Job Information
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Strategy Officer, Institutional Transformation in Seattle, Washington
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 vision of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program (USP) works to ensure 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. Our 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.
Within USP, the Postsecondary Success (PS) strategy seeks to support transformation in colleges and universities to ensure that many more Black, Indigenous, and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds obtain quality, affordable credentials that offer value and lead to economic mobility. The PS Transformation Public Goods, Solutions & Innovative Models (TPGSIM) Team cultivates teamwide understanding of institutional transformation and supports the refinement of public goods used by institutions to enable and accelerate transformation toward equitable success and value. We also work with National Scale Enterprises (innovative institutions operating at a national scale and serving large student enrollments) and other innovative models of higher education to deliver equitable outcomes for their students, unserved students, and students at other institutions. Finally, we also contribute to the USP Pathways Strategy through shared staff and aligned investments.
Our culture shapes our choices about what we do and how we do it. We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment can do extraordinary things. We expect foundation employees to intentionally embody our core values: optimism, collaboration, rigor, innovation, and inclusion.
Your Role
We are seeking an outstanding candidate for a Strategy Officer (SO) to shape and implement the strategic priorities of the TPGSIM Team. The primary focus of this role will be to execute strategic activities for key portfolios as well as facilitate alignment between and coordination of TPGSIM Bodies of Work to advance the Postsecondary Success and Pathways strategies. This SO will also analyze and synthesize investment deliverables and develop materials for engagement with foundation leadership and partners. While this individual reports to the Deputy Director, Institutional Transformation, this skilled collaborator will partner with colleagues within PS, across USP, and the foundation’s Global Policy & Advocacy North America Team.
What You’ll Do
Provide strategic planning and execution support for the TPGSIM Team, specifically the National Scale Enterprise portfolio, to ensure successful completion of key activities, including internal reporting
Work closely with the Deputy Director to ensure coherence across all TPGSIM Bodies of Work, coordinate investment management activities, and monitor portfolio performance
In partnership with the Senior Program Officer for Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation, analyze and synthesize outputs, learning, and impacts of investments across all TPGSIM Bodies of Work and prepare materials for use in improving strategy execution and for sharing with foundation leadership, partners, and the field
Facilitate team and field learning based on lessons learned from investments
Organize and facilitate partner convenings as well as TPGSIM team meetings to build relational and strategic synergy
Support Program Officers in facilitating collaboration across grantees. While Program Officers will lead their own grantee relationships and regular check-ins, the Strategy Officer will help them think through cadence of touchpoints, appropriate grantee communications, and necessary collaboration opportunities.
Maintain regular connection with others within Postsecondary Success and Pathways as well as with foundation business partners to ensure regular updates and identify potential opportunities for collaboration and/or alignment internally to enhance the team’s overall impact
Provide strategic and operational support to the Deputy Director, Institutional Transformation (Strategic support could look like: planning operating model shifts as needed; preparing written and presentation materials and/or talking points for division and foundation leadership conversations. Operational support could look like: planning and conducting team retreats, team learning sessions, grantee and partner site visits, external facing events with other funders, etc.)
Your Experience
Creative, analytical, self-starter (ability to lead and implement complex tasks autonomously, sometimes with limited Deputy Director guidance and oversight)
Demonstrated program management skills and a successful history of leading multiple, complex projects at a time—often with minimal supervision
Excellent quantitative, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills
Ability to effectively facilitate, manage and summarize divergent points of view to advance the thinking of the group, synthesize and extract meaning from complex bodies of work and effectively communicate key takeaways for diverse audiences
Strong facility in visually presenting information (e.g., comfort and familiarity with PowerPoint or other presentation software) and producing detailed, clear, cogent presentation materials and deliverables
Strong experience in identifying, structuring, and designing improvements between interdependent functions, processes, and people
Experience with large scale strategy and planning efforts that span multiple organizational silos or teams, including executive leadership
Proven ability to remain organized, task oriented and persistent in the context of abstract strategies
Effective as a collaborator in complex internal and external orgs, particularly when there may be conflicting viewpoints
Works with efficiency and diplomacy, with shared goal achievement in mind
Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of related experience
Previous experience in U.S. higher education required
Preferred: Race-conscious design thinking, strategy execution, and project management experience
*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.The salary range for this role is $137,500 to $206,200 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences where our offices are located, in Seattle, Washington D.C., and Boston (Cambridge). The range for this role in these locations is $149,800 to $224,600 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission, and new hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, 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
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 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.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/) works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.