Strategy Officer, Diagnostics, 12-month LTE
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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 objective of the Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics, & Epidemiology (EDGE) Team is to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through advancing products, tools, and platforms designed for in-country implementation and improving quality of and access to data and information for public health decision making. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools and interventions exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery and implementation in populations. Where they do not, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, and polio. The team is a trifecta of strategic initiatives that include the Enteric Diarrheal Diseases (EDD), Genomic Epidemiology & Modeling (GEM), and Diagnostics & Device programs. Guided by the burden of disease and the threat of outbreaks, we develop vaccines, diagnostics, and tools for detection and surveillance of pathogens for delivery to our target populations. This position within Diagnostics is in support of our broader strategy focused on end-to-end diagnostic product and platform development with a clear throughline to patient impact in LMICs.Your Role
We are seeking to hire a Strategy Officer to lead high-impact projects in collaboration with the Deputy Director, Diagnostics, Program Strategy Team (PST) and Regional Country Office (RCO) partners. Potential projects span strategy development and implementation planning for three to four of the strategic pillars of the Diagnostics Strategy as well as cross-foundation efforts and exploration of new areas. You will provide thought partnership, project management, and analytical support to the Diagnostics team. Alongside the Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning, & Manager, this position will also work closely with the Deputy Director, Diagnostics, and the Senior Program Officer, Strategy, Planning, & Management.
*This is a 12-month limited-term role reporting to the Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning, & Management. Relocation will not be provided.
*The application deadline for this role is December 2, 2025, at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
What You’ll Do
- Scope and design the overall strategy development process.
- Lead strategy development as the primary accountable party for multiple workstreams.
- Employ strategic resources to develop and assess options, apply sound reasoning, and challenge assumptions.
- Consult closely with team members and cross-matrix partners to co-develop and evaluate strategy concepts and facilitate change management.
- Engage partners using a client-focused skillset of effective communication and relationship management.
- Support the implementation of creative solutions to guide group processes (e.g., managing conflict and encouraging alignment).
- Contribute to the identification and implementation of research and analytical work to support resolution-making, including statistical analyses and collaborating with third parties to develop analytical methodologies.
- Provide project management, problem-solving support, and initiative leadership on cross-foundational strategy projects.
- Regularly contribute to team developing “extra 10s” such as team vision and goal refinement, professional development, training, recruiting, onboarding, team social events and retreats, etc.
Representative Project Examples
- End-to-end support in scoping, developing, and launching new sub-strategies, e.g., regulatory and policy & advocacy strategies for diagnostics & devices, a regional diagnostics + devices strategy for Africa
- End-to-end support to programmatic DD and their team as they continue to refine and communicate the diagnostics + Devices strategy, internally and externally.
- Spearheading cross-cutting strategy initiatives. Examples include defining how and where diagnostics and devices fit into a comprehensive foundation-wide surveillance strategy, and facilitating cross-team exploration of new technological tools (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning) on development topics.
Your Experience
We are looking for team members who enjoy working on complex problems and collaboratively crafting strategies that have the potential to transform the lives of people around the world. Candidates must be good teammates who are excited to work across a diverse set of fields and issue areas.
- Ability to learn new content quickly, identify connections and second-order implications, and demonstrate proficiency with internal/external teams.
- A broad understanding of global health / development issues and some global health / development experience is desired.
- Demonstrated strength in structured problem solving and strategic business planning, with the ability to easily identify and communicate frameworks to facilitate strategy creation and analysis of core issues.
- Deep knowledge of strategy development and end-to-end complex project management (including process design, team structure, critical thinking requirements, development of novel communication resources and external/senior stakeholder engagement).
- Experience with strategy implementation, measurement, review, and refinement.
- Ability to work in a self-guided manner, care for multiple priorities and meet demanding timelines.
- Ability to question and challenge colleagues including managers and partners in constructive manner.
- Comfort with highly unstructured and ambiguous situations; ability to proactively resolve.
- Excellent organizational, facilitation, oral, and written communication skills. Ability to work effectively and with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture, and distance.
- Excellent software skills with Microsoft Office applications, including a demonstrated ability to convey complex information using supporting tables, graphs, and other visual representations.
- Minimum of five years’ experience, with at least three years within strategic planning functions leading projects at a top-tier strategy consulting firm.
- MBA or other advanced degree in a relevant field such as Business, Engineering, or Sciences desired.
- Ability to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.
**Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship
The salary range for this role is $140,200 to $210,200 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences where our offices are located, in Seattle and Washington D.C. The range for this role in these locations is $152,800 to $229,200 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 midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.
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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.
Candidate Accommodations
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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.