Lead Health Advocacy at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
About the role
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation seeks a Senior Officer for Advocacy in Nairobi, focusing on maternal, newborn, and child health. The role requires strategic policy engagement, grant management, and collaboration in health systems.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy & Advocacy Development: Design and co-lead advocacy strategies that address regulatory, policy, and financing barriers to the introduction and scale-up of MNCH innovations.
Collaborate with ministries of health, regional bodies, and implementing agencies to accelerate product registration, approval, and adoption.
Represent the Foundation in high-level meetings, multi-stakeholder platforms, and global health forums.
Grant & Portfolio Management: Oversee performance-based advocacy grants and contracts related to MNCH product introduction.
Identify and manage “smart buys” — strategic investments that deliver strong advocacy and policy impact per dollar.
Evidence & Learning: Lead or commission micro-planning analyses that identify key enablers and bottlenecks for product scale-up.
Facilitate cross-country learning exchanges to share successful advocacy and financing models.
Strategic Communications & Reporting: Develop strategy memos, briefing notes, and talking points for Foundation leadership engagements.
Qualifications and Experience
Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in public health, medicine, health economics, public policy, or a related field.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in advocacy, policy, or health systems strengthening, ideally with a focus on maternal, newborn, and child health or related sectors.
Demonstrated experience in advocacy and communications for product introduction, access, and scale-up.
Proven ability to work with governments, donors, and implementing partners in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts.
Strong understanding of the MNCH, family planning, and reproductive health landscape and the product introduction value chain.
Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities — capable of distilling complex technical information into clear, persuasive messaging.
Proven capacity to build partnerships, negotiate effectively, and drive collective action across diverse stakeholders.
Skilled at navigating complex political and institutional environments with diplomacy and cultural sensitivity.
Flexible, adaptive, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
Willingness to travel up to 40% (domestically and internationally).
Deep personal commitment to health equity, integrity, and inclusive development.