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 (GH) program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in low and middle income 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, and diagnostics. Our work in infectious diseases focuses on strategies to fight and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, neglected and other infectious diseases, enteric and diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. These strategies are supported by functional teams that focus on Discovery and Translational Sciences, Vaccine Development, and Integrated Development.

The Accelerator funds the creation of novel technology capabilities that enable the achievement of the foundation’s mission by fostering the conception, design, and testing of fundamentally new biotech platforms that have the potential to change current best practices or business models and show proof of concept for these platforms. By leveraging grants, equity, and donor capital, we work to ensure the capabilities advanced further the foundation’s objectives and support the transition of these new technology platforms to execution partners. Some platform capabilities that we are exploring include harnessing the power of chemo-sensing for ultra-high sensitivity detection of volatiles, programming immune system responses for design of next generation vaccine modalities, and engineering antibodies for oral delivery. Our team also includes more mature programmatic units aiming to achieve a “single-shot cure” for HIV and sickle cell disease in the next ten years, harness AI and machine learning tools to radically advance drug discovery and development to cure HPV and pre-eclampsia, and develop five new preclinical oral polio vaccine candidates in the next two years.

The HIV Frontiers program is a high-priority initiative of the Gates Foundation within the Accelerator, a long-horizon effort to develop curative interventions for HIV disease and sickle cell disease: a single-shot, durable, safe, effective, and affordable “cure” (i.e., durable viral control in the absence of antiretroviral therapy in the case of HIV and durable resolution of anemia and painful crises in the case of SCD), one that can reach the populations most in need — especially those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where both diseases carry their heaviest burden.

The program currently funds a portfolio of multiple organizations — ranging from major pharmaceutical companies to early-stage NewCos — each receiving major equity and/or grant support from the Foundation. Grantees also include academic medical centers, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and international regulatory bodies. Work on these investments spans the full development continuum: from basic scientific input and target identification, through chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC), preclinical IND-enabling studies, and first-in-human (FIH) clinical trials, to LMIC affordability and access strategy.

Your Role

As a key member of the Accelerator team, the Senior Officer, Drug Discovery, is accountable for a portfolio of investments and partnerships as the primary technical partner to the program lead and the principal drug development authority across the HIV Frontiers portfolio. You will own and drive the portfolio: ensuring that the Foundation's grantees have the scientific and operational guidance they need to advance biologics and gene therapy candidates from discovery through IND and into first-in-human studies — at the standards of quality, rigor, and regulatory readiness required to ultimately deliver a product that works in LMICs.

This is a highly integrative, externally facing, technically demanding role that requires both deep drug development expertise and the intellectual range to engage credibly across the full scientific and development spectrum — from molecular biology through clinical pharmacology. You will provide leadership, strategy development, and communications to add genuine value to grantees’ programs, not merely monitor them.

What You’ll Do

Partner closely with team leadership, including the Director, Accelerator and Distinguished Fellow, HIV Frontiers, to develop, communicate, and implement the overall strategy for the HIV Frontiers program.

Manage and coordinate a portfolio of multiple active grantee companies and institutions, spanning large pharmaceutical companies, emerging biotechs, academic medical centers, and CDMOs, each at different stages of development.
Serve as the Foundation's primary technical interface to each grantee, building deep working relationships and providing substantive, actionable scientific and development guidance.
Lead and participate in portfolio reviews, grantee governance meetings, Joint Steering Committees, and site visits; assess program progress against milestones and make funding recommendations accordingly.
Evaluate letters of inquiry, grant proposals, and investment opportunities; provide rigorous written analyses and recommendations for Foundation leadership.
Represent the Foundation's interests in scope of work negotiations and contractual milestone setting.
Provide expert guidance to grantee companies on chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) for biologics and gene therapy candidates, including process development, analytical development, formulation, manufacturing scale-up, and technology transfer.
Oversee and advise on IND-enabling preclinical studies, including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, biodistribution, and GLP toxicology, across modalities including LNP-mRNA vaccines, viral and non-viral vectors, gene therapies aimed at HSCs, T cells, and other long-lived cells, and antibody-based approaches for HIV “cure”.
Advise grantees in developing integrated product development plans spanning from lead candidate selection through pre-IND meeting strategy, IND filing, and first-in-human trial design.
Engage with regulatory strategy for novel advanced therapy medicinal products, including FDA, EMA, and relevant LMIC regulatory authorities; advise on regulatory pathway planning and pre-submission strategy.
Monitor and benchmark the manufacturing science landscape for in vivo gene therapy, including CDMO capabilities, platform technologies, and cost-of-goods considerations relevant to LMIC affordability.
Engage substantively with the scientific content of grantee programs across the full development spectrum — from basic HIV virology, hematopoiesis, and immunology, through delivery technology, NHP preclinical models, and clinical pharmacology.
Contribute to the development and refinement of the program's scientific strategy, target product profiles, and go/no-go decision frameworks.
Stay at the forefront of the in vivo gene therapy field, monitoring advances in LNP delivery, HSC targeting, genome editing, and related areas; identify and synthesize emerging opportunities and risks for the portfolio.
Represent the Foundation at key scientific conferences and in external scientific networks; build and maintain relationships with leading investigators and emerging talent in the field.
Contribute to the Foundation's cross-program efforts in CMC, regulatory affairs, and global health access, collaborating with colleagues in the division and other program teams.
This role will require the ability to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.
Ensure that manufacturing science and CMC development plans from day one incorporate cost-of-goods and technology transfer considerations relevant to LMIC production and delivery.
Engage with partners on market shaping, pricing strategy, and production scale planning for HIV cure and SCD gene therapy products in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Contribute to the Foundation's work with LMIC regulators, ministries of health, and international health organizations to build regulatory readiness for advanced therapies.

