Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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 Gates Foundation’s Global Development Division focuses on achieving several programmatic outcomes and overseeing critical regional and country efforts. These include eradicating polio worldwide, enhancing immunization coverage, and bolstering primary healthcare systems in key low- and middle-income regions. GD also prioritizes strengthening partnerships with influential scaling partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the World Health Organization. Additionally, GD manages emergency response programs to address acute humanitarian crises and oversees the Pandemic Preparedness and Response initiative in the aftermath of COVID-19. Furthermore, GD is responsible for implementing regional office strategies and supporting teams in key regions like South Asia and Africa, with a particular emphasis on countries such as India, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, to advance program strategy team goals effectively.Under this division, the Ethiopia country office team works closely with government, donors and implementing partners. We align all our efforts in Ethiopia with the government’s priorities, including efforts to advance gender equality, expand access to family planning, promote financial inclusion, and improve sanitation, under the leadership of a country director, a deputy director for health and nutrition and a deputy director for policy and advocacy.
 
 
Application Deadline: 22nd April, 2024.
 
Your Role
The Program Assistant in Ethiopia is an important member of the Africa team. The focus of the Africa team is to enable collective impact for the foundation in Africa by influencing policy and finance towards key development priorities, strengthening capacity and enabling systems for delivery, and innovating and leveraging cross-cutting enablers for impact at scale.
 
The Program Assistant will provide a wide and varied range of organizational and administrative support to the leaders and staff in the Ethiopia office while assisting with project coordination and collaborating with a small team of additional program assistants to support the overall work and ensure the smooth operation of the Ethiopia Country Office in Addis Ababa.
 
The role will report to Deputy Director, Global Policy and Advocacy.
 
What You’ll Do


Complete a broad variety of administrative tasks for multiple principals, including handling complex calendars of appointments across geographies; completing expense reports; composing and preparing correspondence; arranging complex and detailed travel plans, itineraries, providing letter of invitations, obtaining business visas, agendas for international travel; and compiling documents for travel-related meetings.


Work closely and effectively with the principals to keep them well informed of upcoming internal and external commitments and responsibilities, following up appropriately. Oversee the key engagement strategy for the principals.


Successfully complete critical aspects of deliverables with a hands-on approach, including follow-up on principals’ contacts.


Prioritize conflicting needs; handle matters expeditiously and proactively, and follow through on projects to successful completion, often under deadline pressures.


Assist with the planning for events, leadership meetings, retreats, convenings, and presentations which may include coordinating arrangements for multiple participants, managing participant communication, handling logistics, preparing and disseminating materials.


Create, update and maintain organized files and records including a system for tracking, monitoring and prioritizing tasks and projects. Compile and process expense reports and reimbursements.


Maintain high quality interactions and clear and consistent communications with grantees, partners, government officials, consultants and internal staff.


Cultivate solid working relationships with staff and a broad range of senior contributors including community leaders, consultants, grantees and public officials.


Support communications to ensure timely responses to inquiries including acting as liaison for team with internal partners, routing requests appropriately, drafting and editing correspondence and taking and distributing meeting minutes.


Demonstrate keen ability to anticipate needs of principals and proactively spot and resolve issues, especially when principals are travelling.


Develop methods and procedures on new assignments, may provide guidance to other support staff.


 
Your Experience


Bachelor’s degree with at least 3 years of experience supporting senior staff in a development space, preferably in a global and matrixed environment.


Able to work in a fast-paced environment with proven track record to lead multiple contending tasks and demands.


Excellent communication skills to reach a variety of audiences.


Strong organizational skills reflecting ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks seamlessly with excellent attention to detail.


Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with internal staff, grantees, high level officials and other stakeholders.


Proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.


Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be effective independently.


Demonstrated ability to handle confidential information with discretion, be adaptable to opposing demands.


Clear capabilities in working across multiple time zones and cultures.


Knowledge of Ethiopia business environment and standards is required.


Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Amharic; Experience in an environment requiring diplomacy and good judgment in managing interactions inside and outside an organization, with individuals at all levels, including senior executives and other high-level officials.


Ability to effectively handle and work through ambiguity.


Experience in providing guidance to and supervising the work of others is desirable.


Experience establishing systems to improve efficiency and functioning in a changing environment.


Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint is required. Experience in learning and mastering new software applications.


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