Senior Program Assistant, Neglected Tropical Diseases and Vaccine Development

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 low- and middle-income countries. We focus on health problems that have a major impact in developing countries but receive too little attention and funding. Where proven tools and interventions exist, we support sustainable delivery and implementation at scale. Where they do not, we invest in research and development of new interventions, including vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. Our work spans multiple infectious disease portfolios and is supported by highly matrixed, cross-cutting teams including Vaccine Development (VDev) and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). The VDev team focuses on accelerating the development and commercialization of novel vaccines and the sustainable manufacturing of existing vaccines particularly for these countries. The NTD team works across technical, operational, and regional partners to advance ambitious disease control and elimination goals for 8 of the 20 WHO-recognized neglected tropical diseases.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, November 18, 2026

Your Role

The Senior Program Assistant (SPA) is a key member of both the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) and Vaccine Development (VDev) teams working closely with the Director, who leads both teams, and the team-dedicated Deputy Director Strategy, Planning & Management. The SPA acts as a trusted partner and steward of leadership time while providing comprehensive administrative support and proactive communications. In the Global Health Division, our SPAs support up to 5 principals beyond the Director with activities that vary by role such as complex meeting scheduling, international travel support, and convening planning and logistics. In addition to core administrative responsibilities, the SPA contributes meaningfully to team culture, operations, and rhythm of business processes in collaboration with Strategy, Planning & Management (SPM) and Office of the President (OoP) partners. To do this well, the SPA is expected to have a working understanding of team priorities, goals, initiatives, major deadlines, and organizational dynamics to inform scheduling and support decisions.

• This role is based in Seattle, WA and in line with the foundation's commitment to hybrid work, requires working from the office approximately 50% of the time. Please note that relocation assistance is not available for this position.

Core Administrative Expectations

• Provide administrative support by anticipating and managing competing priorities, proactively handling high volumes of complex emails, and coordinating workflow and rhythm of business support.
• Exercise sound judgment about when to act independently within agreed boundaries and when to seek guidance or escalate, bringing recommendations rather than only identifying problems.
• Represent leadership priorities in cross-team and cross-functional interactions by acting as a point of coordination and alignment with internal partners and external customers.
• Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and digital tools to streamline support, enhance efficiency, and continuously improve processes rather than simply maintaining them.

Calendar Management

• Strategically manage active and complex calendar for team Director and other assigned team leaders, requiring frequent engagement with internal and external parties across multiple time zones.

• Assess each scheduling request against the principal's priorities, preparation needs, and competing commitments while anticipating and resolving calendar conflicts before they become problems.

• For Director support:

• Partner with the Director and DDSPM to shape a balanced calendar that makes room for strategic priorities, focused work, time with leaders inside and outside the organization, and the day-to-day business that keeps things moving.

• Look ahead on the Director's behalf, reviewing upcoming commitments, so they walk into every decision and meeting feeling prepared.

• Offer thoughtful recommendations that help the Director weigh competing priorities and protect their time.

Director Communication & Coordination

• Keep information flowing smoothly to and from the Director, so they always have a clear view of key updates, decisions, and follow-ups, and can set priorities and make decisions with confidence.
• Share a short daily recap that highlights anything needing the Director's input, with clear options and what each would mean. Spot what matters most and flag it early.
• Partner with lead staff to plan materials and briefings for important meetings, so the Director always walks in feeling well prepared.

Team Culture & Coordination

• Lead projects to strengthen team culture and ways of working across the NTD and VDev teams, while enabling greater consistency and standards across shared operations.
• Coordinate and facilitate team member onboarding and offboarding in partnership with hiring managers.
• Represent NTD and VDev teams on the space planning committee and GHET Support Team group.
• Maintain awareness of key foundation, division-wide, and cross-team updates and initiatives, highlighting relevant information to leadership and team partners.
• Work on team and division special projects as needed or aligned to professional development goals.

Team Events & Travel Support

• Support team-wide and leadership meetings as assigned, which could include retreats, partner convenings, and executive presentations.
• Manage event logistics, travel, communications, and materials in coordination with internal and external sponsors.
• Drive readiness and follow-through for recurring leadership meetings and operating cadences, including preparing agendas and materials and tracking action items and follow-ups.
• Complete travel-related tasks in a timely way including complex and detailed itineraries, visa applications, travel arrangements, and expense reports for Director (all travel) and Deputy Directors (international only).
• Ensure completeness and readiness of logistical and trip briefing materials in coordination with internal and external sponsors.

Collaboration & Business Operations

• Build trusted relationships across teams and executive offices by understanding business priorities, following through reliably, and facilitating communication between groups.
• Proactively manage and prioritize high volumes of requests and correspondence, with timely communication and sound judgment.
• Represent the Director with confidence, discretion, and professionalism in interactions with senior leaders and partners, including under pressure.
• Manage highly sensitive matters with strict confidentiality and expedite issues appropriately.
• Partner with support team and business team to improve and maintain knowledge management processes through platforms such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, OneNote, and AI tools. Maintain distribution lists, SharePoint sites, and MS Teams channels as assigned.
• Contribute to improving the support community practices, processes, and tools across the division.

Your Experience

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Experience in an administrative job supporting senior management or executives within a fast-paced, matrixed environment required.
• Ability to prioritize effectively, use time precisely, communicate decisions and process to execution in a clear effective manner.
• Demonstrates excellence with calendar management, international travel support, and event planning coordination.
• Experience managing complex assignments and projects that require initiative, independent problem-solving, and resourcefulness.
• Strong ability to balance the support needs of multiple individuals with varied work, communication, and learning styles.
• Understanding of how to identify and anticipate leadership and team needs and opportunities and how to champion and resolve them.
• Adept at building relationships to gain respect and trust of others; including internally and externally (e.g., grantees and high-level officials).
• Experience adopting approach, goals, and methods to achieve solutions and results in dynamic situations, helping others deal with the ongoing demands of change.
• Strong organizational, time management, and project management skills that reflect the ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.
• Experience working with MS Office suite, especially Outlook, and including Copilot, Chat GPT and other AI tools is strongly preferred.
• Intellectually curious and actively seeks to understand team strategies, annual plans, and priorities.

Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1,  E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).

#LI-TL1

The hourly rate for this role is $36.68/hour to $51.39/hour 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.

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.