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 Global Health (GH) division harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in countries. We focus on the health problems that have an impact in developing countries but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery. Where they do not, we invest in research and development of interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Our work focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, and pneumonia. These programs strategy teams are supported by functional teams that focus on Discovery and Translational Sciences, Vaccine Development, the Accelerator, and Integrated Development.

The foundation’s Tuberculosis (TB) team aims to address key gaps along the TB care pathway through new approaches to protect against infection, preventing progression from infection to disease, and improving diagnosis and treatment. Our efforts are diversified based on the understanding that vaccines, diagnostics, drugs, and improved care delivery are all essential to addressing the TB epidemic.

Nigeria and Ethiopia together account for a significant share of the global TB burden, yet both countries face persistent challenges in detecting and treating TB cases, mobilizing and efficiently using available funding, and building the data systems needed to drive program improvement. This Limited Term Employee (LTE) position is established to provide dedicated, regionally embedded support to the national TB programs in these two countries during a critical period of program strengthening.

Your Role

This is a limited-term position ending on December 31, 2027. Relocation support will not be provided.

As the SPO, TB Country Support for Nigeria & Ethiopia, you will serve as a trusted technical partner to the national TB programs in Nigeria and Ethiopia, engaging government counterparts, implementing partners, and Global Fund principal recipients to assess program needs and facilitate targeted support.

Your work will span four interconnected areas: TB screening, case finding and diagnostics introduction; funding efficiency and resource optimization; data systems and surveillance strengthening; and TB-HIV integration within primary health care. You will generate structured assessments and recommendations that inform both country-level program decisions and the foundation’s strategy and investments.

This role reports to the Deputy Director, Immunization and Disease Control, in Nigeria, with a dotted-line report to the Director, HIV & TB Delivery, based in the UK. The position can be based in either Nigeria or Ethiopia.

What You’ll Do

1. Country Engagement and Needs Assessment

This is the foundational function of the role. You will establish and sustain substantive working relationships with national TB program leadership, Ministry of Health counterparts, Global Fund principal recipients, and key implementing partners in both countries.

• Conduct structured assessments of TB program performance, gaps, and priorities in Nigeria and Ethiopia, including through in-country visits, stakeholder consultations, and review of program data and reports.

• Identify and document specific areas where the foundation and its partners could provide high-value, time-bound technical or financial support.

• Develop country engagement plans for each country, to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis in collaboration with ARO colleagues and the Seattle TB/HIV team.

• Facilitate dialogue between country stakeholders and foundation program teams to ensure that potential support is grounded in national priorities and implementable within existing systems.

2. TB Case Finding: Pluslife Introduction and Screening Tools

A priority area for this role is supporting both countries to expand TB case finding through the introduction of new diagnostic and screening technologies, with particular focus on Pluslife and complementary screening tools.

• Assess the readiness of national TB programs in Nigeria and Ethiopia to introduce and scale Pluslife, including policy and regulatory status, laboratory and health facility capacity, supply chain requirements, and workforce readiness.
• Map existing TB screening and diagnostic infrastructure and identify gaps and opportunities for deploying portable molecular tools and screening technologies to increase case detection — particularly among high-risk and hard-to-reach populations.
• Monitor early implementation and adoption of new tools where rollout is underway, documenting lessons and surfacing issues for rapid problem-solving.
• Provide technical input to country proposals and operational plans related to TB case finding scale-up.

3. Efficient Use of Domestic and Global Fund Resources

Both Nigeria and Ethiopia receive substantial Global Fund investments in TB, and both are increasing domestic health financing commitments. This role will support more strategic and efficient use of these resources.

• Conduct rapid assessments of TB program funding flows, expenditure patterns, and resource allocation in each country, drawing on GF grant performance reports, national health accounts, and program data.

• Identify opportunities to reduce duplication, improve value for money, and strengthen alignment between domestic and external financing for TB — including during GF grant renewal cycles.

• Provide technical support to national programs in the development of TB funding gap analyses and investment cases, as requested.

• Work with country teams and the ARO to identify where foundation catalytic investments could unlock more efficient or expanded use of GF or domestic resources.

