The India Country Office (ICO) plays a leading role in advancing the foundation’s goals of reducing inequities in global health and development in India, supporting the Government of India. The ICO reports into the Global Development Program, but its initiatives encompass almost the entire range of strategies that reside in our Global Development, Global Health, and Global Policy & Advocacy Programs, including infectious diseases and spanning from R&D to delivery to strengthening systems and the enabling environment. Our New Delhi office oversees the foundation’s work in India, which includes partnerships with India’s central and state governments, nonprofit organizations, community groups, academic institutions, and the private sector. We began our work in India more than a decade ago with an initiative to curtail the spread of HIV. Since then, the scope of our work in India has expanded tremendously to include maternal, neonatal, and child health, health and nutrition services, vaccines and routine immunization, family planning, agricultural development, sanitation, and the control of infectious diseases. Because our mission and India’s strategy for the future are closely aligned, we have formed fruitful partnerships with government devoted to our shared goals. Given our focus on improving conditions for the poorest populations, we make significant investments in two states in particular -- Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Given our vantage point across programs, our technical experts look for holistic, integrated or cross-cutting solutions that overcome system impediments effectively and efficiently. We encourage staff and partners to put the user at the center of our program solutions and to design integrated and efficient program models that best meet human needs -- breaking the silos. We look at every layer of the healthcare system – from community to front-line workers to public facilities to private sector – to identify delivery solutions and insights that help to change behaviors, to introduce and scale high impact interventions, and to generate higher level overall system performance. In support to the government of India, we bring evidence and expertise to bear on important public policy debates around issues affecting our work, building public support and partnerships to advance our shared objectives for health and livelihood. Our goals and operating model require leveraging the vast network of internal and external foundation partners.
The goal of the Foundation’s global TB program is to accelerate the reduction in TB incidence. India, with one quarter of the world’s TB, is critical to achieving that goal. India is also notable because of its renewed national commitment to TB control, and its significant potential to integrate innovative technologies, tools, and systems towards that effort.
Over the past 5 years, the Gates Foundation has deployed human and financial resources in India to assist in the fight against TB, with special emphasis on developing solutions to improve that quality and accountability of TB care for patients seeking care in the private sector. This notably includes the development of adherence monitoring and information and communication technology (ICT) tools, and integrating these into the government’s TB program.
Position Summary & Responsibilities
We are recruiting a Senior Program Officer (SPO) to translate these development activities to scaled implementation by the Government of India’s TB program, for patients seeking care in public and private sectors.
The person will be responsible to work alongside the SPO TB & HIV, and under the overall supervision of the Director Health, India Country Office. Strategic guidance and support will be provided by the Deputy Director for TB Delivery, in the Seattle-based Global TB program.
S/He will work in a matrixed effort with specialist staff of the India Country Office, as well as Seattle-based staff to help further development efforts for ICT and adherence monitoring tools, pilot and scale-up the deployment of these tools, and via advocacy and technical assistance to scale-up effective interventions for private sector engagement into policy and financing for TB control. The SPO will work closely and collaboratively with government, donors and partners to ensure that the most impactful solutions to India’s TB control challenges are adopted, sustainably financed, and effectively implemented.
Specific responsibilities include:
- To provide technical support and catalytic investments to help India achieve the outcomes articulated in India’s National Strategic Plan for TB Control, 2017-2025, particularly associated with case notification, quality of care, and implementation of new tools and strategies. This will be primarily focused on deployment and optimization of innovative systems to improve service delivery.
- To conceptualize and articulate evolution of the foundation’s India TB strategy, in concert with ICO and Seattle-based teams, to senior leadership for approval.
- To shape, execute, and oversee the foundation’s TB grant portfolio in India; to serve as partner and resource to grantees and contractors to achieve strategic objectives, create robust systems that ensure quality grantee interactions, efficient portfolio management and effective annual planning.
- To track and evaluate progress towards strategic objectives, including by not limited to foundation investments, to ensure accountability.
- To provide technical assistance on scaling up private provider engagement, translating best practices to policy and programs, to grantees, partners, and to other health programs supported by our India Country Office.
- To help India develop and execute an effective TB surveillance system, that enables monitoring of progress and adjustments of strategy and activities at all levels.
- To manage partnerships to achieve impact. For example, convene meetings of key stakeholders to drive progress, identify & cultivate new partners to build coalitions and achieve objectives.
- To contribute to integration of strategies and execution plans across teams in India.
- To represent the foundation, and shape partner agendas in line with India TB control needs and the foundation’s strategy.
- To provide critical delivery insights and feedback to global product and system development efforts.
- To engage with senior public sector/private sector professionals – the advocacy skills on regular basis.
- To lead the Foundation's India TB initiative, a matrixed team of specialist Foundation staff and partners convened to advance the TB strategy
Leadership and Culture
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.
Core Knowledge & Skills
We are looking for people who enjoy the challenge of working on complex projects and collaboratively creating solutions that have the potential for transformational change. We seek an experienced “global health diplomat” with demonstrated experience cultivating networks of partners, technical and donor agencies, and most importantly government working towards alignment with strategic goals and effective policies, planning, resourcing and execution.
Education & Experience
- A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
- Demonstrated leader, experienced with team management including managing teams with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
- A deep understanding of the realities and complexities of delivering health programs in mixed health systems and in developing settings.
- Proven ability to lead and influence data-driven strategy planning and program implementation including readjusting to ensure effectiveness.
- A strong cultural sensitivity and intelligence, with the demonstrated ability to understand and adapt to the cultural needs of counterparts.
- Experience with integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into improving health delivery systems.
- Demonstrated excellence in scientific writing and data analysis, written and oral communication skills, and experience advocating and communicating with a broad and diverse audience.
- Experience in a role requiring collaboration in a complex matrix environment.
- Passionate commitment to the mission of the foundation, a healthy insight into his/her own strengths and weaknesses, and a well-developed sense of humor.