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 vision of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program (USP) works to ensure all students in the US have access to educational opportunities, from Pre-K to postsecondary, that enable them to develop the knowledge, skills, and agency needed thrive as adults and contribute to their communities. Our goal is to make sure more students are on track to obtain a postsecondary credential with labor market value such that race/ethnicity and income are no longer predictors of student success.

Within USP, the Postsecondary Success (PS) strategy seeks to support transformation in colleges and universities to ensure that many more Black, Indigenous, and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds obtain quality, affordable credentials that offer value and lead to economic mobility. The PS Transformation Public Goods, Solutions & Innovative Models (TPGSIM) Team invests in public goods for implementing institutional transformation and for shifting the focus of the postsecondary reform agenda toward equitable value. We also invest in shaping the growth of National Scale Enterprises (innovative institutions operating at a national scale and serving large student enrollments) and incubating other innovative models of institutional transformation.

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 embody our core values: optimism, collaboration, rigor, innovation, and inclusion.

Your Role

We are seeking an outstanding candidate for a Program Officer (PO) to handle a portfolio of investments that shape the growth of National Scale Enterprises (NSEs) and incubate innovative models of institutional transformation. Specifically, this PO will make and manage investments to work with NSEs and other innovative models of higher education to deliver equitable outcomes for their students, unserved students, and students at other institutions through their unique capabilities. This PO is part of a work group that coordinates efforts on activities within PS and across USP related to NSEs. While this individual reports to the Deputy Director, Institutional Transformation, this skilled collaborator will partner with colleagues within PS and across USP.

What You’ll Do

Drive investments that shape the growth of NSEs toward equitable value, including investments that identify other innovative institutions that have the potential to serve students at a national scale and that use their research and development capabilities to deliver equitable outcomes for students at other institutions Implement investments that identify and incubate other innovative models of institutional transformation that result in equitable value Cultivate and maintain relationships with partners, including college and university leaders and other field experts Coordinate efforts and investments with program colleagues and policy colleagues across the foundation Facilitate team and field learning based on lessons learned from investments Analyze the impacts of investments and prepare materials for foundation leadership

Your Experience

• Expertise in and understanding of the U.S. postsecondary education landscape, public policies, institutional business models, and transformation efforts, particularly at large, rapidly growing institutions with national and global footprints
• Deep expertise in and understanding of how to use industry- and institution-level operations to achieve more equitable outcomes for students
• Ability and knowledge to work with industry leaders on mission- and business model-level visioning and change
• Principled, hardworking, and effective collaborator; people relish an opportunity to work with you
• Strategic problem solver and doer—you can wrestle with multi-dimensional problems
• Ability to lead complex projects, work with multiple internal and external partners, and bring ideas to fruitful execution and implementation
• Proven track record of working as an effective member of a matrixed team and contributing to the foundation’s collective success, contributing to PS and USP Pathways teams’ strategy goals
• Growth mentality and ability to adapt in a multifaceted and feedback-rich environment
• Excellent quantitative, analytical, writing, and verbal skills crucial for communicating progress and stewardship with a diverse audience including internal foundation leadership as well as external market leaders such as K12 and college leaders, investors, education entrepreneurs, evaluation researchers, and philanthropic partners
• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of related experience
• Previous experience in U.S. higher education required
• Preferred: Race-conscious design thinking, strategy execution, and project management experience

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

The salary range for this role is $151,200 to $226,800 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences where our offices are located, in Seattle, Washington D.C., and Boston (Cambridge). The range for this role in these locations is $174,700 to $247,100 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission and new hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary 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

#LI-AD1

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

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.