Role Overview
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. The Deputy Director, Development Policy & Finance (DPAF), Africa, leads the development and execution of Africa-facing fiscal policy and development finance strategies. This role involve translating complex macroeconomic and fiscal developments into actionable policy and advocacy priorities, ensuring alignment with broader health and economic opportunity strategies.
Key Responsibilities
Policy, Advocacy Strategy and Implementation
- Lead development and execution of Africa-facing fiscal policy and development finance strategies in close collaboration with DPAF and Program Strategy Teams (PST) Directors, country directors, and regional government relations leadership.
- Translate complex macroeconomic and fiscal developments and challenges into actionable policy and advocacy priorities.
- Ensure alignment of Africa economic policy engagement with broader advocacy strategies across health and economic opportunity.
- Translate the dialogue on development financing solutions and capital mobilization into opportunities for Africa, in particular with regard to health and agriculture.
- Lead insights and briefings to inform leadership decision-making and regional prioritization.
Government Relations and Regional Management
- Cultivate and maintain high-level relationships with ministries of finance and revenue authorities, economic planning ministries or departments, central banks, and regional institutions.
- Coordinate closely with regional government relations teams to ensure coherence of fiscal policy advocacy across regions.
Team Leadership and Capacity Building
- Supervise and mentor Senior Program Officers, fostering a high-performing team culture.
- Ensure integrated advocacy approaches and cross-team collaboration across Africa, GPA, and global program teams.
- Promote DEI values in team culture and management practices.
Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Development
- Engage with funders, development organizations, private sector, and policy researchers to strengthen the enabling environment for fiscal reforms.
- Support coordination with grantees and partners to advance policy reforms and strengthen fiscal governance.
- Facilitate leadership engagement during regional visits.
Internal Collaboration and Coordination
- Partner with GPA, Global Development, Global Health, and other divisions to ensure regional strategies reflect programmatic priorities.
- Generate context, analysis, and insights to shape advocacy and grant strategies.
Investment Management
- Oversee fiscal policy and development finance-related grantmaking portfolios in collaboration with DPAF, program strategy teams, and leadership from country offices and regional government relations in ARO.
- Lead key blended finance deals/investments in collaboration with foundation program strategy teams and DPAF leadership.
- Ensure investments are strategically aligned, impactful, and meet high-quality delivery standards.
- Support SPOs in portfolio development, management, and evaluation.
Representation and Influence
- Represent the foundation in policy dialogues, technical forums, and strategic engagements.
- Represent the foundation in continental and global platforms on development finance and macroeconomic issues.
- Support Africa development policy and global policy initiatives, including risk and reputation management.
- Contribute to GPA leadership forums to ensure Africa priorities are reflected.
Requirements and Experience
- Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Economics, Public Policy, Public Finance, International Development, or related field.
- Minimum 15+ years of senior-level experience in development finance, fiscal policy, or macroeconomic policy analysis.
- Strong stakeholder experience, including working with African ministries of finance, central banks, regional and global economic institutions (e.g., World Bank, AfDB, IMF).
- Demonstrated leadership overseeing complex policy or advocacy portfolios.
- Strong analytical capabilities and ability to communicate economic insights effectively.
- Political acumen and an in-depth understanding of Sub-Saharan Africa’s political economy.
- Proven ability to mentor and develop senior staff.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should apply online via the application portal by clicking the link provided below.
