Career Center

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

This is an exciting time to join The Gates Foundation’s Polio team with the 2022-2026 global strategy announcement at the World Health Assembly. The Polio Team works with partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) as well as with country governments, donors and other collaborators to build and implement the Polio eradication strategy. We do this by developing relationships and uplifting each other through our journey together. We believe that energized people, working well together, motivated by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things!

The Foundation’s leadership team is invested in our success, as we continue to provide updates, identify key risks, and build engagement opportunities.

*Application deadline - 5 PM PT, Friday, May 12, 2023

Your Role

As a key member of the Polio Endemics team, the Senior Program Officer, Polio, Afghanistan Country Support is responsible for intensifying the engagement of the foundation with key global and regional partners (WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Rotary International and Gavi), humanitarian assistance partners, and national and provincial polio eradication programs in Afghanistan to interrupt wild poliovirus transmission.

Ideal candidates will be energized by using their exceptional operational and project management skills to help others organize around and execute on a set of goals, have demonstrated interpersonal skills to manage partners at all levels, and have impeccable attention to detail. They will directly engage with key collaborators across multiple levels of the polio eradication program to help drive outcomes that accelerate the elimination of all polioviruses, especially in endemic districts of the country, to achieve certification of global polio eradication by 2026. Candidates need to demonstrate an enthusiasm for public health programming in a complex humanitarian emergency context, excel in managing complex partnerships and have a track record in driving towards measurable, time-bound results.

The Senior Program Officer will be based either in Washington D.C. or Seattle office, with a preference for the D.C. location.

This position reports to the Deputy Director, Polio Endemics, based in London.

*Application deadline - 5 PM PT, Friday, May 12, 2023

What You’ll Do

• Engage with implementing partners at the national and provincial levels in Afghanistan to improve AFP and environmental surveillance reporting, data analysis and project management.

• Identify, develop and support the implementation of activities to rapidly improve the quality of surveillance, with a focus on highest risk districts, including: Consistent and high levels of quality technical assistance; rapid and regular reviews of surveillance data; improved monitoring and reporting; improved community surveillance systems in Afghanistan.

• Support foundation efforts to identify and address immunity gaps that sustain circulation of polioviruses in sub-populations (e.g., IDPs, refugees, migrant groups, and nomadic populations) displaced by conflict and emergencies within Afghanistan, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

• Coordinate the foundation’s engagement with the National Polio Eradication Program’s management team, representing the foundation’s interests in support of polio eradication in Afghanistan.

• Support efforts to strengthen essential immunization activities, particularly in the Southern Region of Afghanistan, in close coordination with the World Bank, Gavi and other multilateral organizations.

• Represent the foundation in regional platforms and working groups coordinating the polio response in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

• Solicit and review letters of inquiry & grant proposals; provide clear, concise & insightful written analyses & recommendations for funding, including drafting & editing proposal summaries & progress reports for existing grants for review by foundation leadership.

• Manage consultants and contractors, track deliverables and communicate performance expectations, and measure progress.

• Attend biweekly virtual and quarterly in-person meetings of the Endemics teams.

Your Experience

• MPH or other advanced degree with relevance to public health and administration, international development, business administration or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• A track record in public health program management implementation in populations facing humanitarian emergencies.

• Experience with immunization and/or polio eradication in Afghanistan ; other developing countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region setting useful.

• Experience working with global partners such as GPEI, Gavi, WHO, UNICEF and/or experience in Afghanistan/developing country settings, with knowledge of government health systems and political structures.

• Experience developing and managing projects in a matrix team environment.

Other Attributes

• Proven skills in engaging and interacting with national health/immunization programs in developing countries, including an understanding of program planning and operations, program reviews and program financial resource requirements.

• A knack for building momentum and driving action in matrixed environments, helping others to move beyond ‘business as usual’ and generate / implement innovative solutions.

• Ability to identify new and opportunistic partnerships to achieve program goals.

• Demonstrated understanding of key cultural and social issues impacting effective administration of public health programs in a developing country context.

• Experience in strategic planning and strategy implementation, particularly as it relates to humanitarian assistance and/or working with refugee and displaced populations.

• A high-level of personal initiative and ability to be proactive, combined with great partnership skills.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate with a wide range of partners and audiences, including with the foundation senior management.

• Ability to travel up to 40%, largely to the Eastern Mediterranean region, and other international locations.

*Applicants for this role will only be considered if they are able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The typical salary range for this role is $144,200 to $267,800 USD. The exact offer will be determined by a variety of factors such as the candidate’s individual skills, qualifications, and experience relative to the requirements of the role.

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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.

Depending upon your work location, we may require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and any recommended booster doses. All employees based in the United States are to provide proof of full vaccination upon hire and any recommended boosters, subject to applicable laws.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

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.