Deputy Director, Multilateral Development Banks (Health)

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Washington, DC or Seattle, WA, United States

Your Role

As Deputy Director, Multilateral Development Banks, you will lead GHAF’s engagement with the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in support of critical health improvements at the country level and with the grant financing mechanisms we invest in to leverage greater health impact through co-financing with multilateral development banks (MDB) loans – the Lives and Livelihoods Fund within the IsDB and the Global Financing Facility within the World Bank. Drawing on your deep understanding of MDB approaches, financial instruments, and operating models, you will support and advise Program Strategy Teams (PSTs), and our country and regional offices, on country-level investment opportunities and processes to partner with the World Bank and IsDB (and their grant-funding mechanisms - LLF and GFF) in support of foundation and country priorities, with a particular focus on those geographies where the foundation has critical investments. In close collaboration with key internal stakeholders, you will develop and execute focused and targeted engagement strategies for these partnerships that identify priorities for foundation support. This will include managing key partnerships and driving efforts to efforts to improve the operational effectiveness and governance arrangements of the funding mechanisms we support. In addition to managing critical programmatic relationships with the LLF and the GFF you will act as the lead for GHAF’s relationship with the World Bank Health, Nutrition and Population practice and drive forward, in partnership the foundation’s Development Policy & Finance Team, the foundation’s work to effectively partner with the World Bank more broadly in pursuit of our shared health impact goals and objectives.

What You’ll Do

Lead GHAF’s work, managing a small team, to support improved operational effectiveness and programmatic impact of the GFF and LLF, including through development and oversight of engagement strategies and a portfolio of programmatic support that is analytically grounded, accounts for the foundation’s comparative advantage, and can be completed with fidelity.
Partner with the LLF and GFF to drive continuous improvement in strategy and operating models to optimizes the contribution of the funding mechanisms to the achievement of country level results.
Identify and manage effective ways for the foundation to engage with the World Bank on health, including leading the relationship with HNP.
Establish effective relationships with key internal foundation stakeholders, especially Directors and Deputy Directors, to guide decision-making and provide advice on the World Bank, GFF, and LLF.
Manage and monitor overall performance of relationships and investments.
Lead GHAF efforts to provide advice to PSTs and country and regional offices on MDB health investment opportunities and processes including through managing a cohort of technical advisory support to shape and influence individual MDB health investments.
Collaborate with geographic teams to identify country-level opportunities for partnerships with MDBs in pursuit of PST goals that consider the comparative advantages and strengths/weaknesses of respective grant-financing mechanisms and MDBs.
Provide technical advice on concessionality and operating models of MDB health financing instruments and relevance to foundation PST and country/regional office strategies and priorities.
Collaborate with PSTs and country/regional offices on complementary programmatic support to maximize the impact of World Bank health investments and investments cofinanced by the LLF and GFF.
Support foundation country/regional office and PST engagement in development of World Bank health investments and investments co-financed by the LLF or GFF, including support for in-country negotiation and advice on financing instruments and performance-based metrics etc.
Act as thought partner to PST Directors and as a member of the GHAF leadership team.
Alongside Deputy-Director peers, provide management and oversight of team and core consultants.
Develop and retain talent within the team. Drive culture.
Articulate key insights from reviews and executive leadership vision, including of the president, to inform medium and long-term goals.

Your Experience

We are looking for a senior level professional with deep technical and sector expertise coordinating MDB health financing efforts for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) across GHIs. Additionally, we seek:

An advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience, in health, public administration or a related field.
Senior leadership experience in a public or private global health organization, ideally within a multilateral development bank.
Experience in health financing and health economics.
Deep understanding of multilateral development bank financing instruments and approaches.
Experience in delivering investments geared towards the achievement of health impact at the country level working in partnership with partner governments and multilateral actors.
Experience in strategy implementation, facilitating change management, identifying, and managing risks, and monitoring and evaluating performance against goals.
Experience working in a highly matrixed organization with a clear understanding of key strategic levers and frameworks to help guide and inform organizational decisions.
Significant experience cultivating trust and managing relationships to guide situations with flexibility and diplomacy. Expert in developing strong partnerships and relationships inside and outside the organization, managing conflicts, and building consensus.
Comprehensive experience structuring, scoping, and breaking down complex, multi-stakeholder problems with many dependencies into outputs and actionable work products.
Proven track record to lead and impact others, including strong experience as a people manager.
Excellent communications skills, including writing, editing, and verbal communication. Strong skills and experience advocating and communicating with a broad and diverse audience.
Intellectual quickness, curiosity, rigor, and resourcefulness. Demonstrated excellent judgment and calm under stressful conditions.
Extensive project management experience.
Extensive knowledge and expertise across relevant technical areas related to health systems strengthening, health financing, public administration and development programming.
Strong analytical, writing, and verbal skills for communicating with a broad and diverse audience.
Expertise in shaping and managing sustainable and scalable ventures.
Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behaviour with a diverse range of people and a deep commitment to development issues and high standards of personal integrity.
Ability to travel up to 40% domestically and internationally.