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

The mission of the Global Policy & 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 partners 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 an environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives.

The Program Advocacy and Communications (PAC) team works in partnership with program teams, regional offices, and other teams in GPA to achieve their policy and finance goals by:
• Developing and coordinating the execution of advocacy and communications strategies.
• Developing, when required, resource mobilization strategies in collaboration with relevant teams.
• Bringing to bear leadership and foundation voice to implement advocacy strategies.
• Developing and handling a grant portfolio dedicated to achieving advocacy outcomes.
• Directly advocating with sector leaders, influencers, media, and government officials in order to achieve advocacy outcomes.
• Leading issue-specific communications in service of advocacy goals.
• Developing policy recommendations or proposals in partnership with programmatic and regional offices.

Your Role

The Senior Program Officer, Agriculture Advocacy (SPO) will be responsible for implementing advocacy and communications strategies to advance the policy, financing, and leverage goals of the foundation’s Agricultural Development program (AgDev). The AgDev program aims to catalyze a country-led, inclusive, agricultural transformation (IAT) process by developing and scaling products, services, policies, and system-wide innovations that benefit small-scale producers, empower women, and improve nutritional outcomes. We aim to help farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA) be empowered with the knowledge, tools, and technologies to improve their livelihoods and lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

The team has a strong focus on adaptation to climate shocks which is critical for the hundreds of millions of people who depend on agriculture to support their families, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Recognizing that to achieve IAT and adapt to climate change, countries need strong political will, high-quality national agricultural investment plans and adaptation plans and projects, and an enabling environment that enables innovation, the foundation has developed an advocacy and communications strategy on agriculture. This strategy seeks to increase and align donor support and financing for agriculture and the global agriculture architecture; strengthen country policies and data for accountability; enhance the enabling environment for innovation; and to support countries to access climate finance for agricultural adaptation needs.

*This position is a limited-term position for 12 months. Relocation will not be provided. Our preference is to hire a candidate located in Seattle, WA, however we are open to remote candidates currently located in the US only. We are unable to hire remote employees located outside of the US.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

What You'll Do

The SPO, working in partnership with the AgDev program team, Regional Offices and PAC colleagues, will:

• Support the implementation of the foundation’s agricultural development advocacy strategy, with a focus on global donor advocacy and the enabling environment for innovations in focus countries.

• Work individually and with other program officers to manage a portfolio of investments of agriculture advocacy partners in donor markets and LMICs, including oversight of portfolio budget and all related grant-making processes (e.g., investment reviews, strategic alignment, grantee engagement, etc.).

• Lead high-impact and complex partnerships, coalitions, and advocacy campaigns including effectively coordinating networks of grantees.

• Provide in-depth advocacy and communications counsel and support to key grantees and partners.

• In partnership with GPA and Regional Office team colleagues, maintain and manage relationships with critical donor and emerging economy governments, sector partners, normative and research agencies, and multilateral institutions on agricultural development issues.

• Represent the foundation and our strategies to external constituencies. This could include formal and informal presentations such as making speeches, attending conferences, committee representation, and other meetings. May serve on boards and working groups.

• Write and produce clear, concise, and insightful briefings, messaging, reports, email updates, and other materials on key agriculture topics and relevant issues for foundation leadership.

• Participate in and learn from the foundation's Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to ensure that we are continuing to make progress toward realizing our commitments.

• Participate in AgDev and cross-GPA team efforts to enhance our integration, accelerate impact, and maintain a cohesive and dynamic culture.

• Travel up to 30% of the time.

Your Experience

• Advanced degree in public policy, international relations, agricultural development, climate science, development, or a related field with 7+ years of progressive senior-level experience leading advocacy initiatives in agriculture or development issues.

• Deep understanding of the role of advocacy and communications efforts to increase awareness of global development issues and shape political and financial support for these issues with governmental and non-state organizations.

• Experience working on agricultural development policy and financing and understanding of global donor landscape for agricultural development.

• Experience working on advocacy with global donors and multilateral institutions including interaction with senior-level policy makers, civil society organizations, coalitions, and governments.

• Understanding of key global and regional financial institutions and mechanisms including how they make policy and fund development programs at national and regional level.

• Proven track record of providing vision and influencing others in a constructive, optimistic manner, while building and sustaining collaborative relationships.

• Outstanding project and leadership skills including the ability to lead strategy development through execution, develop shared goals and execution plans, prioritize, facilitate meetings, run budgets, develop consensus, and work both autonomously and collaboratively.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus, ideal.

• Experience handling a grant's portfolio either as a grantee, receiving and reporting on a grant, or as a grant manager, with direct responsibility for grant-making and management.

• Experience developing and managing complex projects and/or grants in support of policy initiatives, advocacy programs, and events at the global, regional, and national levels.

• Strong initiative, organizational skills, and ability to work autonomously and cross-functionally while remaining flexible to changing tasks, priorities, and roles and responsibilities.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $208,600 to $323,400 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $227,400 to $352,400 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

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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 — of voices, ideas, and approaches — 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.