Senior Program Officer, Nutritious Food Systems

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Washington, Seattle (District of Columbia, WA); On-site; USD 169,000 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a strategic advisor to enhance their Nutritious Food Systems portfolio. This role involves managing grants and collaborating with partners to ensure equitable access to nutritious diets. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in agriculture and nutrition, demonstrating strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Join a mission-driven organization dedicated to transformative change in food systems, where your expertise will contribute to empowering communities and improving livelihoods across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Benefits

Comprehensive Medical Coverage

Dental and Vision Coverage

Generous Paid Time Off

Paid Family Leave

Foundation-Paid Retirement Contribution

Regional Holidays

Employee Communities Engagement

Qualifications

• 15+ years experience at the intersection of agriculture and nutrition.
• Expertise in building equitable nutritious food systems.

Responsibilities

• Manage a large portfolio of grants and contracts for nutritious food systems.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure strategy alignment.

Skills

Agriculture-Nutrition Pathways

Multi-Sectoral Critical Thinking

Analytical Skills

Problem-Solving

Communication Skills

Education

Advanced Degree in Nutrition or Related Field

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 Growth & Opportunity (GGO) division works to catalyze sustainable and transformative socio-economic change. In the face of inequities and market failures, GGO seeks to realize the potential of untapped markets, and ensure that economic and social benefits reach everyone. We focus on the areas of Agricultural Development; Financial Services for the Poor; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; and Global Education. We seek solutions that are sustainable, transformative, and inclusive with an eye toward applying technology innovations as well as data evidence to drive change in the world's developing countries.

The Agricultural Development (AgDev) team aims to catalyze a country-led, inclusive, agricultural transformation process by developing and scaling products, services, policies, and system-wide innovations that benefit small scale producers, empower women, and improve nutritional outcomes. We want farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to be empowered with the knowledge, tools, and technologies to improve their livelihoods and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The Adaptative & Equitable Food Systems pillar within the AgDev team seeks to increase women's empowerment and climate adaptation in food systems and the consumption of healthy diets.

Your Role

In this role, you will contribute to the strategic evolution of the Nutritious Food Systems portfolio within the AgDev team and will manage a large portfolio of grants and contracts requiring skills in active grant making and management, monitoring, and evaluation.As a key advisor for nutrition on the AgDev team, you will contribute to the team's strategic vision of ensuring equitable consumption of safe, affordable, nutritious diets year-round in pursuit of inclusive agricultural transformation.

What You'll Do

• Partner with foundation colleagues and external partners to implement and assess the Nutritious Food Systems portfolio. Advance a forward-looking strategy for Nutritious Food Systems and the whole of AgDev that generates demand for nutritious foods; improves market function for nutrition, including addressing food loss and food safety; and works to integrate nutrition activities and objectives across AgDev investments.
• Negotiate, execute, and manage a complex grant portfolio. Provide clear, concise, and insightful written analyses of investments and recommendations for funding.
• In partnership with the Director and Deputy Director, contribute to strategy and operational planning in the Adaptive & Equitable Food Systems pillar, including strategy setting, tracking of progress against defined metrics, and annual investment planning.
• Understand the linkages between and implement coordinated work on improving women's empowerment, nutrition, and climate adaptation in food systems.
• Liaise with other internal program teams, particularly Nutrition, Maternal, Child, and Newborn Health, and Program Advocacy and Communications, to ensure strategy alignment and cross-team collaboration, capitalizing on opportunities of mutual interest, and communicating a unified foundation approach to nutrition.
• Regularly consult with grantees and other partners to maximize impact of projects and ensure grants are contributing to strategy goals. This may include conducting site visits, providing technical and operational guidance, and convening meetings of key stakeholders.
• Represent the foundation on key program-related external constituencies, as appropriate, and serve on external bodies (e.g. technical advisory groups, steering committees) related to area of expertise.
• Remain up to date on the literature and advances in the field of the nexus of agriculture, food systems, and nutrition.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically approximately 25% of the time.
  

Your Experience

• Advanced degree in nutrition, agriculture, food systems, public health or related field
• 15+ years of post-terminal degree experience working at the intersection of agriculture and nutrition
• Recognized by the global professional community as a specialist within food systems, with a deep understanding of agriculture-nutrition pathways, barriers to the increased consumption of healthy diets within agricultural development, underpinnings of multi-sectoral approaches to improve nutrition, and policy-related efforts to build resilient, equitable nutritious food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
• Specific experience working at the intersection of climate change, gender, and nutrition
• Demonstrates multi-sectoral critical thinking and analytical skills
• Capability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner and to build and sustain collaborative relationships
• Excellent problem solver with experience in strategy development
• Strong initiative, organizational skills, and ability to work autonomously and cross-functionally while remaining flexible to changing tasks, priorities, and roles and responsibilities
• Ability to communicate technical concepts and synthesize information for diverse audiences, including leadership, program staff, governments, grantees, and external partners, both written and verbally
• Previous residence or extensive work experience in a Sub-Saharan African or Asian country or countries preferred
  

The salary range for this role is $169,700 to $254,500 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 $185,000 to $277,400 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hire salaries are typically between the salary range minimum and midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate's job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

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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

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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.