Senior Program Officer, Africa, Development Policy & Finance

Gates Foundation • Washington, DC

91d • $169,700 - $254,500

About The Position

The Senior Program Officer (SPO), Development Policy and Finance, Africa will support the foundation's engagement on development finance, fiscal policy, and public financial management (PFM) in Africa, with a focus on foundation priority countries, as well as on regional/continental issues where relevant. The SPO will contribute to managing a grant portfolio supporting economic growth policies, public finance reforms, DRM, private sector mobilization, and fiscal advocacy in Africa. The role involves policy analysis on African budgets, fiscal space and economic trends, stakeholder engagement with African governments, particularly ministries of finance and economic planning, and strategic coordination within the foundation to align regional and global policy efforts. This is an 18 month LTE (limited term employment) role with compensation and benefits provided. Relocation can be provided for the hired candidate if not currently residing in the Washington, DC region.

Requirements

• Master's degree in economics, finance, public policy, international development, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in development policy, with at least 2+ years of experience working in African countries.
• Proven experience engaging with African ministries of finance, central banks, or economic planning institutions on fiscal and economic policy.
• Strong understanding of domestic resource mobilization, tax policy, budget processes, and public expenditure management in Africa.
• Experience working with think tanks, international donors, or regional development institutions on economic and fiscal policy and governance issues.
• Strong research, analytical, writing, and public presentation skills with the ability to synthesize complex policy issues.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities and tight deadlines, and collaborate effectively across teams.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the management of a portfolio of country finance grants covering economic growth and policy, domestic resource mobilization (DRM), public financial management (PFM), and fiscal accountability.
• Serve as a guide and thought partner to grantees and partners to ensure funding is used effectively to advance fiscal policy reforms and pro-poor investment strategies.
• Provide support in strategy development, measurement and evaluation, and policy impact assessment.
• Design new grants that will advance the foundation's development finance strategy for Africa.
• Conduct policy analysis on public financial management (PFM), budget formulation and execution, and tax policy in priority African countries.
• Produce analytical notes, policy briefs, and commentaries on DRM, debt sustainability, and fiscal space.
• Track economic and political developments affecting fiscal policy and public sector financing in foundation priority countries.
• Engage with think tanks, universities, and policy institutions to translate economic research into actionable policy recommendations.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with ministries of finance, central banks, and economic planning bodies in key African countries.
• Work with African policymakers to strengthen domestic revenue mobilization, tax policy, fiscal transparency, and public expenditure efficiency.
• Represent the foundation in policy dialogues, conferences, and technical working groups related to development finance and fiscal governance in Africa.
• Support advocacy efforts for global financial architecture reforms that enhance Africa's access to concessional financing and innovative finance mechanisms.
• Serve as a resource for foundation teams to ensure coordination and alignment of global, regional, and country-level fiscal policy initiatives.
• Provide strategic input to foundation leadership, preparing briefing notes, background research, and event coordination support.
• Project manage internal foundation processes to update leadership on development finance trends for Africa.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums.
• Generous paid time off.
• Paid family leave.
• Foundation-paid retirement contribution.
• Regional holidays.
• Opportunities to engage in several employee communities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Master's degree