Senior Program Officer, Antimicrobial Resistance & Mortality Surveillance at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 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, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Program Officer, Antimicrobial Resistance & Mortality Surveillance

Job Requisition ID: B020332
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job type: Full-time

The Team

• The Africa Team works to enable the foundation’s ambitious goals of scaling evidence-based interventions that target a range of diseases and socio- economic conditions that are endemic across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
• The team drives its responsibility through direct country engagement to deploy interventions and delivery models and building the partner architecture to replicate successful interventions and models across multiple countries.
• As the Senior Program Officer, Mortality Surveillance & Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), you will support surveillance for the Resilience through Azithromycin for Children (REACH) program, within the Africa Team.
• REACH is a country-led, time-bound program that aims to save the lives of young children (1-59 months) through biennial mass drug administration of Azithromycin- an intervention, that has previously been demonstrated in peer-reviewed clinical trials to reduce child mortality by ~14% in high mortality settings.
• You will be responsible for developing and handling a portfolio of investments (grants and contracts) that support the design and conduct of high-quality mortality surveillance and AMR in implementing geographies and provide evidence-based analyses to drive country-led decision-making.
• You will nurture the REACH Network across several countries in West & Central Africa.
• You will work from Africa in constant collaboration with Africa Team colleagues and various Program Strategy Teams (PSTs) across the foundation. We are looking for someone who is innovative, thoughtful, and curious, with a strong ability to identify and solve problems.
• We are looking for people who enjoy the challenge of working on complex and impactful programs and collaboratively crafting solutions that have the potential for ground-breaking change in the lives of people around the world.
• The applicant will have the ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, and diplomacy in a fast-paced, ambitious environment.
• This position reports to the Director, Health, Africa team.

Responsibilities
Translate Strategy into Country-Specific Engagement:

• Ensure implementation of a tailored approach for Mortality surveillance, and for AMR surveillance incorporating a clear technical vision, overarching goals, and detailed country-specific investment plans. These plans should align with REACH priorities and drive impactful, measurable outcomes.

Support Innovation adoption:

• Identify opportunities for innovation adoption – tools and approaches -  in the program implementation that will bring step change to achieving better health outcomes.  This includes identifying and nurturing non-traditional partnerships and networks for surveillance.

Engage with Diverse Stakeholders:

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. Provide strategic and technical support through joint efforts, participation in technical forums, and by complementing and aligning resources and interventions.

Drive Impactful Investments Aligned with Strategic Objectives:

• Collaborate with global and national stakeholders to conceptualize, develop, and manage high-impact investments that address the surveillance needs and opportunities.

Ensure Quality Surveillance and Data Management:

• In line with the agreed program protocol, you will ensure that the program collects high quality, accurate and timely data, you will ensure quality analytics and systems.

Optimize Project Impact and Promote Learning:

• Partner with the IDS/ surveillance program, grantees and stakeholders to maximize project impact and promote evidence generation and knowledge sharing. Activities include establishing a learning agenda, a learning and sharing platform and partnerships, translating learning into operational guidance.

Leverage Cross-Sector Opportunities

• Work with stakeholders to identify and pursue cross-sector grant-making opportunities that drive the REACH program. These may include collaborations in related program areas such as Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH), Routine Immunization, Primary Health Care, Malaria and Polio.

Requirements

• Medical Doctorate (MD) and/or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) with at least 10 years of experience in epidemiology or public health, or equivalent experience. Masters in public health (MPH) desirable.
• Proven understanding and technical experience in microbiology, infectious disease surveillance, mortality surveillance, and disease modeling, and proven track record in translating research findings into highly effective programs.
• Significant experience working in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with academic institutions, local governments, and NGOs.
• Experience brokering relationships with global partners, including academic, research, industry, government, other donors, and grantees, to build a common vision for effective solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a matrixed environment - manage, coordinate, and prioritize multiple projects and meet deadlines within a fast-paced environment with multiple and ambitious demands.
• Experience in working on teams with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
• Excellence in scientific writing and data analysis, written and oral communication skills, and experience synthesizing technical information toward strategic decision-making.

Other Attributes:

• This role will require the ability to travel up to 40% domestically and internationally.
• Nigeria is the preferred location for this role. However, Senegal is an option for consideration.
• Fluency in English is required, with strong proficiency in French highly preferred. 

Application Closing Date
19th February, 2025

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Additional Information

• 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 .