Senior Program Officer, Federal Relations (10-month LTE)

Gates Foundation•Seattle, DC

18d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Program Officer, Federal Relations develops and implements advocacy strategies in coordination with the Federal Government Relations team and leads one or more portfolios of grants that advance key foundation priorities. The role develops and maintains relationships with U.S. decision-makers involved in areas of interest to the foundation and requires experience working in the U.S. government. This is a 10-month limited-term opportunity with foundation benefits, based in the Washington, DC office. Relocation assistance is not available.

Requirements

Advanced degree with 10 or more years of experience, or equivalent.
Recognized internally and externally as an authority in aspects of health and development policy.
Mastery-level knowledge of the U.S. federal government budget and decision-making processes.
Established network and access to senior-level U.S. staff and/or government officials, with the ability to expand networks as needed.
Significant experience working in the U.S. government, particularly in roles aligned with the foundation’s health and development priorities.
Experience in strategic planning and strategy implementation.
Knowledge of the current U.S. global health and foreign assistance context and international development policy.
Demonstrated expertise managing, monitoring, and evaluating grants.
Experience working in a dynamic, multi-team environment and with external organizations.
Unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is located; the foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship.

Responsibilities

Monitor and track federal-level issues related to the foundation’s health and development priorities.
Establish and sustain relationships with U.S. decision-makers involved in funding and policy decisions on foundation priorities.
Identify foundation policy and funding priorities and create opportunities to engage relevant U.S. government partners to advance program and policy goals.
Work with the Federal Government Relations team to develop, implement, and evolve coordinated engagement strategies.
Align U.S. government-facing global health advocacy with foundation strategy and integrate it with other foundation teams’ operations.
Update leadership on political and policy trends within the portfolio as needed.
Identify potential advocacy partners, assess their alignment with foundation strategies and their capacity, and lead grants, including monitoring partner performance over time.
Represent the foundation to key external constituencies.
Support an inclusive culture by modeling appropriate behaviors and raising issues promptly with internal collaborators.