Senior Program Officer: Modern High School Math

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 209,000 - 324,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA seeks a leader to drive investments in modernizing high school mathematics curricula for equitable access nationwide. You will guide multi-partner collaborations, including publishers and state education agencies, advancing Algebra I–II and data-oriented math pathways towards scalable reform.

Your role centers on governance, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based decision-making to ensure ambitious reach and impact by 2035.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Significant experience in K-12 education policy, standards development, or curriculum strategy.
• Experience with grantmaking – proposals, budgets, and managing funds.
• Significant experience coordinating multi-workstream initiatives with external partners.
• Experience developing and implementing campaign strategies or field-building efforts in K-12 education reform.
• Knowledge of the K-12 publisher ecosystem and related business models.

Responsibilities

• Lead grantmaking and management with grantees and partners.
• Oversee modernization of high school math, including publisher and field engagement.
• Set milestones, track outcomes, and surface risks for adaptive decision-making.
• Coordinate investments with standards, researchers, and co-funders to build consensus on math expectations.
• Design publisher engagement strategies influencing product roadmaps toward aligned math standards.
• Develop coalitions with philanthropic and public partners to reach 2035 student targets.
• Synthesize field intelligence into actionable insights for leadership decisions.
• Build senior-level relationships with state leaders, standards bodies, publishers, and co-funders.
• Communicate strategy and progress to diverse stakeholders with clear messaging.
• Collaborate across K-12 teams and other program areas to align goals.
• Support inclusive culture and escalate issues as needed.

Skills

Advanced degree/experience

K-12 policy experience

Grantmaking experience

Multi-workstream leadership

Campaign strategies in reform

Publisher ecosystem knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Advanced degree

Job description

The Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA seeks a leader to drive investments in modernizing high school mathematics curricula for equitable access nationwide. You will guide multi-partner collaborations, including publishers and state education agencies, advancing Algebra I–II and data-oriented math pathways towards scalable reform.

Your role centers on governance, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based decision-making to ensure ambitious reach and impact by 2035.