Deputy Director, Gender Equality Policy, Advocacy and Communications

Division Summary

In 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the creation of a new division, Gender Equality (GE), driven by our determined leadership and partnership to accelerate progress for women and girls globally. The past two years have seen an unprecedented confluence of energy on this issue, and we have a greater understanding than ever before on the centrality of gender to all development outcomes embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Created to capitalize on the belief that we are at a pivotal point in history for gender equality, the division signals our intent to fully maximize our voice and our co-chair’s commitment to accelerate impact.

Leadership & Culture

Our culture shapes our choices about what we do and how we do it. We believe that energized people, working well together, motivated by great leadership in an inclusive environment can do extraordinary things. We expect foundation employees to intentionally and consistently embody our four agreements; show respect, offer trust, be transparent, and create energy.

Position Summary

As a Deputy Director on our team, you’ll lead the Policy, Advocacy and Communications team within Gender Equality and will focus on advancing gender equality program goals and support the gender equality community of advocates in our partner countries. You’ll lead a team that invests in advocacy to close gender data gaps, supports accountability efforts for progress on SDG 5, advances policy priorities that advance women’s economic empowerment, and provides support to our women in leadership and technology programs on partnerships and policy.

You will manage a team of policy and communications experts as well as focus on building relationships and partnerships across our advocacy and communications divisions.

Core Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of advocacy leaders and experts to amplify the programmatic priorities of the GE Division through leadership and oversight of policy, advocacy and communications grantmaking tied to measurable policy and funding outcomes
• Lead partnerships and a team responsible for translating data and evidence into practical policy ideas and proposals as well as generating communications tools (e.g., stories, exemplars) that help support the advancement of those policies.
• Support the ongoing work of GE to increase the impact of the recent Generation Equality Forum and ensure a progressive vision for its future and contributions to gender equality. This includes supporting the government relations team and external advocacy organizations to drive towards accountability in policy outcomes and commitments
• Lead or co-lead complex strategic projects that are cross-functional in nature; ensure overall prioritization of activities and grantmaking needed on team to plan, implement, and achieve strategic priorities.
• Provide guidance and overall alignment of grantee partner engagement with program priorities to program officers on team. Provide feedback and advisory support to program officers on development and administration of investments
• Advise GE team Directors and program teams on policy and advocacy decisions including the identification and assessment of key portfolio or sector risks and the development and management of mitigation and/or contingency plans
• Support on briefings, talking points, and political updates for leadership engagements on relevant bodies of work.
• Provide internal updates and analysis of gender policies and related developments in key priority countries.
• Represent the foundation to key external constituencies, including CSOs and donor governments, on gender issues as needed.
• Support cross-team data and information sharing.
• Promote culture, values, and team effectiveness, including regular team health checks.

Position reports to: Director, Gender Equality Policy, Advocacy, Communications & Adolescents

Core Knowledge & Skills:

• Demonstrated understanding of gender equality issues, including the following:
• Knowledge of major issues and players in WEE advocacy, awareness of WEE advocates in some priority countries, and familiarity with WEE-related govt. agencies in some priority countries and regional contexts
• Familiarity with global and/or priority country health sector landscape (plus ideally legal, econ sectors), general knowledge of women’s leadership frameworks and orgs, and some historical knowledge of WIL approaches.
• For S&T Digital, familiarity with the telecommunications and big tech industries; and for S&T Health, comfort with forthcoming health topics of focus for PST.
• Expertise and proficiency in government relations, advocacy, and resource mobilization across both donor and LMIC markets and ability to drive and develop strategy in those areas.
• Relationship management capabilities to work with multiple partners, including government, UN institutions, other donors, grantees to build a common vision and envision simple and effective but implementable solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to provide strategic advice for and review of communications support for policy and advocacy interventions; assistance for GE PAC grantees with communications strategy; and internal and external planning and coordination of communications efforts. Experience with strategic communications, including an ability to source and amplify voices of leaders, partners; creative storytelling; and background in media communications/networks in priority geographies
• Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic, and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.
• Strong analytical, writing, and verbal skills for communicating with a broad and diverse audience.
• Ability to translate best practices and data from the field into global and nationally relevant policy asks, briefs, and messaging approaches.
• Ability to build bridges among and trust with many different collaborators, including internally at the foundation and diverse external partners (grassroots campaigns, governments, multilaterals, private sector, etc.). Ability to sustain relationships with government and private funders
• Skill at facilitating consensus building, driving a clear agenda for a coalition
• Effective as a collaborator in complex internal and external organizations, including the ability to work with efficiency and tact.
• Awareness of and relationships with grassroots advocacy organizations at the global level and in priority geographies. Familiarity with history of movements and issues of importance also beneficial.
• Comfort in policy and advocacy measurement, learning and evaluation, including the ability to interpret data and familiarity with data needs and data actors gender equality ecosystem

Education & Experience

• Advanced degree with 10+ years of experience, or equivalent experience.
• Experience and professional networks within the gender equality sector, particularly in the areas of women’s economic empowerment, women in leadership, gender issues in science, technology, and health, strongly preferred.
• Experience leading others in a direct reporting relationship and creating a coaching environment for people to test, learn, and grow.
• The foundation requires all employees based in the United States to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, subject to applicable laws.

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As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill & 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.