President, Global Policy and Advocacy

Gates Foundation • Seattle, WA

1d • $800,000 - $1,100,000

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 Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) serves as the external affairs division of the Gates Foundation. The mission of GPA 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. GPA includes our North America; Europe, Middle East & East Asia; China Country Office; Development Policy & Finance; Philanthropic Partnerships; and Program Advocacy program teams as well as oversight for government relations globally. 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 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. 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 are invited to apply via the Russell Reynolds Engage platform, accessible through this link: https://engage.russellreynolds.com/#/job/2604-021NA . 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: 2604-021NA 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 President, Global Policy and Advocacy serves as the foundation’s senior government relations leader and chief advisor to the CEO and Governing Board on global political and geopolitical affairs. This role sets and drives the foundation’s global advocacy, government relations, financing and philanthropic partnership strategies to advance its global health and development priorities, as well as key U.S. domestic priorities. The President represents the foundation in critical policy environments worldwide and cultivates durable relationships across national governments, regional and multilateral institutions, and a diverse set of global and local partners to ensure strategies are grounded in political realism and institutional insight. This leader brings a deep and sophisticated understanding of domestic US political dynamics, paired with a strong global perspective shaped by knowledge and engagement across both the global north and the global south, especially the Middle East, Africa and Asia. They possess the ability to build coalitions across governments, multilateral institutions and philanthropic partnerships, and navigate complex geopolitical environments with credibility, discretion and sound judgement. The President leads the GPA division to integrate government relations strategies with programmatic ambition, aligned with the foundation’s priorities and partnerships.

Requirements

• Deep and demonstrated judgment, with a track record of advancing institutional priorities in complex political environments.
• Demonstrated senior-level political acumen and strategic judgment across diverse global contexts, including the United States, major donor markets, and low- and middle-income countries, with the ability to navigate complex dynamics, institutions, and stakeholder environments to advance mission outcomes.
• Proven ability to operate globally, with experience engaging across multiple geographies and political systems and the ability to fluidly shift perspective between countries and regions.
• Experience advising senior leaders or boards on politically sensitive issues, with credibility and presence at the highest levels.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex, and globally distributed teams within highly matrixed organizations, with experience leading teams through strategic evolution and organizational change.
• Ability to build clarity, alignment, and high-performance during periods of transition while modeling the foundation’s core values of collaboration, rigor, innovation, and optimism.
• Demonstrated success building and sustaining high-trust relationships and coalitions across diverse political and institutional contexts, both externally and within large, complex organizations.
• Experience representing an organization publicly in high-stakes environments.
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to synthesize complexity into strategic action.

Nice To Haves

• Exposure and/or experience with global health or development policy and financing, including donor funding or multilateral institutions.
• Preferred exposure to grantmaking and/or managing investment portfolios.
• Preferred exposure in strategic communications, public positioning, or philanthropic partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Provide Enterprise Political Leadership and Strategic Counsel
• Shape and Align Global Government and Financing Strategy
• Mobilize and Strengthen Global Coalitions and Partnerships
• Represent the Foundation with Credibility and Influence
• Lead and Evolve the GPA Division

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees