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

Our Global Health Program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives and prevent disease. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools and interventions exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery and implementation in populations. Where they do not, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, pneumonia, and polio. The objective of the Enterics, Diagnostics, Genomics, & Epidemiology (EDGE) Team is to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through advancing products, tools, and platforms designed for in-country implementation, and improving quality of and access to data and information for public health decision making. The team is a trifecta of strategic initiatives that include the Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases (EDD), Genomic Epidemiology & Modeling (GEM), and Diagnostics & Devices programs. Guided by the burden of disease and the threat of outbreaks, we develop vaccines, diagnostics, and tools for detection and surveillance of pathogens for delivery to our target populations. This position within EDGE team is in support of our broader strategy focused on end-to-end product and platform development for diagnostics, devices and vaccines with a clear throughline to patient impact in LMICs.

Your Role

This Platform & Portfolio Lead role works with Enterics and Diagnostics domains within the EDGE team and facilitates planning of our pipeline and portfolio. These include our broad spectrum of diagnostics and devices in development in support of various program strategies across the foundation and our portfolio of vaccines targeted at reducing burden from enteric and diarrheal diseases. In this role, you will collaborate with and help the technical team to keep our product strategies current and aligned to overall program strategy use cases and evolving scientific data. You will be responsible for ensuring a healthy portfolio/pipeline of product candidates in place to balance timeline, probability of technical & regulatory success (PTRS), launch readiness & deliverability, and internal and external funding considerations. Throughout, you will synthesize information around and facilitate end-to-end roadmap discussions on product candidates and portfolio mix needed over the next 10-12 years. To facilitate these functions, you will work with the internal enterics and diagnostics & devices domains, cross-functional teams, and external partners to maintain target product profiles (TPPs) and integrated product development plans (IPDPs) across the R&D portfolio, build data packages and leadership communication materials to drive stage-gate decisions, and ensure R&D portfolio management data systems stay current.

*This is a 12-month LTE backfill position.

What You’ll Do

Collaborate with the technical team (e.g., program officers with responsibilities and expertise for each of product and functional area) to:

• Develop and vet long-term and end-to-end R&D portfolio optimization, product development and launch readiness plans aligned with product strategies.
• Map out and maintain a view on long horizon decision points and resourcing needs across a product portfolio/pipeline and the resultant scenarios and dependencies for discovery, development, and launch - manage the end to end of products.
• Work collaboratively across the foundation to develop and implement target product profiles (TPPs), integrated product development plans (IPDPs), and lead Cost of Goods (COGS) analysis with foundation partners and grantees.
• Lead stage gate reviews of partner programs.
• Liaise closely with internal subject matter experts to co-develop and test R&D strategy implementation plans and facilitate change management through effective communication and relationship management.
• Maintain awareness of and recommend coordination with other related efforts within the organization and partner ecosystem (such as mRNA vaccine platform efforts).
• Provide an independent perspective on potential R&D timeline acceleration opportunities, based on experience and secondary research.
• Identify and assess key risks at both the portfolio and product level (e.g., manufacturing and IP risks) while also developing and managing mitigation and contingency plans.
• Work closely with key external partners to keep plans current, well vetted, and shared with key stakeholders, such that there is timely visibility of acceleration opportunities and/or risks.
• Propose to the team and partners internal/external analysis from subject matter experts to ensure acceleration opportunities and risks are managed (e.g., drug synthesis and formulation analysis to drive down costs of goods).
• Conduct ad hoc Excel-based (‘back of the envelope’) quantitative analysis and literature reviews as needed to guide strategic decision making.
• Maintain a portfolio of investments that are in line with the strategic direction of the Diagnostic, Device and Enterics vaccine programs.

Your Experience

We are looking for team members who enjoy working on complex problems and collaboratively crafting R&D strategy and implementation plans that have the potential to transform the lives of people around the world. Candidates must be excellent team players who are excited to work across a diverse set of disciplines and issue areas.

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in a STEM field. Advanced degree (PhD, MPH) or equivalent experience preferred
• Minimum 10 years of experience preferred focused on pharma & life sciences R&D strategy and operations, at either a pharma and/or life sciences company
• Understanding and experience with lessons learned in taking products through stages of development, including clinical/field trials, manufacturing, regulatory approval, and/or launch
• Familiarity with industry standard practices, such as use case and TPP development, cross-functional/integrated product planning, and stage-gate decision-making
• Demonstrated experience with critical thinking in new and ambiguous situations; ability to learn new content quickly, identify connections and second-order implications, and establish credibility with internal/external teams
• Ability to work in a self-guided manner, in highly unstructured and changing situations, and can multitask across priorities; self-starter with a bias for action, thought partnership, efficiency, humility, intellectual curiosity, and investing in relationships
• Ability to question and challenge colleagues including managers, senior leaders, and partners in a constructive manner
• Ability to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally

Other Attributes

• Core professional services skillset is critical to be successful in this role: Excellent organizational, facilitation, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to work effectively and with sensitivity across barriers such as language, culture, and distance. Excellent software skills with Microsoft Office applications, including a demonstrated ability to convey complex information using supporting tables, graphs, and other visual representations
• Excellent listening skills and empathy
• Commitment to our core values, mission, and programs with an approach that is consistent with the foundation’s guiding principles and holding self to the highest ethical standards

*Must be able to legally work in the US without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $186,400 to $288,800 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 $203,100 to $314,900 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.