Senior Program Officer, Policy and Evidence

Gates Foundation; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 295,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Generous paid time off

Paid family leave

Retirement contribution

Regional holidays

Employee communities

Job summary

The Gates Foundation in Seattle seeks a Senior Program Officer, Policy & Evidence, to shape global health policy through evidence, research, and strategic partnerships. You will design partnership strategies with international health institutions, build coalitions, and develop policy briefs while managing consultants.

The role requires 10+ years in global health policy, strong influencing skills, and the ability to navigate unstructured environments.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in global health policy, advocacy, or development consulting.
• Proven success influencing policymakers and financiers.
• Understanding of how LMIC governments and global health partners use evidence.
• Ability to convene diverse partners and translate into policy priorities.
• Familiarity with the foundation's work and global context.
• Comfort working in unstructured, fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead partnerships with global health institutions to uptake EGH evidence.
• Identify opportunities for new research to inform policy and funding.
• Build coalitions across governments and technical partners.
• Develop policy briefs and position papers for leaders.
• Manage consultants and contractors supporting partnerships.
• Share intelligence to shape upstream research design.

Skills

Global health policy

Advocacy experience

Policy influencing

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Education

Master's 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 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 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 on 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…

• The study of “positive outliers”—identifying countries or regions that have achieved exceptional progress in health outcomes and analyzing the drivers behind their success;
• 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';
• The provision of internal advisory services to support teams in pursuit of the Foundation's three goals toward 2045;
• External partnerships to scale exemplary practices with governments, policymakers, global health initiatives, and multilateral development banks.

Application Deadline, Thursday, November 5, 2026

• We are hiring for two (2) Senior Program Officers for this team.

Your Role

The Senior Program Officer, Policy & Evidence will scope and create opportunities for EGH's evidence to shape policy, program, and funding decisions, drawing on deep institutional knowledge and a policy advocacy approach to identify where and when EGH's voice can matter most.

What You’ll Do

• Design and lead partnership strategies with one or more global health institutions (e.g., multilateral development banks, multilateral funds or agencies) to drive uptake of EGH evidence in their policy and funding decisions, and track impact, in close coordination with relevant teams at the foundation.
• Proactively find opportunities for new or existing research and analysis to advance EGH's partnerships with global health institutions and advise EGH teams on how to position this work to influence policy and funding decisions.
• Build and sustain coalitions of governments, technical partners, and institutions aligned around shared evidence-to-policy goals across global, regional, and/or national levels, in close coordination with relevant teams at the foundation.
• Lead the development and presentation of policy briefs, position papers, and other decision-ready materials to improve use of EGH evidence by leaders at the global, regional and country level.
• Manage consultants and contractors supporting partnerships strategies.
• Share intelligence on institutional priorities and processes to shape upstream research design of EGH teams.

Your Experience

• 10+ years of experience in global health policy, advocacy, or development-focused consulting; Masters or other advanced degree preferred.
• Demonstrated success designing and implementing strategies that influence policymaking and policymakers, financiers, or ecosystem leaders.
• Strong understanding of how LMIC governments and/or global health/development institutions and partners (e.g., World Bank/multilateral development banks, the Global Fund, Gavi, UNICEF) consume and use evidence to inform policies and programs.
• Ability to credibly convene and influence diverse partners, filter information, frame issues, and determine what information is ready for translation into a policy priority in a dynamic environment.
• Strong understanding of the foundation's work from a program perspective and the global context surrounding the foundation's initiatives.
• Comfort with highly unstructured and ambiguous situations, with the ability to proactively bring structure and resolution.
• 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.).

The salary range for this role is $190,100 to $294,700 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 $209,100 to $324,100 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.