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, weโre committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.
The TeamThe Africa Team works to enable the foundationโs high-reaching goals of scaling evidence-based interventions that target a range of diseases and socio-economic conditions which are endemic across Sub-Saharan Africa. The team drives its responsibility through direct country engagement to deploy interventions and delivery models, and by building the partner architecture to replicate successful interventions and models across multiple countries
This position is a limited-term position for 12 months. Relocation will not be provided.
Application Deadline:7/9/25
Your Role
The Senior Program Officer, Health will play a key role in shaping and implementing the foundationโs evolving strategy to accelerate health impact across the continent. As part of the Africa teamโs updated strategic vision, this role will focus on strengthening country execution capacity, optimizing health financing, and scaling innovations that improve maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and infectious disease outcomes.
Reporting to the Deputy Director for Health & Delivery Systems, the SPO will lead the development and implementation of Health Transformation Units (HTUs) in partnership with Ministries of Health. These units will support governments to accelerate introduction and scale of priority innovations, align and optimize resource allocation for health, and drive sub-national execution of delivery programs. The SPO will also lead work in the development and implementation of innovative delivery initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery platforms such as community-based delivery platforms.
What Youโll Do
Strategy & Oversight โ Health Transformation Units (HTUs)
Lead the design, launch, and ongoing support of Health Transformation Units (HTUs) in partnership with various government ministries (MoH, HoS office, etc.), with a focus on priority foundation geographies in East and Southern Africa
Support national governments in accelerating the introduction and scale-up of priority Program Strategy Team (PST) health innovations, especially those targeting MNCH and infectious disease outcomes, through the HTU model.
Work to institutionalize HTUs as effective platforms for performance management, donor coordination, and problem-solving, ensuring they are fully embedded in government structures.
Facilitate the alignment of planning, budgeting, and implementation processes between national and sub-national levels to optimize the use of resources for priority health outcomes.
Provide technical assistance (TA) to strengthen the capacity of Ministries of Health to translate HTU strategies into costed plans, and liaise with Africa team government relations colleagues to ensure those plans are reflected in actual budget allocations and execution cycles. Collaborate with Ministries of Finance, donors, and technical partners to align domestic and external financing behind HTU-led priorities and national health goals. Promote the use of real-time data and digital tools within HTUs to drive decisions, monitor performance, and adjust strategies in a timely manner.
Collaborate with local universities to establish learning, documentation and policy development centres of excellence for long-term sustainability and capacity building
Incorporate monitoring, learning and evaluation (MLE) strategies within targeted investments, including supporting intra- and cross-country learning/ sharing platform
Innovative Delivery
Lead and support quality planning initiatives at national and regional levels, including policy and regulatory development, health workforce planning (HRH), and clinical skills enhancement (e.g., telemedicine strategies), to drive evidence-based delivery innovations for women and children.
Design quality control and improvement efforts at subnational level, such as performance management, data system integration, district health system design, and quality improvement collaborations aimed at strengthening community health systems.
Oversee the design and implementation of platforms & methodologies to improve efficiency and cost of health delivery
Support the scaling and adaptation of models across geographies, leveraging insights and data from early implementation.
Ensure the community health worker platform advances cost-efficiency, integration with primary care, digital tools, and supply chain improvements.
Collaborate with partners to generate and disseminate evidence on cost drivers, financing gaps, and performance benchmarks at the community level.
Cross-Cutting Responsibilities
Identify, cultivate, and manage strategic partnerships that enhance technical and financial resources for MNCH and infectious disease programs in priority geographies.
Actively engage with bilateral and multilateral donors, regional bodies, philanthropies, and implementing organizations to align and pool support.
Ensure all workstreams are grounded in country ownership, equity, and sustainability principles.
Provide analytical and strategic input across the Africa teamโs health systems and product & program delivery portfolios.
Commission and manage technical assistance and evaluations, as needed, and contribute to internal learning and strategy adaptation.
Maintain close collaboration with PSTs across the foundation (e.g., MNCH, FP, Malaria, PHC, HIV/TB) to ensure โone foundationโ approach to the work.
Represent the foundation in high-level government and partner engagements, building legitimacy, technical buy-in, and political will for the HTU model as a vehicle for scalable and sustainable health transformation.
Your Experience
Minimum 10 years of experience in global health or development, with a strong focus on health systems, financing, or service delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Demonstrated success working with Ministries of Health and/or Finance on national health strategy, budgeting, or implementation planning.
Proven ability to design, lead, or support delivery units, transformation platforms, or performance management initiatives within public sector settings.
Strong understanding of public financial management, donor alignment, and integration of external funding with national priorities.
Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared/joint objectives, both internally and externally. Ability to orchestrate effective decisions across a broad range of issues and stakeholders, assess progress, analyze gaps, and make necessary changes.
Strategic Approach: Proactively conceive future possibilities and opportunities and translate them into strategies, concrete theories of change, and actions. Ability to think/act like an investor and a creative and generative thinker. Innovative and open-minded approach; ability to question and challenge colleagues including managers and partners constructively.
Other Attributes
Manages complexity and ambiguity effectively: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems โ especially in managing relations (with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture, and distance and in a politically demanding environment.)
Demonstrated ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, and diplomacy in a complex, fast paced environment both in Africa and at headquarters. Commitment to the foundationโs core values, mission, and programs with an approach that is consistent with the foundationโs guiding principles and holding self to the highest ethical standards.
Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.
Hiring Requirements
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
Candidate Accommodations
If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.
Inclusion Statement
We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion โ of voices, ideas, and approaches โ and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.
All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.