Program Officer, Development Policy and Finance (12 month LTE)
Read straight from Gates Foundation's careers page, verified 1d ago.Seekless can tailor your résumé to it.
Seekless can write your résumé for this posting first.
Before you apply
SalaryNo pay range posted
LocationWashington, DC
Work modehybrid
Typefull-time
SeniorityMid
DepartmentDevelopment Policy and Finance (DPAF)
Company size1,001–5,000 people
PostedNov 1, 2026 · 4d ago
Verified live1d ago
At a glanceSummarised by Seekless from the posting.
Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
Benefits
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Paid time off
Paid family leave
Retirement contribution
Regional holidays
The Foundation
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
Development Policy and Finance (DPAF), part of the Gates Foundation’s Global Policy and Advocacy division, harnesses the power of finance and economics to address poverty and inequality. We serve the foundation’s economic policy, finance and analytical function by bringing rigorous economic analysis, development-finance expertise, and policy judgment to foundation strategies, investments, advocacy, and engagement with governments, multilateral development banks, international financial institutions, and other partners.
DPAF works across issues including development assistance and the future of aid, sovereign debt and fiscal space, domestic public and private resource mobilization, multilateral development banks and the international financial architecture, country macroeconomics, and other questions affecting the resources available for health, development, and poverty reduction.
DPAF is establishing a Policy Function to put its analytical and advisory role on a more systematic footing. Demand for DPAF’s expertise has grown as foundation teams seek timely perspectives on aid, debt, fiscal policy, MDBs, private finance, and domestic resource mobilization. The Policy Function combines rapid-response support for leadership and program teams with deeper knowledge production and anticipatory analysis.
DPAF also leads the foundation’s body of work on catalyzing innovative financing and domestic capital mobilization. This work seeks to unlock private, external and domestic, resources for the foundation’s priority sectors, including health and agriculture, in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. It focuses on program investments as well as advisory, and on transaction instruments as well as systemic constraints in the country-specific capital markets.
Your Role
As Program Officer, you will report to the Deputy Director, Development Policy and Finance and work in a hybrid arrangement from our Washington, DC office. You will work across two connected areas of DPAF: the Policy Function, coordinating our analytical work, and the body of work on innovative financing and domestic capital mobilization. You will work closely with the respective Senior Program Officer leading on those two areas.
You will support in the management of a defined set of investments within the innovative financing body of work and the Policy Function’s portfolio. You will, together with the SPOs build and manage relationships with external partners in these area and represent the foundation in related working groups and convenings. You will also collaborate with colleagues across program teams, regional offices, and external partners.
*This position is a limited-term position for 12 months (not to extend beyond 12/31/2027). Relocation will not be provided.
*Applications accepted until 5 PM PST on Wednesday, November 11th, 2027.
*Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
What You’ll Do
The below-mentioned areas of work will be prioritized under the management of the Deputy Director and in close collaboration with the Senior Program Officer leading the respective body of work.
Economic and policy analysis
•
Respond to analytical and policy requests from foundation leadership, program strategy teams, regional and country offices, and Global Policy and Advocacy colleagues.
•
Conduct rapid research, quantitative analysis, literature and evidence reviews, and targeted data pulls to answer concrete policy questions.
•
Lead research on topics such as blended finance structures, local currency financing, capital market development, credit enhancement, and sovereign and sub-sovereign financing. Synthesize findings into clear, decision-ready materials.
•
Draft concise, decision-ready products for leadership and cross-foundation engagements, including talking points, meeting and travel briefs, policy notes, investment memos, presentations, and short analytical memos.
•
Translate technical economic material into clear findings for non-specialist and senior audiences without losing analytical rigor or important caveats.
•
Draft and contribute to policy papers, briefs, and thought leadership that advance the foundation’s positions on private capital mobilization and domestic resource mobilization.