The Foundation

We are 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 Team

The Global Growth & Opportunity division works to catalyze sustainable transformative change in the face of inequities and market failures, to realize the potential of untapped markets, and to see the economic and social benefits of including everyone. We focus on the areas of Agricultural Development; Inclusive Financial Systems; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene; Nutrition; Global Education; and Digital Public Infrastructure. We seek solutions that are sustainable, transformative, and inclusive with an eye toward applying technology innovations as well as data evidence to drive change in the world’s developing countries.

This role will be based out of Seattle, Washington headquarters.

Your Role

The Deputy Director (DD) is responsible for leading strategy execution, strategic grantee management, and partnerships of our upstream initiatives, focused on LSFF R&D .This includes identifying and building a portfolio of high-impact, high-priority, innovative R&D investments, looking at micronutrient innovation, and food-fortification ‘vehicle’ (food type) innovation. We place a strong emphasis on the actionability and direction of R&D innovation, seeking to create a seamless interface with our strategic delivery portfolio.

What You'll Do

Lead the development and market introduction of cost-effective nutrients, new country specific fortifiable foods new cost-effective analytical and other devices, and offering relevant nutritional reach into malnourished target groups.
Build and manage relationships with the scientific community within universities, the private sector, and NGO communities with the goal of advancing our R&D agenda and the agenda of our grantees. (priority geographies)
Stay abreast of the latest nutritional science and provide scientific input and review documents that are developed for our Nutrition team, Leadership, and strategic grantees.
Develop learning formats and coordinate evidence generation to inform improvements to LSFF effectiveness through programmatic design for gender differences in nutritional needs, consumption patterns, tastes, that inform R and D efforts.
Align well with multiple foundation teams who contribute to the "whole of foundation" approach to nutrition, including those focused on Maternal and Newborn Health, Food Systems, Agricultural Development, and our country offices, ensuring a coordinated and collaborative effort toward R&D, contributing to increased programmatic alignment, nutritional improvements, and greater impact.
Facilitate the development of annual investment plans and budgets; develop, modify, and implement strategy; work with foundation leadership as requested to address cross-cutting issues and improve functions and performance; and provide clear direction and accountabilities to the team to complete plans; identify and assess key portfolio risks and develop and lead mitigation/contingency plans at the portfolio level.
Represent the foundation's innovation work on Nutrition and LSFF both internally to foundation Co-Chairs and leadership and externally to industry and global development partners, including working groups, advisory committees, and other relevant international for a together with relevant partners. Contribute perspective on the external LSFF product innovation ecosystem through participation in conferences, innovation hubs, and convenings.
Partner closely with the Nutrition leadership team to ensure the effective execution of the Nutrition strategy along the innovation to impact the value chain.
Lead highly skilled people, ensuring the team and the work represent the values of the foundation, including a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Hire outstanding talent needed to achieve our goals including, developing others through mentoring, feedback, exposure, and stretch assignments, aligning employee career development goals with organizational objectives, and encouraging people to accept developmental moves.
Supervise progress by maintaining dialogue on work and results, including providing technical and strategic mentorship in crafting grants and contracts that require sophisticated research and/or analytics.
Advise, mentor, and support team members within the foundation and their grantees in the design, improvement, and execution of projects, initiatives, and engagements.
Carefully select partners and lead partnerships and grantee relationships to achieve impact, for example, by conducting site visits, convening meetings of key partners, and supervising and evaluating components of grants

Your Experience

We want people who enjoy working on sophisticated projects and collaboratively create the potential to transform the global LSFF sector! We are looking for individuals with: self-awareness through reflection, acceptance of feedback, transparency on mistakes, and clarity on own strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and limits.
Deep experience in emerging nutrition science and related R&D (understanding of R&D stage gate process from conceptualization to commercialization) either as a researcher, portfolio manager, or investor (ideally some combination of the three).
Ability to build relationships and strategic partnerships with private sector organizations and ability to put together a cohesive vision/story to effectively communicate to non-technical partners to expand support, promoting inclusivity of non-traditional actors.
Field experiences living and/or working in countries with a high burden of malnutrition, with experience in one or more focus geographies highly desirable.
Understanding of gender gaps and barriers in the LSFF value chain and nutrition as a whole and strong commitment to the foundation’s goals and values and our strategy’s goal of addressing malnutrition in LMICs, specifically among women and girls
Ability to synthesize ambiguous information into executive level summarizations.
Experience working in matrixed environments and working with global teams is preferred.
Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time, both domestic and international
Master’s degree with 10+ years of experience required. PhD or other advanced degree preferred. Relevant fields especially include biochemistry, nutrition, and food technology sciences.
Experience in LSFF or related developmental field, including management of strategies, grants, and programs that reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies, is required.
visa sponsorship will be evaluated based on merit of candidate

The salary range for this role is $233,600 to $362,200 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle, WA and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $254,700 to $394,700 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

Gates Foundation

Latest Jobs

Deputy Director, Nutrition R&D