Director, North America Team

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Washington, DC

About The Position

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 mission of the Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation's work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation's objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation's resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, Africa & India, U.S. and Gender Equality programs and Foundation Communications to build the environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives. The North America Team (NAT) develops and executes policy, advocacy, communications, and government relations strategies to build political support and advance domestic and global programmatic priorities that are funded by, or executed within, the United States, Canada, and the United Nations. The Gates Foundation is a nonpartisan institution. When we engage with governments on policy and legislative matters, we do so in compliance with applicable U.S. regulations, providing nonpartisan research, analysis, and technical assistance consistent with our status as a private foundation. The foundation’s Washington, D.C. office, established in 2001, provides a strategic presence focused on policy, advocacy, and communications with the U.S. government, NGOs, and the philanthropic sector in furtherance of the foundation’s mission. The office is home to more than 200 employees representing every division of the foundation. The work of teams based in Washington, D.C. is critical to advancing program priorities, protecting and strengthening the foundation’s reputation, and inspiring trust in leadership and its vision. Application Instructions The Gates Foundation is partnering with Russell Reynolds Associates to support the search for this role. Applying through the Russell Reynolds platform is the primary way to be considered for this position. Interested candidates should apply via the Russell Reynolds Engage platform, accessible through this link: https://engage.russellreynolds.com/#/job/2604-020NA. Candidates will first be asked to register and create a profile. From the home page, navigate to “Job Post”, “Apply for a Position”, then enter the following career code: 2604-020NA to submit a resume and cover letter for consideration. Application Deadline: This role will be open for applications until May 1st, 2026. Your Role The Director, North America Team (NAT) sets and leads the federal engagement and coalition strategy of a tax-exempt private foundation across the United States, Canada, and the United Nations. This role is responsible for advancing the foundation’s global health and development priorities through sophisticated political judgment, bipartisan credibility, and high-impact external partnerships. The Director serves as the foundation’s senior federal policy leader, shaping and overseeing engagement strategy across the U.S. federal landscape, the Canadian government, and multilateral institutions. They provide strategic counsel to executive leadership on North American political dynamics, budget developments, and policy risks and opportunities that affect the foundation’s mission. This role is highly external-facing and representative in nature. The Director builds broad, politically relevant coalitions, including civil society, philanthropy, faith communities, private sector leaders, and policy influencers, to strengthen bipartisan support for science, innovation, and global engagement. While U.S. state-level policy work resides within the U.S. Program (USP) division, this role partners closely with USP and Program Strategy Teams (PSTs) to ensure federal strategy amplifies programmatic priorities and translates evidence into effective policy influence. The Director leads a multidisciplinary team responsible for federal government relations, coalition engagement, communications alignment, and strategic grantmaking, ensuring disciplined execution, accountability, and compliance with applicable rules and laws, including as related to private foundations. In addition to leading NAT, the Director serves as the regional office lead for the foundation’s Washington, D.C. office. In this capacity, the Director provides operational and cultural leadership and represents the regional impact of foundation-wide policies and procedures to executive leadership, while collaborating across programs and operational stakeholders to support a strong “One Foundation” global culture. As office lead, the Director serves as an ambassador for the foundation’s culture, values, and mission with Washington, D.C. based employees and external stakeholders.

Requirements

Advanced degree in public policy, political science, international affairs, public health, or related field, or equivalent senior-level experience.
15+ years of senior leadership experience in U.S. federal government, philanthropy, advocacy, or related sectors.
Demonstrated record of sound political judgment and bipartisan credibility in complex U.S. federal environments.
Deep understanding of U.S. congressional dynamics, federal budget processes, and executive branch policymaking.
Proven ability to convene, lead, and activate broad, cross-sector coalitions, across government, civil society, faith communities, private sector, think tanks, and advocacy organizations, to influence complex policy environments and advance shared objectives.
Experience advising senior executives in politically sensitive contexts.
Strong reputation as a trusted leader and collaborator, able to educate senior government officials, coalitions, and global institutions with credibility, diplomacy, and sound judgment.
Proven ability to lead large, multidisciplinary teams in matrixed environments, building inclusive and diverse cultures that drive high performance, accountability, and collaboration.
Experience aligning policy, communications, and programmatic strategies for integrated impact.
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to synthesize complexity into strategic action.

Nice To Haves

Preferred experience with Canadian political, policy, and funding environments, and familiarity with multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and international financing mechanisms.

Responsibilities

Set and Lead Federal Strategy Develop and execute a comprehensive, mission-aligned U.S. federal engagement strategy advancing the foundation’s global health and development priorities.
Navigate complex federal policy and budget landscapes to inform foundation strategy and advance enabling environments aligned with foundation priorities.
Monitor, analyze, and interpret legislative and regulatory developments to provide forward-looking political insight that informs foundation advocacy, strategies, investment decisions, and risk management.
Steward and protect the foundation’s reputation with U.S. government stakeholders, ensuring trusted, nonpartisan, and mission-aligned relationships at the highest levels of engagement.
Guide and coordinate the foundation’s engagement with North American governments, partnering closely with foundation leaders and program teams to support and sustain strong, strategic relationships with U.S. and Canadian government stakeholders, including development of strategies related to preparation of issue briefs, correspondence, and other communications.
Exercise Senior Political Judgment Serve as a trusted advisor to the President of GPA, and as requested, the CEO, Trustee and Executive Leadership on federal political developments and their implications.
Demonstrate balanced, bipartisan political acumen and the ability to operate effectively across diverse political perspectives.
Apply seasoned judgment in high-stakes, sensitive, and rapidly evolving policy environments.
Build and Mobilize Coalitions Lead and expand politically relevant coalitions and an engagement strategy that strengthens sustained U.S. and Canadian support for global health and development.
Build and maintain trusted relationships across the U.S. federal landscape, national coalitions, civil society, faith communities, think tanks, philanthropic peers, and private-sector partners.
Mobilize influential champions and partners to amplify shared policy goals and increase issue salience.
Represent the Foundation Externally Serve as a senior public representative of the foundation in high-level federal and multilateral policy forums and strategic discussions.
Partner with the Communications division to ensure message discipline and alignment in public positioning and high-profile moments.
Represent the foundation in national policy forums and strategic convenings.
Integrate Federal Work Across the Foundation Partner closely with the USP division and PSTs to align federal engagement with programmatic priorities and evidence-based strategies.
Translate external political developments into actionable internal guidance for programs and leadership.
Coordinate across GPA markets and hubs to ensure coherence and accountability in advocacy campaigns and measurement.
Lead Through Change and Complexity Lead and develop a high-performing team through organizational transition, fostering clarity, resilience, and accountability.
Build credibility quickly with senior leaders and effectively navigate internal tensions with diplomacy and sound judgment.
Oversee federal engagement governance, compliance, risk management, and ethical standards.
Lead the Washington, D.C. Office Advise foundation leadership on Washington, D.C. office operations, including advocating for and representing the regional impacts of foundation policies and procedures.
Lead the office in partnership with the Washington, D.C. Senior Officer, Regional Location Operations, overseeing local decision-making, including office safety and security protocols in coordination with the foundation’s Incident Management program.
Champion culture, engagement, and communication across Washington, D.C. based staff, including employee onboarding, office-wide events and activities, coordination with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and staff learning opportunities.