Job Opportunity for Senior Program Officer – Product Introduction 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

Our efforts in India focus on key issues that will affect the future of India’s most vulnerable communities: reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition; 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. We also work in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh to support programs in urban sanitation, agricultural development, gender equality, and digital financial inclusion.

The Global Health Program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in poor countries. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in developing countries but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery. Where they don’t, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, biologics, and diagnostics. Our infectious disease teams focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV & AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. Our work in maternal, neonatal and child health focuses on ensuring that women and newborns survive and remain healthy before, during and after childbirth, and ensuring optimal growth, neurodevelopment and resistance to disease, by identifying and addressing underlying biological vulnerabilities. We also support innovative research in reproductive health. These strategies are supported by functional teams that focus on Discovery & Translational Sciences, Vaccine Development, Integrated Development, and Innovation Introduction.

The Innovation Introduction (I2) Team is a newly formed functional team within Global Health, which drives product launch and commercialization plans and activities in close collaboration with the Program Strategy Teams (PST) and our Global Delivery Programs (GDP) Team. Our work is organized in alignment with the PSTs, in that there is a Product Introduction Lead each for HIV & TB, Maternal Newborn Child Health (MNCH), Family Planning (FP), Nutrition, Malaria, and Devices & Diagnostics.

Your Role

We are looking for an outstanding Senior Program Officer – Product Introduction to support programmatic work in terms of new product introduction for the areas of MNCH, FP, and Nutrition, as well as provide hands-on project management for the India Country Office (ICO) and I2 Teams.

You will report to the Deputy Director, Digital & Health Innovation, ICO, with a dotted line reporting to the Deputy Director, Product Introduction in Seattle, USA.

What You’ll Do

• Plan, lead and implement diverse activities in support of introducing and scaling priority interventions for introduction and scale jointly with I2 Product Leads, PSTs, and cross-functional partners (e.g. integrated development, policy, legal, finance): 1) Develop strategy/plan for introduction (which can include coverage of both public and private sectors). 2) Lead internal coordination with Foundation teams and cross-function to support planning and execution. 3) Lead external coordination with grantee partners to support planning and execution.
• Support execution of product launch/go-to-market activities ranging from, but not limited to, market research and analysis, manufacturing partnership/supply partnerships and management, market access, procurement, and delivery mechanisms/demand generation.
• Synthesize and infuse market and user insights and other downstream development considerations into upstream work and planning.
• Collaborate with grantees and other external partners to achieve desired impact of grants; investment management such as grant/contract ownership, for relevant projects.
• Prepare written analyses and communications for project updates at all levels of the organization.
• Lead internal processes and ensure operational efficiency and effective management of responsible projects.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g. business administration, project management, public health, international development). Postgraduate degree would be preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience with product launch execution (across both public and private sectors) in India and complex project management.
• Solid understanding of product marketing and commercialization principles and linkages to upstream product development activities, such as target product profiles, clinical trial and regulatory requirements, and pipeline management
• Strong analytical skills, including structuring analyses and supporting investment case evaluations.
• Experience working in Low and Middle-Income country (LMIC) and/or developing/emerging markets in healthcare or consumer settings a plus (e.g., regional or country office operations experience).
• Experience developing and managing projects in a matrix team environment.
• Balanced thinking, strategically and executing at high quality; tolerance for ambiguity and ability to apply structure to simplify complex problems
• Strong listening, verbal, and written communications skills; ability to calibrate input and synthesize information to connect with diverse audiences.
• Leadership abilities to work with multiple partners, including government, donors, grantees, and private sector partners to create a common vision and shared goals to achieve solutions to complex problems.
• Ease of collaboration in a wide range of internal and external cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people and team settings.
• Motivated to “roll up sleeves” to execute and deliver on commitments as a self-starter, in the most practical and efficient way.
• Grace under fire, sense of humor, happy to take and give feedback.
• Ability to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.
• Must be able to legally work in India where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Application deadline: 5 February 2023

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.

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’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.