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 TeamPartnerships for Impact (P4I) aims to enable enduring impact by integrating principles for how we identify, strengthen, and engage with partners throughout our strategy and investment processes to achieve scalable and sustainable outcomes. A key aim is for the partners we choose and how the foundation works with them to better reflect and empower the communities we serve to achieve sustainable impact.
Partnerships for Impact is one of five Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Focus Areas, cross-foundation initiatives prioritized by the foundationโs ELT. Last year, P4I started a new phase of work jointly sponsored by the Chief People Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, with three main areas:
1) Strategy integration โ embedding partnership principles into strategy development and implementation to ensure strategies are informed by local insights and partner portfolios are maximizing impact;
2) Program integration โ equipping program officers with the necessary guidance, tools and supports to apply partner-centered approaches in grantmaking that drive enduring impact;
3) Measurement โ establishing clear standards and metrics for assessing the impact of partnerships, synthesizing existing data sources, and identifying exemplary models of effective partnership engagement.
Due to the cross-cutting nature of this work, the team that drives this work is drawn from multiple divisions and functions, with strong collaboration with all of our Program Divisions.
Application Deadline: 12/9/2025
Your Role
Your primary focus will be to lead and localize enterprise efforts that improve partner experience and drive deeper engagement within our Program Officer Community and related communities of practice. In addition, you will support the Foundationโs shift toward stronger regional presence, better grantee coordination, and sustainability-focused partnerships. In this role, you will work closely with Strategy, Planning & Management (SPM), Program Strategy Teams (PSTs), and implementing partners to support and accelerate the Foundationโs impact across priority geographies.
You will build and nurture communities, foster connection and trust, and amplify learning and collaboration across the partnership ecosystem. You will support partners in navigating complexity, especially as global funding landscapes evolve, and help improve their experience across the grant lifecycle.
As a Senior Officer, Partnerships for Impact, you will report to the Deputy Director, Partnerships for Impact. You will be part of a team situated in the Office of the Chief People Officer (CPO) in the combined HR/DEI function as part of the Business Operations division. The role is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
What Youโll Do
Partner Engagement and Support
Plan and implement strategies to improve the consistency, quality and contextual relevance of partnersโ experience, with an emphasis on strengthening the African partner ecosystem.
Work closely with Program Coordinators (SPCs) and regional teams to expand support to partners, focusing on deeper capacity building and long-term sustainability.
Lead content curation and management of the new partner onboarding website. Support longer-term planning to expand content to provide resources and information throughout the partnership life cycle.
Collaborate with regional and country offices to support planning and implementation of Partner Forums and other regionally-based partner engagement activities and committees.
Drive development and execution of a partner communications strategy. Develop partner-centered messaging and communications in collaboration with the Communications division.
Support implementation of the foundation wide Grantee Perception Survey, ensuring that partner feedback is integrated into foundation processes and decision-making. Reflect partner feedback into development and updating of PO learning content.
Support development of learning content for investment makers on managing partner relationships.
Explore opportunities to pilot and test new and innovative approaches to engaging partners at an enterprise level.
Collaborate with partners and internal teams to co-develop tools and training that address the changing development financing landscape.
Serve as a thought partner and connector to help partners adapt, innovate, and pursue diversified funding pathways.
Program Officer (PO) Community Engagement and Content Development
Design and lead a PO Community engagement strategy grounded in regional realities and partnership complexity, with the aim of equipping Program Officers to foster high-impact, locally relevant, and sustainable partnerships.
Rapidly test and evaluate new tactics for driving greater engagement among program officers and increasing uptake of learning resources.
Plan and manage a PO Community editorial calendar that balances enterprise-wide learning needs with regionally driven insights and storytelling.
Lead direct outreach to the Program Officer Community, building your own voice and presence as a trusted resource.
Provide thought partnership and support to communities of practice that support peer learning and knowledge sharing.
Delivery and Adoption
Support strategy development for content launch and delivery, applying creative and innovative methods to drive awareness and adoption.
Actively engage with program teams and the Program Officer Community to promote new content and facilitate uptake.
Plan and lead learning sessions and trainings as needed as part of content delivery implementation.
Integrate an intentional change management approach in content development and delivery to drive uptake and adoption of PO behaviors and practices aligned with the foundationโs partnerships philosophy and organizational values.
Partner with regional and program teams to pilot, adapt, and scale learning products for broader uptake across teams and geographies.
Partner Coordination and Ecosystem Learning
Facilitate stronger coordination among grantees in similar thematic or geographic areas to reduce duplication, promote learning, and increase synergy.
Support or co-create regional and thematic convenings to foster community, joint problem-solving, and shared accountability.
Document field-level insights and surface promising practices and partnership challenges to inform global learning and decision-making.
Foster information sharing and highlighting successful partnerships between the public and private sectors that can offer guidance for future plans and transitions.
Internal Collaboration and Alignment
Build tight-knit collaborations with other operational functions and divisions in order to deliver on P4I objectives, including HR, IT, Communications, and Finance.
Develop close collaboration with Program Divisions and Regional and Country Offices (RCOs) to ensure that users are centered in the development and delivery of the new program, that different global contexts are reflected, and that new content is co-created and tested with pilot program teams and RCOs as part of an iterative development process.
Collaborate with the Foundation Strategy Office and other P4I partners to prepare updates and reporting to Executive Sponsors and the Executive Leadership Team.
Your Experience
Extensive 10-year background in leading, developing, and managing intricate partnerships globally, particularly within philanthropy.
Experience making and managing grants is a plus, demonstrating a deep understanding of principles and approaches to high impact, partner-centered grant-making in a global context.
Significant experience in community-building, developing and implementing strategies that drive greater engagement among target audiences.
Deep understanding of tactics and strategies to drive uptake and adoption of new practices and behavior change.
Demonstrated ability to engage with stakeholders across differences and context and forge collaboration towards a shared goal. Experience working in a matrix environment (i.e., ability to influence without formal authority).
Proven record of driving complex projects to concrete outcomes. Experience with hands-on project management including workplans, resource allocation, communications, analysis, facilitation, and stakeholder/leadership engagement.
Strength in structured problem solving and strategic business planning, with the ability to easily identify and communicate frameworks to analyze issues and synthesize disparate information.
Demonstrated ability to build credibility with and influence senior leaders, peers, and cross-functional teams in a global, complex organization.
Proficient written and verbal communicator with proven expertise in crafting and executing impactful communication strategies, including experience designing messaging for diverse internal and external audiences. Curious and listens intently and with a bias toward being responsive and productive. Strong preparation and presentation of executive-level information.
Strong demonstrated skills and behaviors aligned with our values and value-based behaviors: collaboration, inclusion, rigor, innovation, optimism. Possess and champion an environment of learning and a growth mindset.
High level of cultural competence.
Experience working in at least one of the foundationโs programmatic areas desirable.
Other Attributes
Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behaviour with a diverse range of people and a deep commitment to development issues and high standards of personal integrity.
Ability to travel up to 40% domestically and internationally.
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.