Senior Manager, Strategy & Implementation Management

Position description

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve.We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities.As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The Philanthropic Partnerships team (PPT) works to mobilize resources and build the next generation of champions for global health and development (GH&D), ensuring that philanthropy helps the world’s most vulnerable children survive and thrive.

Our strategy is designed to close the gap between intent and action, ensuring philanthropy supports lasting change. We engage with ultra-high-net-wealth individuals (UHNWI), corporate and private foundations, philanthropic collaboratives, advisors, family offices, and social impact investors—while also strengthening the broader philanthropic ecosystem. Key programs include: The Giving Pledge, Gates Philanthropy Partners, and initiatives that enhance the infrastructure for GH&D giving.

Over the next five years, our work will focus on mobilizing resources for priorities of GH&D and the foundation, including: expanding our approaches and partnerships to unlock more capital; growing our work across global regions; and cultivating the next generation of GH&D champions—while continuing to strengthen philanthropic ecosystems and reinforce the foundation’s leadership in global giving.

We’re accepting applications until 5:00pm PDT on January 9, 2026.

Please also include a cover letter highlighting your work to serve under-resourced communities in at least one of the foundation’s priority markets outside of the US.

Your Role

The Senior Manager enables the Philanthropic Partnerships Team to translate strategic vision into practical execution. This role sits within the Strategy, Planning & Management (SPM) function, which drives strategy development, planning, performance monitoring, and operational excellence at the Foundation. You will guide and facilitate business planning processes, manage the team’s portfolio of investments, strengthen organizational systems, and lead business improvement initiatives that enhance impact, alignment, and collaboration. You will be part of a 41-person team, that works across the foundation’s global offices and stewards an annual budget of $47m. You will manage a team of four program assistants who support the day-to-day operations of the team.

What You’ll Do

You are a strategic thinker and problem solver who combines analytical skill, operational discipline, and strong interpersonal abilities to drive progress on complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives in a matrixed organization. You balance strategy and execution, structure and creativity, and bring both rigor and empathy to your work.

Strategy and Governance Moments:

• Drive the team’s operational rhythm of business including: annual governance moments, goal-setting, budgeting and resource allocation, body of work updates, and performance tracking & measurement.

• Drive strategic planning efforts in close collaboration with the DD-SPM and the Philanthropic Partnerships Leadership Team, including research, analysis and project management to inform any strategic pivots in the portfolio. Support the team in translating strategic goals into annual implementation plans across our key geographies and markets.

• Prepare the team for annual governance moments, learning sessions, briefings with the chair and foundation leadership. Compile, analyze, and write strategy documents and progress narratives. Project manage the submission of all required materials.

Portfolio Management and Operations:

• Oversee portfolio management including: investment pipeline planning, budget forecasting, and performance tracking. Drive and monitor progress against budget and key resourcing decisions. Partner with internal stakeholders including Finance, Contracts, Legal. Prepare analysis and recommendations to enable data-driven decision-making and effective resource stewardship.

• Design and implement high-quality team engagements such as all-staff meetings, foundation week programming, team building, and learning opportunities that enable the team to deliver its strategic goals across its key geographies and by implementing the foundation’s core values (collaboration, innovation, optimism, rigor, and inclusion). Coordinate thoughtful onboarding of new members of the team.

Business Improvement and Project Management:

• Represent the team in cross-foundation forums, ensuring strategic alignment, coordination, and timely information flow between the foundation, the division, and the team.

• Run business improvement projects in support of annual planning, resource allocation, investment management, rhythm of business, and/or other strategic or programmatic priorities that will enable the to team mobilize philanthropic capital across its key geographies and markets.

• Manage and lead these special projects, establishing clear objectives, workplans, and accountabilities while maintaining momentum toward strategic outcomes.

People Management:

• Provide day-to-day supervision, guidance, and mentorship to a team of four program assistants, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment. Represent the team’s needs and contributions in broader divisional and team planning and decision-making processes.

Your Experience

• A Master’s degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.

• 10+ years of equivalent experience in business administration, public policy, international development, philanthropy or a related field with a specific focus in one of the Foundation’s priority geographies outside of the US.

• Strong financial and operational acumen, including budget planning, forecasting, and performance tracking. Ability to create structures and develop frameworks to increase clarity and transparency of decisions, trade-offs, and impact on financial and organizational resources.

• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into implementation, through exceptional project management, content mastery, business operations, monitoring & evaluation, and change management practices. Excellent analytical and communication skills, able to synthesize complex ideas and data into clear insights and practical recommendations.

• Exceptional relationship management, with a track record of building trust and alignment across diverse teams and partners. Deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the ability to integrate those values into strategy, operations, and culture.

• Demonstrated people management skills, including experience supervising and developing teams by fostering collaboration, professional growth, and accountability to deliver high-quality results.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $186,400 to $288,800 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $203,100 to $314,900 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Application instructions

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