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 Program includes a diverse range of program areas aimed at finding creative ways to ensure solutions and products get into the hands of people in low-income countries who need them most. We focus on areas with the potential for high-impact, sustainable solutions that can reach millions of people. Our program strategies include Emergency Response; Family Planning; Maternal Newborn & Child Health; Nutrition; and Polio Eradication. A common theme across these programs focuses on innovative delivery, emphasizing strengthening primary health care systems. The Global Development Program also encompasses our India Country Office and Africa Team, with physical offices in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Senegal, Kenya, and Abuja. Our Program Strategy Teams work closely with these Country Office Teams to align the foundation’s health and development equity agenda with the government’s broader priorities.

Application Deadline: 28/8/2024

Your Role

As the Senior Program Officer, Routine Immunization Systems Strengthening, you will lead a portfolio of grants to strengthen routine immunization in the foundation’s francophone West and Central Africa focus geographies. You identify as a results-driven systems problem solver who enjoys thinking creatively about challenging problems and is willing to do things differently to test new insights and ideas. You will use tact and communication skills to forge positive relationships with government technical staff and partners in the immunization sector.

You will be responsible for the transition of foundation-supported efforts to governments and other partners with a focus on long-term sustainability. You will work collaboratively with internal and external partners to develop strategy and analytics approaches to help others in the sector understand what works and what doesn’t work to strengthen routine immunization coverage and sustainability.

This role will report to the Africa Deputy Director, Health Systems, with a dotted line to the Deputy Director, RISP & Routine Immunization Learning. It will operate in a hybrid remote work arrangement from our Dakar office.

What You'll Do

• Own and manage the development of a long-term vision and strategy to support government immunization programs in one or more selected countries to improve vaccination coverage and strengthen government ownership, financing, and sustainability of immunization service delivery.

• Shape and lead a portfolio of grants and contracts to support the above strategy; ensure ongoing strategic alignment between investments in the portfolio and strong coordination of grantees/contractors in support of government management.

• Build and foster relationships with all levels of government leadership, from high-level political representatives to technical managers and health workers. Work continuously to understand the context and drivers of government delivery programs.

• With support from Monitoring, Learning & Evaluation colleagues and partners, rigorously track the progress of country-level investment portfolios against output and outcome goals, using data and evidence for rapid strategic adjustment where necessary.

• Contribute to the development and refinement of team strategy, ensuring alignment between country portfolios and global team-wide goals.

• Develop deep positive relationships with key country-level partners such as Ministry of Health technical managers, colleagues from donor organizations like Gavi, World Bank, etc., and implementing partner staff; proactively shape and pursue opportunities for co-managed and co-financed collaborations with government and other donors, encouraging a collaborative work culture where credit is shared, and transparency is the norm.

• Gain a detailed understanding of partner perspectives and complex problems in detail to collaboratively develop possible solution ideas for testing; identify and communicate possible risks and appropriately manage failures and challenges.

• Lead the planning for the eventual transition of foundation-supported programs and investments in focus countries, ensuring clear communication, monitoring and problem-solving, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

• Find opportunities to work in partnership with subject matter experts across foundation teams, such as Polio; Africa; Policy, Advocacy & Communications; Gender Equality; etc.

• Support and lead foundation leadership engagements and advocacy efforts. This includes writing briefing notes and coordinating senior leadership meetings and country travel.

• Embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into your daily work, interactions with colleagues, and the portfolio of investments you lead.

Your Experience

• The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with an advanced degree in medicine, public health, management, health economics, public policy, health programming or similar fields (e.g. MSPH, MHA, MBA, MPH, MD, PhD).

• Competency 1: Experienced coalition builder with a track record of creating effective partnerships and establishing cross-sectoral linkages.

• Competency 2: Strong strategic problem solver with experience developing evidence-based strategic or operational plans as well as shaping and leading sustainable and scalable ventures.

• Competency 3: Impact-focused, with the ability to rigorously apply quantitative and analytical skills to better understand data and complexity.

• Competency 4: Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, political, geographic, and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.

• Competency 5: Creative problem solver with the flexibility to adapt quickly based on new information, an appetite to do things differently, and a willingness to accept failure as an important step in learning.

• Competency 6: Effective change agent, who is an advocate and a driver of successful change, including prioritizing what needs to change, strategically deploying resources to provoke change, and moving others through the change process through intentional actions.

• Competency 7: Bilingual proficiency in English and French is mandatory.

Other Attributes

• Demonstrates strong personal initiative and the ability to work independently, while also being a collaborative team member.

• At least 10 years of direct experience in health programming, preferably in a Francophone country and in low-resource or fragile settings.

• Expected to undertake up to 40% international and domestic travel.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex issues clearly and simply, and to listen attentively.

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.