Responsible for managing a discrete grant portfolio and/or providing research and analysis work in support of grant-making, strategy development, coordination, communications and advocacy.
Achieving gender equality is at the heart of work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. We believe that an equal world is a greater world and that when women and girls have an equal opportunity to live, thrive and be valued, we all benefit. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a new strategy to advance women’s economic empowerment and gender equality in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Program Officer (PO), Program Advocacy and Communications, Gender Equality, will develop and manage grants to support the effective implementation of this strategy, as well as implement communications strategies to advance advocacy outcomes in donor and global south countries.
The Program Advocacy and Communications team works in partnership with program teams and other teams in Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) to achieve their policy and finance goals by:
- Developing and coordinating the implementation of advocacy and communications strategies.
- Leveraging leadership and foundation voice to implement advocacy strategies.
- Developing and managing a grant portfolio dedicated to achieving advocacy outcomes.
- Closely advocating with sector leaders, influencers, media and government officials in order to achieve advocacy outcomes.
- Guiding issue-specific communications in service of advocacy goals.
- Developing policy recommendations or proposals in partnership with programmatic and regional offices.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of communications for advocacy strategies to generate the attention, resources, and policy changes necessary to achieve the gender equality program team’s goals.
- Track and analyze key global policy developments as well as media and communications trends relevant to gender equality.
- Manage a portfolio of grants to advance the policy and advocacy outcomes in support of the gender equality strategy.
- Assist in developing and managing partnerships and alliances to advance and refine policy, advocacy, and communications strategies.
- Contribute to the development of appropriate outreach plans for listening to outside voices, sharing the foundation’s strategies, and communicating impact.
- This role is responsible for high quality interactions and clear and consistent communications with grantees and partners in the field.
We are looking for a team member who has excellent knowledge of and experience engaging on global gender equality or other international development issues. They will bring a depth of experience in developing policy, advocacy and communications strategies, with an emphasis on external communications work. Experience working on gender equality issues and communications in a developing country context is a plus.
Specifically, the effective candidate will have:
- Deep understanding, experience and expertise in policy issues and advocacy efforts related to the empowerment of women and girls, or related international development issues, working with civil society organizations, coalitions, and governments. You closely follow global and national conversations related to gender equality, development, and international affairs.
- Experience in developing, managing and implementing creative external communications strategies and campaigns, with experience tailored to gender equality communications and campaigns preferred.
- Experience using communications tools and working with partners to achieve advocacy goals and policy change at the global and/or country level.
- Demonstrated results shaping and managing policy and advocacy organizations, programs or initiatives requiring a combination of excellent problem-solving, creativity, writing and project management skills.
- Ability to work with flexibility, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team effort.
- Comfort with working in fluid or evolving work environments as part of the foundation’s new work on gender equality
- A deep commitment to development issues.
- Ability to travel up to 25% domestically and internationally.
- High standards of personal integrity.
- Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.
- You will have some experience working in either the public or non-profit sectors, and some experience linking communications with advocacy work.