Your Experience

We are looking for people who enjoy the opportunity of working on complex projects and collaboratively creating solutions that have the potential for transformational change. We seek a self-starter who can integrate a diverse set of perspectives to build consensus, structure and drive forward progress on complex topics, and provide both strategic and operational capacity to the Accelerator team.

We are looking for individuals with:

PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering, immunology, chemistry, or a closely related field; MD/PhD or equivalent clinical-scientific training welcome
Minimum 12–15 years of experience in preclinical drug development in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or CDMO industry, with a demonstrated track record of advancing biological or advanced therapy products toward IND and first-in-human studies
Substantive hands-on or closely supervisory experience in CMC for biologics — including process development, analytical development, formulation, and regulatory CMC filing strategy — across one or more of the following modalities: gene therapy viral vectors, LNP-based nucleic acid delivery, mRNA therapeutics, recombinant proteins, or monoclonal antibodies
Direct experience with IND-enabling study design and execution: GLP toxicology, PK/PD, biodistribution, and integration of preclinical safety and pharmacology packages
Familiarity with FDA regulatory strategy for biologics and advanced therapy medicinal products, including IND, BLA, and pre-submission meeting experience
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex external partnerships simultaneously, exercising scientific judgment, strategic thinking, and clear written and oral communication
Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills; comfortable engaging with counterparts ranging from NewCo founders to VP-level development leaders at major pharmaceutical companies
Deep commitment to the Foundation's mission of equitable global health impact; genuine motivation for working in a philanthropic, mission-driven environment
Tolerance for ambiguity and ability to apply structure to simplify complex problems
An understanding of regulatory requirements necessary for various phases of vaccine and biologics development
Commitment to innovation and advancing new technologies in cell and gene therapy
Intellectual quickness, curiosity, discipline, resourcefulness and resilience
Demonstrated ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, and enthusiasm in a fast-paced and complex internal and external environment
Experience working with partners in low- and middle-income countries
Experience with business and technical due diligence assessments of potential corporate, product or technology investments; ability to synthesize technical and commercial information towards strategic decision making
Experience with in vivo gene therapy delivery platforms, including viral and non-viral vectors, in the context of targeting HSCs and other long-lived cells
Background in or substantial exposure to HIV biology, hematopoiesis, or immunology — or demonstrated ability and eagerness to develop fluency in these areas rapidly
Experience with LMIC-relevant manufacturing strategy, including cost-of-goods modeling, technology transfer to low-resource settings, or WHO prequalification processes
Experience working within or alongside philanthropic, product development partnership (PDP), or global health R&D organizations (e.g., IAVI, UNITAID, CARB-X, DNDi, NIAID)
Familiarity with venture philanthropy or equity investment structures in early-stage biotech
Strong judgment with a demonstrated ability to handle complex issues, multiple tasks, confidential information, and competing priorities with skill, discretion, a strong attention to detail, flexibility and diplomacy
Exceptional listening, verbal, and written communication skills, able to effectively calibrate input and synthesize information to connect with diverse audiences
Demonstrated experience in scientific writing and data analysis, written and oral communication skills, and experience advocating and communicating with a broad and diverse audience
Solid understanding of the realities and complexities of matrix-based organizations

Other Attributes

Scientifically rigorous and intellectually honest — able to distinguish signal from noise, acknowledge uncertainty, and make sound recommendations under conditions of incomplete information
A fast and eager learner, comfortable building expertise in new disease areas and technologies as the field evolves
Disciplined and responsible — able to own complex workstreams independently while keeping program leadership informed and aligned
Collaborative and low-ego — the program succeeds through partnership; internal credit-taking is antithetical to the culture
Motivated by impact, not by institutional prestige — and energized rather than daunted by the scale and difficulty of the goal
Experience in working on teams with diverse culture and professional backgrounds
Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic, and operational situations, demonstrating culturally-sensitive behavior
Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills
Excellent relationship management skills to develop trusting and productive relationships with a wide range of colleagues, dignitaries, leaders, grantees, consultants and other partners
Commitment to transparency and real-time information sharing
Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a team effort
Demonstrated passion for the Foundation’s values and commitment to deliver results against the Foundation’s mission

The salary range for this role is $233,600 to $362,200 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 $254,700 to $394,700 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

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.

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