Senior Program Assistant, Neglected Tropical Diseases and Vaccine Development

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

4d•$37 - $51•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Program Assistant (SPA) is a key member of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) and Vaccine Development (VDev) teams, working closely with the Director who leads both teams and the team-dedicated Deputy Director Strategy, Planning & Management. The SPA acts as a trusted partner and steward of leadership time, providing comprehensive administrative support and proactive communications. The role supports the Director and other assigned team leaders with complex scheduling, international travel, and convening planning and logistics. The SPA is expected to understand team priorities, goals, initiatives, major deadlines, and organizational dynamics in order to inform scheduling and support decisions. In addition to core administrative responsibilities, the role contributes to team culture, operations, and rhythm-of-business processes, collaborating with Strategy, Planning & Management and Office of the President partners. The position is based in Seattle, Washington and follows a hybrid schedule, requiring work from the office approximately 50% of the time. Relocation assistance is not available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
Experience in an administrative job supporting senior management or executives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
Ability to prioritize effectively, use time precisely, and communicate decisions and processes clearly through to execution.
Demonstrated excellence in calendar management, international travel support, and event-planning coordination.
Experience managing complex assignments and projects requiring initiative, independent problem-solving, and resourcefulness.
Ability to balance the support needs of multiple individuals with varied work, communication, and learning styles.
Ability to identify and anticipate leadership and team needs and opportunities, and to champion and resolve them.
Ability to build relationships and gain the respect and trust of internal and external contacts, including grantees and high-level officials.
Experience adapting approaches, goals, and methods to achieve solutions and results in dynamic situations and helping others manage ongoing change.
Strong organizational, time-management, and project-management skills, including the ability to prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
Unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is located; the Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship or other immigration support.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the MS Office suite, especially Outlook, and tools such as Copilot, ChatGPT, and other AI tools is strongly preferred.
Intellectual curiosity and an active interest in understanding team strategies, annual plans, and priorities.

Responsibilities

Anticipate and manage competing priorities, high volumes of complex email, workflow, and rhythm-of-business support.
Use sound judgment to act independently within agreed boundaries, seek guidance or escalate when needed, and bring recommendations when identifying problems.
Represent leadership priorities in cross-team and cross-functional interactions, coordinating alignment with internal partners and external customers.
Use AI, automation, and digital tools to streamline support, improve efficiency, and continuously improve processes.
Strategically manage active, complex calendars for the Director and other assigned team leaders, coordinating frequently with internal and external parties across multiple time zones.
Evaluate scheduling requests against principals’ priorities, preparation needs, and competing commitments, and anticipate and resolve calendar conflicts.
Partner with the Director and Deputy Director Strategy, Planning & Management to shape a balanced calendar for strategic priorities, focused work, leadership meetings, and day-to-day business.
Review upcoming Director commitments, support meeting preparation, recommend ways to weigh competing priorities, and protect the Director’s time.
Keep information flowing to and from the Director, including sharing a short daily recap of items requiring input, clear options, and their implications.
Partner with lead staff to plan materials and briefings for important meetings.
Lead projects that strengthen team culture and ways of working across NTD and VDev and improve consistency and standards across shared operations.
Coordinate and facilitate team-member onboarding and offboarding with hiring managers.
Represent NTD and VDev on the space planning committee and GHET Support Team group.
Monitor foundation, division-wide, and cross-team updates and initiatives, highlighting relevant information for leadership and team partners.
Work on team and division special projects as needed or as aligned with professional development goals.
Support team-wide and leadership meetings, including retreats, partner convenings, and executive presentations.
Manage event logistics, travel, communications, and materials in coordination with internal and external sponsors.
Prepare agendas and materials and track action items and follow-ups for recurring leadership meetings and operating cadences.
Complete travel tasks, including detailed itineraries, visa applications, travel arrangements, and expense reports for the Director’s travel and Deputy Directors’ international travel.
Coordinate logistical and trip briefing materials with internal and external sponsors to ensure they are complete and ready.
Build trusted relationships across teams and executive offices by understanding business priorities, following through reliably, and facilitating communication.
Proactively manage and prioritize requests and correspondence, communicating promptly and exercising sound judgment.
Represent the Director with confidence, discretion, and professionalism in interactions with senior leaders and partners, including under pressure.
Handle highly sensitive matters with strict confidentiality and expedite issues appropriately.
Partner with support and business teams to improve and maintain knowledge management processes using SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and AI tools.
Maintain distribution lists, SharePoint sites, and MS Teams channels as assigned.
Contribute to improving support-community practices, processes, and tools across the division.