Deputy Director, Strategy & Implementation Management, Postsecondary Success

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 foundation’s U.S. Program (USP) works to access to life-changing opportunities. The evidence is still clear that having an education after high school is critical for success in today’s economy and we are deeply committed to transforming postsecondary education to become a better and more equitable producer of credentials of value for all students. Critically important is that race, ethnicity, income, and wealth are not predictors of student success. To drive the change we believe is necessary, we invest in large-scale transformation of postsecondary policy and practice that results in increased attainment of credentials of value with special attention to addressing the systemic inequities that impact students, including Black, Latino and Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds.

The Postsecondary Success strategy supports institutional transformation, the development of technologies, and the sharing of those technologies and other tools, practices and policies that lead to increased attainment of credentials of value. Our aim is to help higher education evolve to more effectively deliver economic mobility for students and to more fully realize the public benefits that accrue when more adults earn meaningful credentials equitably across all races, ethnicities, and levels of income and wealth.

As DDSPM, you are responsible for leading the strategic and operational planning and execution of integrated program areas. You lead specific business processes, such as oversight of strategic planning, annual planning and budgeting, ongoing pipeline and portfolio management, business analysis, and the coordination of business strategies across the foundation. In fulfilling these roles, and via collaboration with our Measurement, Learning, Evaluation team, you also play a critical role in shaping the full team and leadership team learning, culture, and norms.

What You’ll Do

Ongoing strategy development and progress monitoring (in collaboration with DD colleagues)

Drive alignment of team's work to strategy and implementation plans.

Develop and execute portfolio management approach that fosters great stewardship, planning, and resource allocation.

Support continuous improvement and change management initiatives.

Provide feedback and advisory support to program teams on development and management of major grants.

Cultivate insights to communicate portfolio allocation and progress.

Coordinating Executive Leadership Team/ Board engagement and learning opportunities

Oversee overall rhythm of business across team; managing our Program Assistants in helping the team execute against that rhythm

Design organization structure, promote culture and values, and facilitate retreats and cross-organizational collaboration; may monitor and manage succession planning, team performance, and development.

Responsible for hiring and managing the Strategy, Planning, Management talent needed to achieve the foundation’s goals.

Foster enabling conditions for talent to thrive and be accountable for inclusive team culture.

Model and coach equitable decision-making, inclusive behaviors & actions; address escalated issues in a timely fashion.

Your Experience

An Advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.

Comprehensive experience leading complex initiatives with budget responsibility at the institutional or organizational levels.

Comprehensive experience in developing and managing strong partnerships and relationships inside and outside of the organization, managing conflicts, and building consensus.

Comprehensive experience in strategic and operational planning and the execution of business strategies.

Mastery knowledge of strategy development and implementation, design of performance management system of goals, targets, and monitoring process.

Mastery ability in portfolio design and management to create an optimal investment mix to drive to a set of outcomes.

Mastery of structured problem solving and strategic business planning with the ability to easily identify and communicate frameworks to analyze issues.

Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to identify and communicate external and internal dynamics, as well as articulate implications for strategy, priorities, and team evolution.

Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

The salary range for this role is $238,400 to $369,400 USD. 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 $262,200 to $406,400 USD. 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

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact HR@gatesfoundation.org with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.

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.