Job Opportunity for Senior Program Officer – Primary Health Care at Gates Foundation in Delhi

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 full healthcare premiums coverage, generous paid time off, contribution to your retirement fund, several employee communities, and a commitment to embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into everything we do.

The Team

Application end date – 18th January 2023

Our efforts are aligned with India’s objectives of improving the lives of its people. We work closely with India’s Central and State governments, and partner with community groups, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, philanthropies and development organizations to achieve shared goals.

Our efforts in India focus on reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition; infectious diseases that disproportionately affect the poor; urban sanitation; agricultural development; gender equality, and digital financial inclusion. With a particular focus on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, we work with partners to develop impactful and sustainable solutions to improve the quality and coverage of key services for the poor and vulnerable.

Your Role

The Senior Program Officer – Primary Health Care (SPO – PHC), will be responsible for advising on and helping implement the foundation’s engagement on strengthening primary health care systems in India and Asia. It is estimated that roughly 70% of the time will be allocated to India and 30% allocated to supporting work in Asia, primarily Indonesia and Singapore at the outset.

The SPO – PHC will work closely with all three clusters of the ICO’s Health team (Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Delivery, Family Health and State Health Systems Strengthening) in strengthening the primary health care system through assessment of implementation challenges, measurement, learning and adaptation primarily in the states of UP and Bihar and other states based on need. The SPO – PHC will draw on global evidence and comparative analyses (across Indian states and the Asia region) to inform PHC strategy of the ICO. The SPO – PHC will facilitate learning and fostering linkages across India and Asia.

The SPO – PHC reports to the Health Director and will work closely with program and functional Deputy Directors in the India Country Office, and with the Seattle based Primary Health Care and Policy and Advocacy teams specifically regarding the primary health care systems elements of their Asia portfolio.

What You’ll Do

• Support greater clarity of strategy and consistency within the health team, and across teams, on Primary Health Care (PHC) as a platform to achieve Foundation goals.
• Assess national and international efforts on primary care and find opportunities for BMGF to contribute to transformative and equitable change.
• Work with research and academic agencies to undertake implementation research focused on generating evidence in areas such as PHC financing, quality of care, and building mechanisms for care continuum across levels of care.
• Collaborate with internal Foundation teams (such as Family health, Infectious diseases, state teams etc.) and external partners to improve delivery of primary care and community engagement platforms.
• Engage with partner ecosystem for PHC in India and selected countries in the region, and craft a work program to strengthen the primary health care system in India, with a strong focus on supporting the government’s HWC scheme.
• Enable improved understanding and use of digital technology across the care continuum – from frontline workers to primary, secondary and tertiary levels that are contextually appropriate, alleviate patient hardship and provide high quality care.
• Work with selected national/state governments and private players in order to build an “inter-state” learning eco-system for PHC. This will focus on ensuring mechanisms and fora for partners to co-produce improved solutions and apply them in their settings.
• Help ICO S/POs and grantees to design and generate knowledge products and foster learning focused on systems-level reform challenges in PHC
• Contribute thinking regarding a larger “public goods” agenda that foundation could play in the region (advocacy re: systems reform, digital technology in PHC, technical learning networks, etc)
• Deepen ties, linkages, and learning networks among institutions in India and Asia focused on health systems reforms.
• Engage with the PHC PST in Global development on sharing of successful implementation approaches and supporting PHC strategy modification and evolution in India and Asia.
• Engage as needed with relevant partners such as the World Bank, GoI, other governments in Asia, in accordance with plans developed with the ICO Country Director, DD-Public Policy & Finance and other internal teams.
• Represent the foundation and contribute to global, regional and country agendas in line with foundation priorities.

Your Experience

• A doctorate, post graduate or advanced degree in public health, health systems, health financing with around 10 years’ of experience in India and Asia settings.

Other Attributes

• Strong collaboration skills with proven ability to lead and influence others.
• Experience working in a matrix environment (i.e., ability to influence without formal authority).
• Strong experience in working effectively with senior decision makers as it pertains to strategy development and operations.
• Demonstrated ability to work with efficiency, diplomacy, and flexibility particularly as part of a team and with external partners.
• Comfortable in an international environment and can interpret the multi-cultural nuances in language and action.
• Strong communication skills; commanding presence and excellent reputation within the field of specialty.
• Intellectual quickness, curiosity, resourcefulness, and resilience.
• High level of cultural competence.
• Working knowledge of at least one Asian (non-Indian) language desirable
• Passion for the Foundation’s values with a commitment to deliver results against the Foundation’s mission.
• Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

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.

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.