Principal Officer, Measurement, Learning & Evaluation

Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Foundation is 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 U.S. Program (USP) is pursuing Ambition 2045—an enterprise-wide effort to accelerate equitable upward mobility through educational attainment. Delivering on it requires a step-change in how the division makes decisions, allocates resources, and translates evidence into action across a complex, interdependent portfolio. The Office of the President (OOP) enables the U.S. Leadership Team (USLT) to operate as a cohesive, high-functioning decision body. Within OOP, the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation (MLE) function is the enterprise capability that synthesizes insights across portfolios, strengthens division-wide coherence, and ensures forward-looking evidence informs the most consequential strategy and resource allocation decisions.

Requirements

Advanced degree in economics, public policy, education, statistics, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
12+ years of experience in measurement, evaluation, research, analytics, or related discipline, with increasing levels of responsibility.
Demonstrated experience designing and leading complex measurement, performance, or learning systems at scale.
Deep expertise in impact measurement, analytics, evidence generation, and the application of data to inform strategic decision-making.
Proven ability to synthesize complex information and translate technical findings into actionable insights for senior leaders.
Strong track record of influencing decisions and driving alignment across diverse stakeholders in matrixed and ambiguous environments.
Experience balancing methodological rigor with practical decision-making needs in fast-moving or resource-constrained contexts.
Exceptional communication skills, including executive-level presentation, facilitation, and storytelling.
Enterprise mindset with the ability to connect insights across portfolios, functions, and systems.
Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located.
The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g.: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Experience in philanthropy, education, public sector, or other mission-driven organizations preferred.

Responsibilities

Establish division-wide standards, guardrails, and leadership-level metrics aligned to Ambition 2045
Define how portfolio- and program-level signals are aggregated, compared, and interpreted
Ensure underlying data, tools, and processes enable consistent, reliable inputs into the system
Synthesize cross-portfolio insights to inform USLT tradeoffs, prioritization, and resource allocation
Provide visibility into division-level progress, risks, and opportunities
Ensure decision-grade evidence is available at the right time to support invest, scale, pivot, and stop decisions
Identify and elevate emerging insights and MLE opportunities that materially improve decision quality
Lead the design and stewardship of the division-wide impact model, including shared outcomes, leading indicators, and performance expectations aligned to Ambition 2045
Define and maintain the "ladder of outcomes" connecting BOW, PST/FST, and division-level goals
Establish and govern shared measurement standards, definitions, and reporting norms across portfolios
Oversee development and continuous improvement of division-wide dashboards and analytical tools that enable cross-portfolio visibility
Advance enterprise approaches to impact accounting, predictive modeling, and scenario analysis to inform strategic decisions
Integrate program signals with broader context signals to surface patterns, tradeoffs, and risks that inform strong division-level decisions
Translate complex evidence into clear, decision-relevant insights for USLT and senior leadership
Provide forward-looking, decision-aligned analysis to inform division-level decisions on prioritization, sequencing, and resource allocations
Surface cross-portfolio implications early, particularly where strategies are interdependent or competing for resources
Serve as a trusted, independent voice in decision-making forums, bringing an evidence-based perspective and constructive challenge to consequential decisions
Design and facilitate structured forums that embed cross-portfolio learning throughout the strategy and investment lifecycle (e.g., start, scale, pivot, stop)
Monitor external field signals, research, and emerging trends, synthesizing them into strategic foresight that tests assumptions and surfaces risks
Define expectations for core MLE deliverables (e.g., learning agendas, dashboards, evaluation approaches) and partner with program-level DDMLEs to ensure consistency with context-specific flexibility
Provide leadership across the MLE community of practice, driving coherence, quality, and shared standards
Influence hiring, talent development, and performance expectations to strengthen enterprise MLE capability
Partner with OOP and SPM leadership on planning and governance rhythms, and with the AI Enablement hub on AI-enabled learning systems
Model and reinforce a one-division mindset, balancing respect for portfolio ownership with enterprise-level coherence
Promote intellectual honesty, constructive challenge, and transparency in decision-making forums
Foster a culture that values rigorous, inclusive evidence—elevating diverse perspectives and interrogating bias in data and decision-making
Ensure MLE practices reflect principles of equity and inclusion, including non-extractive data collection, incorporation of lived experience, and rigorous attention to bias in analysis and interpretation
Operate effectively in a highly matrixed environment, influencing without direct authority over distributed teams