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 Program Advocacy and Communications (PAC) team works in partnership with program teams and other teams in the Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) division to achieve their policy and finance goals by: 

• Developing and coordinating the execution of advocacy and communications strategies. 

• Using leadership and foundation voice to implement advocacy strategies. 

• Developing policy recommendations or proposals in partnership with programmatic and regional offices. 

• Developing and managing a grant portfolio dedicated to achieving advocacy and policy (AP) outcomes. 

• Directly advocating with sector leaders, influencers, media, and government officials in order to achieve advocacy and policy outcomes. 

• Leading issue-specific communications in service of advocacy goals. 

Within the PAC team, the Global Health Innovations (GHI) cluster advances policy and finance outcomes in support of the Gates Foundation’s cross-cutting health innovation systems and platform goals – and with the aim of accelerating development of, access to, and initial uptake of innovations with the highest potential global health impact. While the work is not exclusively focused on health outcomes, the GHI PAC team currently leads programmatic advocacy and communications support to the Gates Foundation’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force and cross-functional AI team, which focuses primarily on:

• Facilitating a broad innovation pipeline for AI-enabled technologies across the foundation’s strategies .

• Creating pathways for scaling innovations with the potential to benefit populations in low and lower middle-income countries (LMICs).

• Supporting technology and ecosystem enablers that facilitate all AI-for-development outcomes.

Note: This is a 2-year limited term position with full foundation-sponsored benefits. Relocation will be provided.

Application deadline: Friday, September 27 (11:59 PM PDT)

Your Role

• As the Senior Program Officer (SPO) , AI Innovations Advocacy, you will design and lead a policy, advocacy , and communications strateg y in support of the Gates Foundation’s cross-cutting efforts to enable AI-based solutions for global health and development. A key goal of this work will be to identi fy the most promising opportunities for the Gates Foundation ’s programmatic policy/advocacy efforts t o help ensure generative AI reduces inequalities in line with the foundation’s broader goals . This includes better defining the foundation’s role in this advocacy space , and how we can best help shape the broader development of AI-enabled health and development tools and outcomes.

• Our ideal candidate has a d eep familiarity with the power, potential, challenges , and risks of leveraging AI to accelerate health and development goals; a deep belief that g enerative AI offers a significant opportunity to reduce global equities ; a deep interest in leveraging AI in a way that is safe, reliable, and relevant for health and development outcomes and LMIC populations; and a deep commitment to amplifying the voices and impact of the AI innovators and innovations that are focused on real global needs.

• Under their emerging strategy, you will help lead the regional policy and resource workstreams within the foundation’s cross-functional AI core team ; coordinate external engagement with AI funding partners and other relevant stakeholders ; and serve as a resource within PAC and GPA on AI-related issues. As part of the GHI PAC team, the SPO will also provide specific support to cross-health AI initiatives focus ed on clinical decision support, benchmarking, and efforts to accelerate health R&D utilizing AI-enabled systems .

• This role will report to the Deputy Director, Global Health Innovations, in PAC and will work closely with the full GHI PAC cluster, colleagues working on AI systems from PAC’s non-health focused clusters, and teams across foundation divisions and geographies. Given the breadth of the Gates Foundation’s emerging work on AI and support for the development of AI-enabled health and development innovations, this will be a highly cross-functional role . You will collaborate with a broad set of internal partners , including other teams leading work on global-level AI policy and governance , regional colleagues particularly in Africa, teams investing in sector-specific AI innovations and digital public infrastructure , and also operational colleagues focused on internal AI implementation and learning .

  What You’ll Do

• Align with the work of other GHI PAC colleagues and the foundation’s overall AI-related strategies , develop, i mplement and refine a comprehensive advocacy and communications strateg y that defines the best opportunities for programmatic advocacy and communications to advance AI-related goals , and that enables financing, policy, and scale for AI -enabled health and development interventions .

• Lead implementation of programmatic advocacy/communications strateg ies and tactics to advance cross-cutting AI innovation goals. These may includ e : market-specific coalition building around AI systems outcomes ; supporting policy analysis and political/economic assessments of regional AI ecosystem issues and equity challenges; and /or evidence-based grant-making that drive s policy and resources outcomes in support of cross-cutting AI innovation and scale goals .

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive view of cross-foundation AI, AI-for-health, and AI systems and programmatic priorities, as well as relevant external partnerships and opportunities; serve as an internal go-to expert on cross-cutting AI innovation needs.

• Develop partnerships with people and organizations in the public and private sector s , including in civil society, industry, and research institutions – relevant to foundation AI systems and innovation goals.

• Lead policy and resource coordination workstreams of the foundation’s cross-cutting AI work and core team.

• Collaborate closely with colleagues in the foundation’s global government relations function responsible for defining the foundation’s global policy, governance and regulatory perspectives on AI , to ensure that agenda is consistently informed by AI innovation goals .

• Develop and manage a portfolio of investments that support AI financing and regional/innovation policy outcomes , including all related grant making processes .

• Lead key relationships with other internal teams across the AI Task Force and Core Team, as well as the Global Health, Global Policy and Advocacy, and other Divisions . E ngage with regional teams in Africa and Asia, global government relations teams , and program colleagues managing AI-related partnerships.

• Represent the foundation to external constituencies , including AI-for-development funder platforms and coalitions . This could include formal and informal presentations, attending conferences, committee representation and other meetings.

• Produce high-quality and informative written briefs, reports, and other materials for foundation leadership on key AI systems topics , AI innovation challenges, and other relevant issues.

  Your Experience

• Experience as a leader in leveraging AI to enable and accelerate health and development goals , whether in the public, private, or NGO sector ; experience in the conception, design and management of AI and technology -related advocacy strategies, initiatives , and programs.

• Familiarity with the bi-lateral and multi-lateral finance institutions and mechanisms , and the major private sector and public sector players, that fund AI -related global health and development programs and other relevant research and technology programs at global, national , and regional level s .

• Demonstrated understanding of and passion for how AI innovations and targeted innovations systems and policies can advance impactful and more equitable health and development outcomes; and /or how AI could enable accelerated health R&D within national and regional health systems.

• Demonstrated understanding of the role of advocacy and communications efforts to increase awareness of issues and to inform political and financial support for health and development and/or technology related goals.

• Connection and networks within the AI, global health technology, and/or tech communities ; and /or some in-country experience relevant to AI outcomes in Asia-Pacific and/or on the African continent.

• Experience interacting with senior level policy makers, civil society organizations, coalitions, and governments.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate within fast-paced, dynamic, and matrixed teams across many time zones ; and to provide vision and influence others in a constructive, optimistic manner, while forming and sustaining key relationships.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus.

• Application deadline: Friday, September 27 (11:59 PM PDT)

• Must be willing to travel up to 25% of the time.

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

• The salary range for this role is $204,600 to $317,100 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 $222,900 to $345,500 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

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.