• Liaise with GF country teams, principal recipients, and the Stop TB Partnership country support mechanisms to coordinate support and avoid overlap.

4. Data Systems, TB Data Use, and Integrated Surveillance

Improving the availability, quality, and use of TB data is essential for program performance management and for the transition to integrated disease surveillance. This LTE will support both countries to strengthen their data ecosystems.

• Assess current TB data systems in Nigeria and Ethiopia, including DHIS2 configurations, TB case notification and treatment outcome reporting, laboratory information systems, and linkages to national health information platforms.
• Support national programs to develop and implement data use improvement plans, including data review mechanisms, performance dashboards, and feedback loops to facilities.
• Facilitate the integration of TB data flows into broader integrated disease surveillance frameworks, working with relevant government counterparts, WHO, and CDC where present.

• Liaise with the foundation’s data and digital health colleagues and other SPO’s to ensure country data needs inform relevant strategies, investments and technical assistance efforts.

5. TB-HIV Integration into Primary Health Care

Strengthening the integration of TB and HIV services within primary health care is a strategic priority in both countries. This role will support the identification and development of integration models suited to each country context.

• Assess the current state of TB-HIV service integration in Nigeria and Ethiopia, including coverage, quality, and system-level enablers and barriers at the PHC level.

• Engage national TB and HIV program leadership, as well as PHC and community health program stakeholders, to identify priority entry points for stronger integration.

• Support the development or refinement of national guidelines, standard operating procedures, and operational tools for integrated TB-HIV service delivery within PHC settings.

• Facilitate linkages between country programs and global technical resources, including WHO guidance, implementation of learning networks, and foundation-supported partners working on PHC integration.

• Document models and lessons that can inform the foundation’s broader TB-HIV integration strategy across the Africa portfolio.

6. Knowledge Management and Reporting

• Produce high-quality country assessments, trip reports, stakeholder engagement summaries, and technical briefs that translate field insights into actionable recommendations for the ARO and Seattle-based teams.

• Support the NTP programs to track indicators to monitor progress on scale-up and access.

• Contribute to the TB/HIV Program Strategy Team’s learning agenda by sharing country experiences and evidence relevant to strategy and investment decisions.
• Maintain structured documentation of engagement plans, key contacts, and progress against identified priorities for each country.

Your Experience

• Advanced degree (MSc, MPH, MD, or equivalent) in public health, epidemiology, health systems, or a related field; a minimum of 8–10 years of relevant experience in TB program implementation, health systems strengthening, or related areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Direct experience working with national TB programs and/or Ministries of Health in Nigeria and/or Ethiopia is strongly preferred; experience with either country is essential.
• Demonstrated knowledge of TB case finding strategies, diagnostics, and screening approaches, including familiarity with molecular diagnostic platforms and the landscape of TB technologies relevant to high-burden African settings.
• Strong understanding of Global Fund grant architecture, grant cycles, and program performance monitoring, and experience working with GF principal recipients or sub-recipients.
• Practical experience with health information systems, TB surveillance, and DHIS2 or similar platforms; ability to analyze program data and translate findings into recommendations.
• Experience with TB-HIV co-infection programming and integrated service delivery within PHC systems in resource-constrained settings.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills; ability to build trust and work effectively across government, civil society, and international partner environments.
• Ability to work independently in a dynamic, matrixed environment while maintaining strong alignment with remote teams across multiple time zones.

Other Attributes

• Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where the position is based.
• This role requires extensive in-country travel, with up to 50–60% of time spent in Nigeria and Ethiopia. Flexibility to travel as needed to support active program processes is expected. Occasional travel to Seattle or other ARO locations will also be required for team planning and coordination.
• This is a 12-month LTE role, ending December 31, 2027.
• The position can be based in either Nigeria or Ethiopia.
• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in a local language of the role's location is an asset.

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

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you have a disability or medical condition and need an accommodation at any stage of the application or interview process—such as an ASL interpreter, alternative interview format, or physical accessibility support—we’re happy to help. Please contact HR@gatesfoundation.org with the position number and a brief description of your accommodation needs. Requests will be handled confidentially.

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.