Senior Program Officer, Health Products, Programs & Markets

The work of the foundation supports a range of impact goals that are reflected in Global Delivery Programs (GDP) which falls under the Global Development division. GDP’s work focuses on reducing under-five and maternal mortality, disease control and eradication (limiting spread of vaccine preventable disease), and global and subnational equity of selected health outcomes.

 

The Vaccines and Disease Control Priorities (VDCP) team within GDP takes an account management approach to its work, engaging program teams as customers and using its technical expertise to help program teams take to scale the highest impact interventions for their disease control objectives.  Health Products, Programs and Markets (HPPM) will specialize in driving results for disease teams, our Program Strategy Teams (PSTs), through proven and effective global implementing partners and global funds to ensure the greatest opportunity for quick and efficient scaling.

 

Leadership & Culture

Our culture shapes our choices about what we do and how we do it. We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment can do extraordinary things. We expect foundation employees to intentionally and consistently embody our four agreements; show respect, offer trust, be transparent, and create energy.

 

Position Summary

The Senior Program Officer will primarily support program and product delivery for the Malaria team although there will be opportunity to provide support to other PSTs within the foundation.  Generally, you will manage a portfolio of grants and contracts designed to ensure that progress is monitored, and program outcomes are achieved. In program areas where the nature of the work or context of the collaboration is more wide-ranging, you may need to act as both relationship manager and key connection point between other GDP technical areas and the PST and will be expected to manage most aspects of engagement, maintain leadership relationships, and ensure that GDP support to the PST is prioritized against the highest strategic opportunities and provides value to both teams. The role may encompass several unrelated technical support areas ranging from evidence generation to pilot program design to system strengthening to multilateral partner management to leveraging market-based solutions to enable product introduction and supply. Thus, being both an effective delivery “generalist” and being able to develop the relationships and expertise a team needs are key to success. Additionally, in this role, you are likely to be asked to be a leader or participant in GDP team’s initiatives and must be an extraordinarily good lateral collaborator. 

 

Current work with the Malaria team spans a diverse set of downstream product needs, including market research, procurement strategy, market shaping, and product launch and scale activities. This work focuses on vector control products, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), in addition to traditional medical products, such as drugs and vaccines. Additionally, as the relationship with the PST evolves, the role may expand to include connections with other parts of GDP tied to other elements of health systems performance.

 

Core Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategies for malaria and vector control product introduction, including contributing insight and analysis to user needs assessments, target product profiles, pricing, cost-effectiveness, demand forecasts, policy development, and procurement arrangements.
• Contribute expertise in product introduction and markets to improve cross-functional, coordinated product development planning for malaria vector control and medical products.
• Collaborate with Malaria PST, and other internal teams and external researchers, to stay up to date on key assumptions, scenarios, and actions needed for successful product introduction, including commissioning new research and analysis.
• Synthesize data analysis to identify patterns and relevance to develop and regularly refine product introduction efforts, clearly articulate technical findings to non-technical stakeholders.
• Develop investment strategies and make and manage grants, contracts, and other program related investments (such as volume guarantees) to achieve product introduction strategies.
• Shape the PST and global strategies to achieve outcomes (e.g., providing input on the initiative strategies, product development priorities, and evidence/policy needs).
• Influence global partners and multilateral institutions towards shared goals and targets.
• Work with countries and local governments and/or through partners to enable successful uptake of program interventions.
• Collaborate with grantees and other partners to improve the impact of projects and to ensure grants are meeting strategy goals. This may include site visits, providing operational guidance, and convening meetings of key stakeholders.
• Represent the foundation or team in key working groups related to area of expertise and responsibilities of the position.
• Link GDP technical strategies in system strengthening to PST needs and connect GDP’s cross-cutting in health systems and other areas to the PST.
• Act as the “account manager” and delivery partner for the program team(s) by:
  • Designing the appropriate engagement strategy and identifying areas where GDP support can be most valuable.
  • Providing services directly to the team and/or drawing upon the right technical support from within GDP to move program goals forward and achieve targets.

 

Core Knowledge & Skills

• Knowledge of malaria programs and key product intervention categories, tools and approaches such as vector control, diagnostics and/or ACTs, including an understanding of product launch and delivery, and market dynamics.
• Familiarity with multilateral procurers of commodities for HIV, TB, and Malaria.
• Experience working with Product Development Partners responsible for developing and introducing new products. Recognized as an expert and significant contributor to program delivery challenges in developing countries and comfortable across a wide variety of global health delivery-related domains.
• Proven ability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner and to build and sustain collaborative relationships.
• Comfortable across a wide variety of global health delivery-related domains
• Expertise in one or more key areas of support – product introduction, market research/user insights; market dynamics/market shaping, global partner and stakeholder management, or system barrier identification.
• Experience as a technical resource to teams and leadership on impact evaluation, cost effectiveness and decision analyses, or market dynamics approaches.
• Able to build technical credibility and interact on strategic, scientific, and programmatic levels with colleagues.
• Strong analytic skills, including ability to design analysis with appropriate assumptions, manage analytical work by partners, conduct simple analysis directly, and synthesize implications and actions.
• Develop written memos and presentations and be able to effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, key subject matter to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinker with thought leadership skills honed within highly dynamic organizations.
• Excellent program and project management capabilities – always driving towards clear results within a timeline.
• Highest caliber of collaborative skills. Ability to use different approaches with different counterparts in different contexts. Can lead teams from either the front or from behind with ability to influence direction of work.
• Demonstrates excellent judgement and can act independently but also knows when to pull in resources and access management or additional assistance.
• Able to work on business-oriented solution to supply/demand imbalances or market failures if needed.
• Able to see problems and issues from multiple vantage points and to consider different stakeholder viewpoints.
• Growth mindset – curious about innovative approaches, able to change direction, willing to seek feedback and course correct.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and able to successfully move work forward while managing between differing objectives and incentive structure.
• Ability to travel, both domestically and internationally, up to 30% (as travel is permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)

 

Education & Experience

• 10+ years’ experience with a minimum of 5 years of experience in vector control and/or medical product introduction for public health purposes
• Experienced with the design, introduction, and delivery of products or services at scale in a developing world environment.
• Senior program delivery expertise, including strong budget management, financing, data analysis, market research and technical skills.
• Knowledge of global healthcare systems for developing countries advantageous. 
• Advanced degree in a relevant subject (e.g., Health Economics, Public Health) or equivalent work experience

 

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

 

 

 

 

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

 

 

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We’re committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve—in race, gender, age, cultures and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of our employment practices.

 

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve the mission of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 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

* Prior Protected Activity