The goal of the foundation’s Global Development (GD), Global Health (GH), Global Growth & Opportunity (GGO), and Global Policy & Advocacy (GPA) Program Divisions is to increase opportunities for people in the developing world to lift themselves out of illness, hunger, and poverty, and to help deliver targeted healthcare solutions in these regions. Our health strategies focus on Family Health [Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH); Family Planning; and Nutrition] and Infectious Diseases [HIV, TB, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD), Malaria, Enteric & Diarrheal Diseases (EDD), and Pneumonia]. These strategies are supported by functional teams that bring specialized focus on Vaccine Delivery, Integrated Delivery, Vaccine Development, Integrated Development, Discovery & Translational Sciences, and Policy & Advocacy.
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 GD Program Division, but its initiatives encompass almost the entire range of strategies that reside in our GD, GH, GGO, and GPA Programs, 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 have formed fruitful partnerships with government devoted to our shared goals, with priority emphasis on the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Our goals and operating model require leveraging the vast network of internal and external foundation partners. This role acts as on-the-ground liaison for health-related research and development grants managed by Seattle-based Program Officers, primarily in the space of MNCH, nutrition and non-vaccine related infectious diseases.
You will provide intelligence to Seattle-based teams and primary program officers for studies planned in India by conducting the following activities:
Liaison between ICO and Seattle teams
- Understand, Align and maintain knowledge of theFoundations' non-vaccine R&D product pipeline
- Focus primarily in the MNCH and Nutrition portfolios
Early phase of studies
- Facilitate pathway to the right stakeholders/institutions; relay messages/progress reports appropriately
- Help establish relationships/leverage platforms with the Indian government in coordination with primary PO’s
- Identify potential sites/platforms for study implementation
- Be liaison/convener
- Manage on the ground challenges/needs occurring in real time as related to development and execution of research investments
- Help translate new scientific insights and tools in the MNCH, nutrition and non-vaccine related infectious disease space into context in country
- Collecting input from relevant India-based Program Officers, provide input into target product profiles early
During implementation
- Facilitate pathway to study initiation/implementation
- Help identify additional data/studies which may be needed (e.g., do we need an effectiveness trial?) to keep momentum
- Help manage/facilitate day to day needs, challenges, communications
Post completion
- Liaise with program staff in Seattle and India as needed to formulate roll-out/implementation actions, based on project/pilot results
- Serve in a research/technical data translation role so that primary PO’s can generate strategies to introduce innovation into public programs, generate demand, scale, etc
- In cooperation with Program and Policy teams, collaborate with the primary PO’s to facilitate translation of findings to potential policy change, and collaborate with the relevant Policy PO to strategize how to effect that change
- Identify best use of established platforms for additional trials/pathogens/etc
- Connect primary PO to relevant county program officers and government/NGO stakeholders to provide ground level intel on delivery challenges, price point info, etc
- Epi/scientific handholding role; ‘light touch’ epi person; can assess data validity
- Plan/join site visits
- MPH or public health experience, particularly in India including field experience, scientific collaborations and ability to network
- Experience with key health and medical sciences research institutions and government, non-government, and regulatory stakeholders in India, and familiarity with Indian public health delivery system
- Experience with Indian regulatory and ethical clearance processes, how new technology is approved for procurement and use in India’s public health system
- Strong background in leading translational-research projects
- Strong knowledge with process development, preclinical studies, and regulatory procedures
- Excellence in overall epidemiology, study design, data analysis, written and oral communication skills, and experience advocating impact potential of scientific interventions and communicating with a broad and diverse audience
- Proven effectiveness as a teammate and collaborator in complex, multicultural and matrixed organizations and partnerships
- Experience working with multiple partners, including government, other donors, grantees to build a common vision and visualize simple and effective but implementable solutions to complex problems
- Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people
- Extensive project contribution and project management experience
- Works with efficiency and tact