Deputy Director, Advocacy Operations

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!

The Team

The mission of the Global Policy & Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation's work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation's objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation's resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, U.S. and Gender Equality programs and Foundation Communications to build the environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives.

The GPA Office of the President (OOP) provides support to both the president and the full GPA division. This work includes ensuring the president is able to effectively represent all GPA strategies and teams in foundation-wide engagements; directing and supporting external engagements in service of the foundation’s priorities; developing and executing the president’s goals, particularly those that cut across teams and functions, and managing division-wide employee engagements and information flow.

Your Role

This role directs the Leadership Planning & Execution workstream, managing external use of GPA President’s voice, communications, travel, operations, and learning, under the supervision of the GPA Director, Strategy Planning and Management and Chief of Staff. Specifically, this role holds accountability for leading all aspects of planning and execution for these primary areas of responsibility: 1) Coordinate the Advocacy and Outreach Plan; 2) Manage GPA’s role in co-chair external engagement (advocacy trips, use of voice); 3) Lead GPA President’s external engagement and communication efforts; 4) Be responsible for and coordinate other GPA external advocacy engagement, including Board of Trustees; 5) Drive opportunistic advocacy campaigns and special projects; 6) Serve as the key connection and interlocutor between GPA and the Communications division and the Executive Trips team; and 7) Hire and lead a small team to support execution of these responsibilities.

What You’ll Do

Coordinate the Advocacy and Outreach Plan (AOP) across the division to inform all external-facing activities recommended for CEO and Co-Chair engagement.

• Lead bi-annual process to determine priority areas of focus for foundation external engagement.
• In collaboration with other internal partners, support the development of the foundation’s priority themes each calendar year.
• Review and monitor implementation of the AOP to ensure responsiveness to emerging and urgent priorities.
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Manage GPA’s role in Co-chair external engagement, including advocacy trips, use of voice and other related activities.

• Identify strategic advocacy opportunities for co-chair engagement, including international conferences and meetings, regional and global negotiations, and high-level political forums.
• Elevate co-chair’s voice in influential communication streams and publications.
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Lead all aspects of GPA President’s external engagement and communication.: Accountable for effective and impactful external engagement, including travel and participation at priority stakeholder convenings, which harness the strategic use of the GPA president’s voice and influence. This includes setting and coordinating the President’s and other leadership’s time, travel, and communications as well as:

• Lead complex, multi-faceted foundation-wide events for which the president is executive sponsor (international fora, select leadership trips), such as the UN General Assembly and World Economic Forum.
• Supervise the development of speeches, op eds, social media strategy, and execution in coordination with the Communications Team
• Be responsible for and streamline the information flow and decision making for external engagements across the division and in coordination with other teams.
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(Area of work still in development) Oversee and coordinate implementation of all aspects that fall within the remit of GPA of external engagement strategy, planning, and execution for advocacy activities and strategic opportunities for the Board of Trustees, including logistical decision-making.

Shape, launch, and lead opportunistic advocacy campaigns and special projects that fall outside the purview of existing teams and/or require a rapid response, allowing the division to be both proactive and reactive to opportunities for impact.

• Work closely with the GPA president and divisional leadership to identify advocacy opportunities that the foundation could play an important role in driving impact.
• Strategically transition accountabilities germane to the context or circumstance, and at appropriate moments.
• Lead division-wide initiatives, such as cross-cutting advocacy strategies.
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Serve as the key connection and interlocutor between GPA and the Communications division and the Executive Trips team.

• Oversee coordination with the Communications division and Executive Trips team to ensure timely coverage and promotion of GPA engagement in advocacy spaces.
• Respond to requests from Communications division and Executive Trips team for GPA input, engagement and participation. Ensure GPA input in relevant external engagement and communication activities.
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Hire and develop OOP staff, ensuring effective employee onboarding, communication, performance expectations, and progress.

• Lead a small team responsible for the execution of the above workstreams on behalf of the division.
• Act as the GPA key point of contact for related engagements with other foundation teams (e.g., Communications, Executive Office).
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Your Experience

• Advanced degree with 10+ years of experience, or equivalent experience including government relations, policy research and analysis, advocacy, issue communications, or leadership advance and support.
• Excellent coordination skills with shown ability to drive collaboration across divisions, including with executive leadership. Tried effectiveness and interest in leading and coordinating colleagues from across a variety of disciplines in a complex organization.
• Experience with advocacy and leadership engagement, including operationalizing and implementing agendas and managing cross-divisional advocacy activities.
• Shown ability to lead and impact others, including strong experience managing teams with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to work with efficiency, diplomacy, and flexibility particularly as part of a team.
• Functional expertise in one or more fields related to the work of GPA, including government relations, policy research and analysis, advocacy, issue communications, or leadership advance and support.
• Demonstrated results in a leadership role with an emphasis on advocacy, leadership scheduling, logistics, strategic event planning with experience in staffing senior leadership, preparing briefing materials, memoranda, etc.
• Excellent communications skills, including writing, editing, and verbal communications and experience advocating and communicating with a broad and diverse audience. Experience overseeing organizational information flow and knowledge management.
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Other Attributes

• Ability to travel up to 25% of time as needs dictate.
• Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.
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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.

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.