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 Exemplars in Global Health (EGH) program equips decision-makers with the evidence, insights, and practical “know-how” needed to accelerate and scale interventions that improve the health of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Working with a global network of partners, EGH identifies and studies exemplars and best practices across health outcomes, primary health care systems, and service delivery strategies.
Through rigorous research, evidence synthesis, and timely analysis, EGH translates lessons from what works into actionable insights that help policymakers, practitioners, and funders strengthen systems, improve service delivery, and address pressing global health challenges.
We pursue this through:
1) The study of “positive outliers”—identifying countries or regions that have achieved exceptional progress in health outcomes and analyzing the drivers behind their success;
2) The study of emerging practices with global learning value, using prospective research and real-time analytics alongside implementation to meet the ambition of ‘learning by doing’;
3) The provision of internal advisory services to support teams in pursuit of the Foundation’s three goals toward 2045; and
4) External partnerships to scale exemplary practices with governments, policymakers, global health initiatives, and multilateral development banks.
TheDeputy Director, Ending Infectious Diseasesin the EGH team will drive an ambitious research and learning agenda to accompany the foundation and its partners to eradicate polio and malaria by 2045, while ensuring that the next generation grows up in a world that never has to face many infectious diseases in the profoundly unequal way it does today.The role reports to the EGH Director and manages theEGHEnding Infectious Diseasessub-team.
The technical scope of this rolecomprisesefforts related to the control and elimination of infectious diseases such asmalariaand polio;uptake and scale of tools such as vaccinesand diagnostics;disease surveillance;as well as otherdisease control and related priorities as agreed with theEGHDirector. The DDis responsible forshaping and overseeing a learning portfolio that generates high-quality research, analysis, and actionable insights to acceleratetheGates Foundation’sGoal 2(ending infectious diseases)progress towards 2045.This role will work closely with other EGH sub-teams to adopt the lens of health systems integration and requirements for Goal 2 to be ultimately achieved. This role willclosely coordinate across EGH, includingwork matrixed toHealth Systems and PHC,and AI andDigitalHealth Evidence & Learningsub-teams ensuring these approaches drive and sustain Goal 2 outcomes. It will also be matrixed to Policy, Partnerships and Communications sub-team, ensuring an end-to-end approach to scale learning adoption with critical government and other external patterns.It will work closely with theWomen’s Health & Maternal and Child Survivalsub-team, given linkages.
The Deputy Director leads asub-team of technical experts acrossimmunization, polio,malaria,and surveillance subdomains, fostering analytical rigor while ensuring alignment with broader EGH and foundation wide goals.
Hold accountability for EGH's contributions towardimmunization andinfectious disease control and eradication(Goal 2)priorities across thefoundation, serving as a trusted advisor to the Director and other foundation leaders onGoal2strategy, evidence, and impact.
Provide strategic leadership in synthesizing complex evidence, shaping investment and research priorities, and ensuring that research outputs meaningfully inform policy, program design, and decision-making.
Lead a sub-team of technical experts spanningimmunization, polio,malaria,surveillanceand otherdisease controlinterventions. Foster analytical rigor and technical excellence while ensuring alignment with broader EGH andfoundationobjectives. Build a high-performing, inclusive, and collaborativeteamculture.
Serve as a recognized thought leader in the sector,identifyingand cultivating new opportunities for EGH partnerships and influence in collaboration with the Deputy DirectorofPolicy, Partnerships and Communications, and other colleagues across thefoundation.Develop strong relationships with academic researchers, partner organizations, and global health decision-makers, particularly in LMIC settings.
Manage strategic relationships with key Program Strategy Teams (PSTs),Immunization,Polio,Malaria, EDGE(Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics & Epidemiology),whilemaintainingstrong connections with other teams contributing to Goal2outcomes. Develop a deep understanding of partner strategies and serve as a thought partner in shaping future directions andidentifyingopportunities for collaboration.
Allocate resources—including budget and headcount—across strategic priorities to maximizeEGH contributiontoward Goal2. Regularly assess projects and investments through an impact-focused lens, making intentional trade-offs and working across the matrix tooptimizeresources,leveragesynergies, and strengthen overall portfolio effectiveness.
Serve as a member of the EGH leadership team, contributing to strategic decisions across portfolios, advising on organizational and talent matters, helping navigate trade-offs, and providing counsel to the Director on priorities and direction.
Domainexpertise(15+ years)ininfectious diseases (malariaand/orpoliopreferred),immunization,surveillance, uptake and scale of diagnostics and vaccines, and/or other disease control interventionareaswith experience in deep technical collaborationtodriveevidence and impact.
5+ years in leadership roles with significant managementresponsibility, including building and managing senior-level teams.Track recordof driving strategy and holding accountability for team performance, including budget oversight.
Deep experience leading research, learning, and knowledge-generation efforts, including familiarity withmixed-methodsresearch, evidence synthesis, and analytical approaches.
Significant experiencebuilding andmaintainingpartnerships with key stakeholders including governments,multilateral and regional development banks, philanthropicorganizations, academic institutions, and global health organizations.
Analytic Proficiency: Strongproficiencyin mixed-methods research, including design, analysis, and synthesis for research efforts, with particular focus on implementation research.
Collaboration and Matrix Leadership: Excels in complex matrixed environments, aligning diverse stakeholders and driving clarity, accountability, and results.
Stakeholder Influence and Partnership Building: Builds trusted relationships across foundation teams, governments, implementing partners, academia, and technology organizations to advance shared goals.
People Leadership: Builds and develops high-performing, inclusive teams while fostering collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.Heavy focus on leading and managing senior-level experts.
Positive Mindset.Demonstrates intellectual curiosity, humility, integrity, and a commitment to collaboration, equity, and inclusion
CompetenciesforallseniorEGHroles:
ADVANCING THE FIELD: creates collaborations among partners, governments, and funds to create systemic change in a field, with a lens ondevelopingthe evidence and learning most needed to improve the lives of the most vulnerable.
*Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position islocated.
The salary range for this role is $238,400 to $303,900 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle andWashingtonD.C., where our offices arelocated. The range for this role in these locations is $262,200 to $406,400 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, andexpertise, as evaluated during the interview process.
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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
We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact HR@gatesfoundation.org with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.
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.
