President, U.S. Program at Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA

Job description

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 Application Instructions: The Gates Foundation is partnering with Spencer Stuart to support the search for this role. To be considered for this position, all candidates must submit their application materials directly to Spencer Stuart at GatesUSP@spencerstuart.com. This is the required application channel for the search. Nominations may also be sent to this address. Application Deadline: This role will be open for applications until October 19th, 2026. U.S. Program The U.S. Program (USP) is advancing a recently updated division-wide strategy to accelerate equitable upward mobility through educational attainment. Guided by the belief that every person should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, the division works to ensure that education is a true engine of opportunity and economic mobility in the United States. To realize this vision, the U.S. Program is focused on doubling the growth rate of credential attainment among 18–34-year-olds, resulting in 10 million more learners attaining credentials that reflect their skills and knowledge and deliver sustained economic value. Delivering on this vision requires a step-change in how the division makes decisions, allocates resources, and translates evidence into action across a complex, interdependent portfolio. The U.S. Program advances this goal through an integrated strategy spanning K-12 Teaching and Learning, Postsecondary Learning and Navigation, Data and AI Infrastructure, and Advocacy and System Improvement. Working with educators, institutions, students, families, policymakers, employers, researchers, technology leaders, community organizations, and other partners, the division identifies, develops, and scales evidence-based solutions that improve outcomes and reduce inequities across the education-to-workforce continuum. Your Role The President, U.S. Program, leads the foundation’s U.S. education strategy and the division’s long-term effort to make education a true engine of upward mobility. This role sets and stewards the division’s vision, strategy, operating model, culture, talent, partnerships, investments, and impact in the field. The President leads a complex, multi-disciplinary division through a period of significant strategic and organizational evolution, moving from strategy design to disciplined implementation and execution. Success in this role requires exceptional people leadership, including the ability to build trust, develop leaders, foster accountability, and guide a high-performing organization through significant change and transformation. The President builds and empowers a strong leadership team, creating the clarity, ownership, and decision-making authority needed for leaders to drive the division’s work forward. The President is responsible for ensuring that the U.S. Program’s structure, capabilities, decision-making, resources, and partner ecosystem are aligned to the division’s long-term ambition and near-term 2030 milestones. These include learning acceleration, gateway course completion, postsecondary enrollment, credential completion, learning mobility, AI and data infrastructure, public goods, state policy, funding, communications, and engagement.