Program Assistant, Pneumonia & Pandemic Preparedness, Global Health (Hybrid from Seattle)

As the employment agency hiring temporary workers to be assigned to the Gates Foundation, we are responsible for direct hiring and seeking candidates for the following temporary role at the Foundation.

AgileOne designs and develops global workforce and procurement solutions for Fortune 1000 companies. Our focused and consultative approach provides solutions that streamline business processes and deliver efficiencies to human resources, procurement, and suppliers.

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.

The Team

Our Global Health (GH) Program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in poor countries. We focus on the health problems that have a major 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 don’t, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, biologics, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases, and pneumonia. These strategies are supported by functional and cross-cutting teams that focus on Discovery & Translational Sciences, Vaccine Development, Surveillance, Integrated Development, Diagnostics, and Innovation Introduction. 

With a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the Pneumonia & Pandemic Preparedness (PPP) Team aims to 1) accelerate the reduction in childhood deaths from pneumonia, meningitis, and neonatal sepsis; 2) improve disease surveillance for public health action; 3) minimize mortality and prevent transmission during epidemics and pandemics; and 4) prevent mortality due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk pathogens. Our global health interventions accelerate the development and commercialization of novel and lower-cost vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for our target populations. Our prevention efforts target the following pathogens: pneumococcus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), group B streptococcus (GBS), meningococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae. Given that a growing portion of deaths in young children happen before a child can be immunized, we are developing vaccines that can be delivered safely during pregnancy (maternal immunization) to protect vulnerable infants during the first months of life through antibodies transferred from their mothers. We are also focused on antimicrobial resistance as an increasing global health threat that disproportionately contributes to neonatal sepsis deaths. Guiding the prioritization of our global health interventions based on mortality estimates, our team’s surveillance work better defines the global disease burden through high quality primary mortality data, assists countries to implement promising surveillance methods such as sample registration systems and multi-pathogen serosurveillance and to integrate data from surveillance systems, and supports the WHO’s Collaborative Surveillance initiative.   

Your Role

This Temp - Program Assistant (PA) is a key member of the team. This role provides administrative and organizational support for Deputy Directors, Senior Program Officers, and Portfolio & Platform Lead. Program Assistants provide wide and varied administrative and organizational support for program or operations leaders and teams. They are highly engaged members of the business team. Efficiency, attention to detail, flexibility and good judgment are essential in this role to ensure smooth team operations. The Program Assistant is integral to the team, ensuring that all administrative and scheduling functions are completed promptly, allowing for highly productive environments. A successful candidate will demonstrate a strong ability to navigate the role, responsibilities, and culture. He / She will also have an appetite for proactivity amid ambiguity. 

What You’ll Do

• Schedule a high volume of appointments and meetings, manage complex calendars for multiple people and across multiple time zones. 
• Make travel arrangements domestically and internationally.  
  
• Oversee visa application process for international travel. 
  
• Assist in scheduling and planning for events, such as meetings, conferences, and presentations, which may include coordinating arrangements for participants, handling logistics, preparing, and disseminating materials. 
  
• Partner with Events team, AV (Audiovisual) team and external speakers/grantees for virtual and in-person convenings. 
  
• Provide communications support and assistance to ensure timely responses to inquiries including answering and prioritizing emails and calls.
• This includes the ability to synthesize information to make recommendations and decisions. 
  
• Maintain organized files and records and a system for tracking, monitoring and prioritizing tasks and projects.
  
• Play a key role in team culture and help the Senior Program Assistant to design team building and celebration events.  
  
• Provide administrative support including document creation, expense reports, reimbursements, organization, and maintenance of files. 
  
• Work on special projects as needed.  
• Interact and communicate clearly and consistently with grantees and partners in the field. 

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. 
  
• 2-3 years of work experience in an administrative role for a complex and fast-paced organization. 
  
• Proven ability to set priorities and meet deadlines while balancing the need to provide support for multiple individuals, including complex calendar, travel, and event planning. 
  
• Excellent oral and written communications skills. 
  
• Able to communicate effectively with internal and external contacts, establish trust, and adjust to a wide variety of working styles. 
  
• Knowledge of foundation priorities and how they align with the goals of the department/division. 
  
• Proficient skills with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel, as well as SharePoint. 
  
• Good judgment, maturity, discretion, tact, and a sense of humor. 
  
• Positive, collaborative, customer-oriented approach to work. 
  
• Will partner with the Senior Program Assistant as needed. 
  
• Demonstrated confidence and grace needed to address multiple priorities at rapid pace. 
  
• Experience traveling in low and middle-income countries a plus.

*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.

NOTIFICATION: All opportunities listed are temporary in scope, and your employer would be AgileOne. These assignments are temporary and “at will.” There is no guarantee of on-going employment with AgileOne or any promise, express or implied, of conversion to employment with the Foundation.