Senior Program Officer, Government Relations

Interim Senior Program Officer, Government Relations - U.S. Education

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Position Summary

Develop and lead strategic engagement of federal policymakers in the foundation’s U.S. education policy and advocacy priorities. Manage one or more portfolio of grants and contracts requiring high-level grant management skills, monitoring and evaluation. As a key advisor on strategy initiatives, contribute to the continued development of the team’s strategic vision, while partnering closely with team leadership to set the overall strategy and goals for the team.

Core Responsibilities

Engage federal policymakers regarding the foundation’s U.S. education policy and advocacy priorities.

Directly or indirectly leads a team to develop, manage and implement project strategies.

Negotiate, execute, and lead complex portfolio of grants or performance-based contracts. Review letters of inquiry and grant proposals and provide clear, concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations for funding.

Consult with grantees and other partners to improve impact of projects and ensure grants are meeting strategy goals. This may include: site visits, providing operational guidance and convening meetings of key partners.

Develop, lead, resource, and implement a program that aligns with foundation strategy and is operationally integrated with other foundation programs. Contribute to the design of new strategies, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact.

Represent the foundation to key program-related external constituencies, as appropriate, on committees related to area of expertise and responsibilities of the position.

Leadership and Culture

We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.

Core Knowledge and Skills

Recognized internally and externally by the global professional community as an expert within a particular specialized field.

Shown ability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner and to build and sustain collaborative relationships.

Experience as technical resource to teams and leadership on impact, cost effectiveness and decision analyses.

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

Knowledge methods of impact evaluation, operational research, and modeling.

Strong quantitative analytic skills.

Willingness to travel up to 10%.

Education and Experience

Advanced degree with 7+ years of experience, or equivalent experience

Reports to: Deputy Director, Federal Government Relations

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

**The application deadline is July 26 EOD.

This is a Limited Term Employee role associated with our parental leave program targeted for 16 months starting in August 2019, however the start and end dates for this assignment may change.

For internal candidates, you are required to have a conversation with your manager to confirm their support before you apply to this position. Managers have the right to decline a request to apply for a backfill position, regardless of tenure in role. With Manager support and if selected for the role, internal FTEs will retain their FTE status during this stretch assignment.

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.