Deputy Director, Program Advocacy And Communications, Africa – Economic Opportunity At Gates Foundation

What You'll Do
Economic Policy and Strategy Development: Lead the development and execution of economic, agriculture, climate, and gender equality-inclusive advocacy strategies in SSA, ensuring alignment with the foundation's global economic opportunity and sustainability agenda.
Collaboration with Global Advocacy Leaders: Work closely with DDs for Global Advocacy in agriculture and climate, DPI-IFS, and GE/women's economic empowerment to adapt global strategies to Africa's context and drive regional impact.
Building and Managing Staff on Global Advocacy Streams: Develop and oversee staff working on global advocacy priorities based in Africa, ensuring the integration of regional expertise into global strategies and strengthening the foundation's presence on the continent.
Financial Inclusion Advocacy: Drive engagement with policymakers to promote policies that expand access to digital financial services, particularly for marginalized populations, women, and smallholder farmers.
Digital Public Infrastructure: Advocate for the adoption of inclusive, interoperable, and secure DPI across African nations to enhance service delivery and financial access.
Agriculture Development & Climate Resilience: Support advocacy efforts for policies that strengthen agricultural markets, increase productivity, enhance climate adaptation strategies, and improve rural economies.
Gender Equality/Women's Economic Empowerment: Advocate for policies that address barriers and enablers of economic participation for women in SSA, with a focus on facilitating increased access to affordable productive credit and bridging the financing gap, enabling women to transition from informal microenterprises into growth-oriented commercial businesses.
Addressing Gender-Specific Credit Barriers: Promote policies that encourage financial institutions to provide targeted credit products for women entrepreneurs, ensuring their mobility up the income ladder while leveraging development finance to incentivize private sector investment.
Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain high-impact relationships with African governments, regional institutions, donors, philanthropies, private sector actors, and civil society organizations.
Coordination with Global Teams: Adapt and implement global economic opportunity, agriculture, climate, and women's economic empowerment strategies within the African context, ensuring cross-team collaboration.
Grant Portfolio Leadership: Provide strategic oversight and technical guidance on economic, agriculture, climate, and gender-inclusive advocacy grants, ensuring impact measurement and effective implementation.
Policy and Finance Mobilization: Advocate for increased domestic and international investment in Africa's economic and agricultural growth, leveraging data-driven policy recommendations and financing mechanisms.
Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and support team members, fostering a culture of high performance and collaboration.

Your Experience
Advanced degreein public policy, economics, business administration, agriculture, environmental policy, gender studies, international development, or a related field.
15+ years of senior-level experiencein economic policy, agriculture advocacy, financial inclusion, or women's economic empowerment within SSA.
Proven expertisein leading economic, climate, and gender-responsive development programs, financial sector reforms, and policy negotiations at the regional or national level.
Strong stakeholder managementexperience, including working with African governments, regional economic communities (e.g., AU, AfDB), and global development agencies (e.g., World Bank, IMF).
Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to synthesize complex data into actionable policy insights.
Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with experience influencing policymakers and development partners.
Demonstrated leadership experience, managing teams and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Language skills: Fluency in English required; proficiency in French preferred.