Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning and Management (NTD & VDev)

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

Our Global Health (GH) division harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in developing countries. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in developing countries but get too little attention and funding. Where 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, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, and maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition.

Despite substantial scientific advances, bringing vaccines to market affordably and reliably remains a challenge particularly for low-income markets. The diseases of low-resource settings are also often the least attractive commercially. The Vaccine Development (VDEV) Team focuses on accelerating the development and commercialization of novel vaccines and the sustainable manufacturer of existing vaccines particularly for these markets.

More than 1 billion people are at risk from one or more Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). The NTD Team focuses on eradicating, eliminating, or controlling the diseases of the London Declaration (LD), with an emphasis on lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis (oncho), schistosomiasis (schisto), soil-transmitted helminths (STH), trachoma, Guinea worm (GW), visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). The team also works to improve non-NTD health outcomes using the NTD delivery platform.

Application Deadline: July 29, 2025

Your Role

The  VDEV and NTD Teams are recruiting a Deputy Director, Strategy, Planning, and Management (DDSPM) who will support the Director of the NTD Program Strategy Team (PST) and the VDEV Functional Team to implement the strategy and operations of the teams.  The DDSPM provides the link between the teams’ technical expertise, strategy, and business operations. You will lead the strategic, financial, operational, and human resource aspects of these teams, bringing senior business, investment, and management expertise to portfolio, domain, and investment-level decision-making. You will also lead the planning for each of the team’s annual strategy reviews, annual-planning and reporting processes, including framing and analysis of issues and investments central to strategy and execution, ongoing investment pipeline and portfolio management, business analysis, and coordination with the other business strategies of the foundation’s global health program. The DDSPM leads a team of business and operations professionals.

This is a Seattle based role reporting to the Director, NTD & VDEV.

What You’ll Do

• Strategy development, refinement and management:

  • Lead the process, set the direction and execute the process for strategic planning, including articulation of annual strategic priorities in collaboration with the Director.

  • Serve as a strategic partner and thought partner with the Director and program staff to provide ongoing strategy development, process monitoring, and evaluation of function and core processes.

  • Drive alignment of team’s work to strategy and implementation plans. Design analytical models to define strategy metrics, progress metrics and setting of targets and goals. Continuously refine data, metrics, and models.

  • Lead or co-lead complex strategic projects that are often cross-functional in nature.

  • Drive content development for engagement with foundation senior leadership and reporting in alignment with foundation governance processes.

  • Cultivate insights and stories to communicate portfolio allocation and progress.

• Team development and people management: 

  • Partner with support functions (including Human Resources) and program/functional team management to lead, recruit, develop and train staff who support the activities needed to plan, execute, and achieve the strategic plan.

  • Responsible for overall Rhythm of the Business and meeting structure across the team. 

  • Promote culture, values, and team effectiveness, including regular team health checks. May design organization structure, facilitate retreats and cross-organization collaboration.

  • Monitor succession planning, team performance and development.

  • Support the Director with workforce planning

• Portfolio and financial management and advising on investments:

  • Partner with Finance to develop the teams’ budgets and forecasts and maintain the teams’ grant and contracts pipeline.

  • Core team member and critical advisor in making data-driven investment decisions (provide complementary strategic and investment acumen to the scientific/technical expertise of the Program Officers).

  • Develop and implement portfolio and advisory support to teams on development and management of major grants; including identifying success metrics for strategy, portfolio, and individual grants and developing processes/tools to ensure alignment of activities with strategy success.

• Serving as a trusted advisor to the Director:

  • Act as “sounding board” and thought partner to the team leadership (Director and Deputy Directors) on broad set of topics impacting the overall management of the teams (e.g., team effectiveness, management issues, addressing broader Foundation requests, relationships with other Functions/Programs, alignment with leadership, etc.).

• Cross-foundation/cross-division improvement initiatives

  • Lead development and execution of teams’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Plan in alignment with division and foundation-wide DEI priorities.

  • Contribute to continuous improvement efforts as part of cross-foundation and cross-GH DDSPM community of practice.

  • Support implementation of new processes. 

  • Support continuous improvement and change management initiatives including contribution to the design of processes, policies, and organization to improve efficiency and impact of teams’ activities.

Your Experience

• MBA, PhD, and/or other advanced degrees and a minimum of 10+ years of professional experience in business strategy, business development, pharmaceutical industry, public health, life sciences, and/or general management.

• Strong technical and financial knowledge; including the ability to communicate data and results to inform sound strategic and tactical decisions. Experience developing, evaluating, managing, and monitoring business plans, budgets and financial reports. 

• Ability to leverage technology (e.g., artificial intelligence) for additional insights and efficiencies.

• Deep knowledge of strategy development and implementation and the design of performance management system(s) of goals, targets and monitoring processes  

• Experience with pharmaceutical product development and introduction, and understanding key issues in health program delivery, such as planning, implementation and monitoring of outcomes.   Experience in global health is a plus.

• Demonstrated strength in structured problem solving, strategic business planning, and program and project management with the ability to easily identify and communicate frameworks to analyze issues and synthesize disparate information.  

• Intellectual quickness, curiosity, discipline, resourcefulness and resilience

• Proven ability to lead people and teams to effectively achieve clear, yet complex goals and objectives

• Extensive experience in working effectively with senior decision makers and (matrix) partners with wide variety of styles and cultures 

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely

• Ability to travel up to 30% domestically and internationally

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

#LI-PA1

The salary range for this role is $233,600 to $362,200. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $254,700 to $394,700. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

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.