, multi-team environment and working with external organizations.
• 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.).

The salary range for this role is $212,800 to $329,800 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 $234,000 to $362,800 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.