Senior Program Officer, K-12 Education

The Foundation We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: that people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. By building a global and cultural workplace that supports greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — together with our employees and partners, we can help all people improve their lives from poverty and health to education. As an organization we offer hybrid work arrangements, generous PTO, 15% contribution to your retirement fund, a diverse and inclusive workplace backed by 11 Employee Resource Groups and embed DEI in everything we do! K-12 Education at the Foundation Over its history, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested heavily in research and development to provide educators with tools, strategies, and platforms that empower them to better serve Black and Latino students and students experiencing poverty. This work has included, but has not been limited to: Developing and evaluating innovative curricular and instructional approaches to student learning needs Exploring the interplay between social emotional learning and executive functions on student learning Working with early-stage developers to test products in anticipation of scaling efforts, and Exploring and developing research practice partnerships to support field-identified research priorities and better understand how students master academic content and thrive. Today, the vision for the Foundation’s K-12 Education team is to ensure that all students in the US have access to educational opportunities, from Pre-K to postsecondary, that enable them to develop the knowledge, skills, and agency needed thrive as adults and contribute to their communities. The team’s goal is to make sure more students are on track to obtain a postsecondary credential with labor market value such that race/ethnicity and income are no longer predictors of student success. To this end, the K-12 team will be focusing investments on ensuring that all students can master, enjoy, and persist in mathematics. Our goal is to ensure that mathematics through statistics, data science and algebra. Your Role Strategically develop and manage one or more portfolios of grants and contracts requiring high-level grant management skills, monitoring and evaluation. As a key advisor on strategy initiatives, contribute to the continued development of the team’s strategic vision, while partnering closely with team leadership to set the overall strategy and goals for the team. What You’ll Do Develop, manage and implement project strategies. Negotiate, execute, and manage complex portfolio of grants or performance-based contracts. Review letters of inquiry and grant proposals and provide clear, concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations for funding. Consult with grantees and other partners to enhance impact of projects and ensure grants are meeting strategy goals. This may include site visits, providing operational guidance and convening meetings of key partners. Develop, manage, resource, and implement a program that aligns with foundation strategy and is operationally integrated with other foundation programs. Contribute to the design of new strategies, collaborations and implementation plans to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. Manage partnerships and grantee relationships to achieve impact by conducting site visits, convening meetings of key partners, monitoring, and evaluating components of grants Represent the foundation to key program-related external constituencies, as appropriate, on committees related to area of expertise and responsibilities of the position. Your Experience (i.e., Qualifications and Education) A minimum of 7 years of experience leading complex initiatives with budget responsibility at the institutional or organizational level Deep technical expertise in the field/subject matter expert Leadership, management, or experience influencing others to inspire change Advanced degree in related field or meets the knowledge and experience criteria outlined Dedication to a vision of product efficacy and quality centered on the assets of Black and Latino students and those experiencing poverty Recognized expertise in K-12 curriculum development, professional development for instructional improvement, and product and service adoption and implementation mechanics at the district and state levels. Strong understanding of research base around curricular efficacy, mathematics instruction, and student motivation. Proven ability to lead and influence others in a constructive manner and to build and sustain collaborative relationships. Experience as technical resource to teams and leadership on impact, cost effectiveness, and decision analyses. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus. Strong quantitative analytic skills. Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship. #AD-LI1 Hiring Requirements As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check. Depending upon your work location, we may require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and any recommended booster doses. All employees based in the United States are to provide proof of full vaccination upon hire and any recommended boosters, subject to applicable laws. Accommodations If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to hr@gatesfoundation.org. Inclusion Statement We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We’re committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve—in race, gender, age, cultures and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of 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.