Senior Program Officer, Novel Technologies – Regional & Transboundary Policy (Africa) at Gates Foundation in Nairobi

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 This is an embedded role within the Policy, Government Relations and Partnerships (PGRP) team within the Africa Regional Office (ARO) and works in partnership with governments and regional institutions to support country-led priorities, strengthen policy environments, and enable effective regional coordination across the continent. PGRP focuses on engaging and supporting government systems, regional platforms, and strategic partnerships at national, regional, and continental levels. This includes supporting enabling policy frameworks for novel and emerging technologies to combat malaria and other infectious diseases, grounded in country ownership, regional coordination, and strong institutional engagement. The mission of the Global Policy and Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation's work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation's objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation's resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, U.S. and Gender Equality programs and Foundation Communications to build the environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives. Application Deadline: 1st of September, 2026. The Role The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will lead the Foundation’s work on regional coordination and transboundary policy, and political engagement for novel and emerging health technologies across Africa, with a primary focus on East and West Africa. This role is designed for a senior policy, advocacy and political engagement leader, with deep expertise in biosafety policy, cross-border governance, and regional institutional processes. Experience working alongside regulatory authorities is strongly preferred. The SPO will work with national governments, African Union institutions, and Regional Economic Communities to advance regional policy coherence, political coordination, and cross border governance mechanisms needed to support Innovation that operates across borders, while supporting coherent implementation of existing regional policy and regulatory frameworks. While the Foundation’s regulatory strategy, systems strengthening, and direct engagement with national regulatory authorities is led by our IDEV team and its partners, this role will focus on the broader policy, political, and cross-border governance environment, required to enable responsible development and deployment of emerging technologies. This is a 24-month, limited-term position reporting to the Deputy Director, Advocacy & Communications Africa. What You’ll Do 1. Transboundary Policy, Governance & Political Strategy Lead the development and execution of strategy on cross-border policy, governance and political alignment for emerging health technologies Translate complex scientific, regulatory and governance dynami