Position Title: Senior Program Officer - Vaccine Supply Chains Division: Global Health Program Department: Vaccine Delivery Location: Seattle

Foundation Overview:
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Group Summary:
The mission of the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program (GHP) is to help ensure that lifesaving advances in health are created and shared with those who need them most. To date, we have committed nearly $10 billion in global health grants to organizations worldwide. The focus of our grants is to:
Discover new insights to fight serious diseases and other health problems affecting developing countries.
Develop effective and affordable vaccines, medicines, and other health tools.
Deliver proven health solutions in developing countries.
Advocate for more and better resources and policies to support the introduction and uptake of new and existing health technologies.
Responsibilities:
The Vaccine Delivery team is seeking to hire a Senior Program Officer (SPO) - Vaccine Supply Chain to join its Routine Immunization (RI) group.

The SPO will support the implementation of strategic priorities and programmatic goals to shape, develop and monitor projects and initiatives to strengthen supply chains in GAVI-eligible countries. This position will provide strategic, analytical and research support to the Lead Senior Program Officer (Lead SPO), Vaccine Supply Chain. The successful candidate will also coordinate and actively lead a range of globally catalytic and country focused initiatives grants and contracts.

As part of an internal team – and along with select partners – they will ensure that Ministries of Health and their national partners, WHO, Unicef, NGOs, private contractors, etc., have the technical, managerial and financial support to develop and maintain high-performance vaccine supply chains for the future. The SPO will also help develop and guide partner implementation of more global and catalytic approaches to supply chain strengthening, including managing analyses on cold chain costing and innovative market-based approaches to deploy new technologies. Special focus will be needed on:
Strategic analysis of supply chains to maximize effectiveness, through innovations in equipment and management, integration with other supply systems and continuous improvement of the supply system;
Identifying how supply chains can adapt to new, more expensive and more bulky vaccines, and how supply chains and can adapt to efficiently handle vaccines that will be, in the future, stored at higher temperatures
Ensuring that reliable and up-to-date logistics information is available for both management and planning at country and global levels
Coordinating work across the foundation disease specific groups; country teams; and maternal and child health stakeholders;
Assisting in managing relationships with key grantees and partners such as GAVI, UNICEF, WHO, PATH and other groups
Responsibilities:
Provide research, background information, and analytical support for the Lead SPO, Vaccine Supply Chains; Deputy Directors and Foundation leadership and co-chairs
Serve as an expert resource for strategic planning and analysis for the foundation's vaccine supply chain portfolio.
Support the GAVI Task Team in developing briefings, presentations, papers for senior leadership.
Represent Foundation interests to key partner and at other global health meetings as needed.
Analyze proposals and develop recommendations.
Identify and some instances provide technical assistance to partners and countries on all aspects of supply chains;
Develop background briefings for internal foundation leadership, and public and private meetings with government, partners and industry as required or industry leaders.
Facilitate, coordinate, and manage a range of projects and activities related to developing, preparing, monitoring and evaluating specific grants:
Review grant proposals and write grant summaries.
Assist with grant development, management, and defining key outcomes.
Serve as a point of contact for coordination on portfolio-related issues for key stakeholders (contractors and grantees).
Track and provide inputs to ensure grants achieve the desired impact and manage the monitoring and evaluation components.
Assist with knowledge exchange and communication of progress:
Create and manage a framework for capturing progress and lessons learned related to projects and initiatives.
Coordinate across the RI group to capture and communicate results and lessons learned both internally and externally.
Develop reviews of progress, summaries, and presentations for the foundation leadership.
Support the development of various communication materials.
Qualifications:
A minimum 10 yrs. experience (for PO-level) or 15 yrs. experience (for SPO-level) in a related field, such as international public health, global development or supply chain management, preferred.
MBA and Public health degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
Knowledge of and experience working in low income settings preferred
Experience and knowledge of vaccine cold chain and logistics systems in GAVI-eligible countries
Experience working with global partners such, GAVI, WHO, UNICEF, and bi-lateral donors.
In-depth understanding of global partner mandates and strengths necessary to evaluate and optimize partnerships.
Experience interfacing with country ministries of health and public and private sector service providers
Knowledge and experience of immunization and global health issues in developing countries preferred
Experience with project development and management, and managing to deadlines
Ability to work with varied and diverse backgrounds and dynamic environments
Experience with managing large and complex public and private projects
Demonstrated outstanding written and oral communication skills in positions requiring communications in a broad and diverse audience on a range of complex issues.
Experience in collaboration within an organization, as well as a demonstrated ability to work with efficiency and diplomacy in a team.
Demonstrated capacity and initiative to solve problems with a positive attitude.
Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
Ability to work both independently and in a cooperative and collegial fashion.
Commitment to the foundation's core values, mission and programs and to Global Health Program's core values.
Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally (up to 30% of time).
Note: Writing/analytical samples may be requested.
Reports to: Senior Program Officer, Vaccine Supply Chains

This position is based in Seattle, Washington.

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background check.

Requisition Number: 2957BR

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