Position title: Head, International Financing Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm)
Contract type / duration: 5-year fixed-term contract
Location: Geneva
Department: Resource Mobilisation & Growth
Team: Innovative Partnerships & Development Finance
Reports To: Director, Development and Innovative Finance
N° of positions supervised (if applicable): 2
Career Step: 5
1. About the Role
This key role sits within the Innovative Partnerships & Development Finance team, which is Gavi’s hub for creating and operationalising new innovative financial instruments to help deliver our strategic immunisation objectives.
The Head of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) will lead the IFFIm team both internally within Gavi and externally with key stakeholders. They will play a key role in Gavi’s engagement with financial institutions and the capital markets, and work closely with key partners including the World Bank, global capital markets participants, think tanks, donor countries, and other private and public sector players in finance and global health.
Internally, the Head, IFFIm if the key focal person for IFFIm across the Secretariat. They lead a small team of about 2 staff, but work very closely with a broader range of colleagues from the Development and Innovative Finance team and across other functional areas of Gavi, including Finance, Legal, Governance and Risk in relation to IFFIm’s functions.
Externally, the Head, IFFIm will manage they key IFFIm relationships, including the IFFIm board, the IFFIm treasury manager (the World Bank), rating agencies, IFFIm donors as well as external consultants and service providers to IFFIm.
The core mission of this role is both operational and strategic: to ensure the smooth operation of IFFIm and and its governance but also to ensure the instrument’s strategic value is optimised and it is an attractive value proposition for donors.
2. Key Responsibilities
• Provide strategic leadership across the Gavi Secretariat and with external partners to steward the successful operation, replenishments and overall evolution of IFFIm, including regular strategic reviews of IFFIm, its Finance Framework Agreement and Treasury Manager Agreement.
• Lead the operational support of IFFIm – including:
o In close collaboration with other Gavi Secretariat teams, lead where relevant, and coordinate Gavi’s operational support to IFFIm as defined in the Administrative Support Agreement.
o In close collaboration with the Finance team, lead the engagement with the IFFIm Treasury Manager to maximise the value of IFFIm, while ensuring compliance with the Treasury Manager Agreement and key IFFIm policies; and ensuring that the treasury manager is responsive to Gavi needs and Gavi teams provide required information to Treasury Manager.
o In close collaboration with the Governance team, ensuring the smooth preparation and execution of IFFIm board meetings; shaping the agenda, preparing required documents, and engaging the Board chair and board members during and between board meetings ;
o Represent Gavi in engagement with rating agencies, investors and other external stakeholders as required.
• Proactive and regular liaison with IFFIm donors, existing or potential, to ensure their buy-in and respond to their concerns as needed; coordinate the cross secretariat response to donor evaluations of IFFIm.
• Leadership of the IFFIm team and liaison with other functional areas of Gavi, including Finance, Legal, Governance and Risks in relation to IFFIm functions.
• Maintain an externally respected role as IFFIm head– through extensive and regular engagement with key IFFIm stakeholder representatives, decisions on when, how and where IFFIm should be present in external conversations and leading representational work in various fora.
• Lead internal and external communications on IFFIm, ensuring that IFFIm remains visible, compelling, and responsive to the needs of the time across different markets.
• With other RMG team members, contribute to team-wide tasks. Contribute to framing the work objectives of the team for internal and external audiences.
• Work closely with other Development and Innovative Finance Team members to maximise the co-benefits of IFFIm within existing – and potential future – innovative and development financing instruments.
• Carry out other projects assigned by the Director in accordance with the team objectives, in particular positioning IFFIm well within Gavi’s 6.0 and subsequent 7.0 strategic periods and replenishments to best contribute to Gavi’s strategic goals.
Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.
3. Your Experience and Skills
Experience:
• Typically 10-15 years of relevant experience in strategic corporate finance, development finance, investment banking, capital markets or structured finance settings, ideally with experience working with the multilateral financial development sector.
• Capital markets transactional experience and demonstrated ability to create, develop and implement financial products and solutions.
• Experience leading complex projects in multi-stakeholder environments;
Education and Qualifications:
• Essential: University degree in finance, business, economics, or a related discipline.
• Good to have: Advanced degree (e.g., Master’s degree) in relevant field.
Technical and Functional Skills:
• Exceptional strategic and analytical thinking, particularly in global health financing contexts.
• Experience of leading teams and operating independently, as well as judgement to know when to seek guidance.
• Advanced relationship management and influencing skills, with demonstrated ability to clearly and persuasively convey complex and technical information to diverse stakeholders (rating agencies, donors, management, external committees, donors) and significant experience in senior external representation.
• Good understanding of the donor landscape and evolving donor priorities and constraints considered a plus;
• Strong project management skills with proven ability to execute complex, multi-stakeholder processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including strong presentation capabilities.
Languages Needed:
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Additional languages an asset.
4. How You Work (Behaviours and Mindsets)
• You are a high performer with a proven track record of operating in a high-pressure environment with tight timelines and often under extreme confidentiality.
• You have the ability to multitask, tracking and managing many active priorities in parallel. Judgement to prioritise between multiple important tasks but not drop other tasks.
• You have excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills and cultural sensitivity to engage with various stakeholders.
• You are very highly organised and structured, good planner, with a high level of attention to detail.
• You are a team player, with a collaborative style, creative and innovative
5. Your Leadership
• One Gavi Mindset: Thinks and acts with Gavi and the Alliance best interest in mind, role models values and behaviours, fosters shared accountability, promotes and exhibits strong collaboration within and across departments.
• Agile Leadership: Adapts quickly to shifting contexts, guides teams through uncertainty, and drives decisions that balance long-term strategy with short-term responsiveness.
• Strategic-Pragmatic: Balances long-term vision with operational realities, translating strategy into clear, outcome-driven actions.
• Influence and Drive Change: Builds alignment and commitment among diverse stakeholders, driving progress through diplomacy, credibility, and shared purpose.
• Talent Development: Grows talent with an organisation-wide perspective, cultivates high-performing teams by setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and mentoring talent to thrive in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
If you wish to apply, please provide a cover letter and resume through our Careers webpage and apply by clicking on ”Head, IFFim”. Deadline for applications is 09 October 2025.
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In support of Gavi’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, we hire globally and welcome applications regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, national origin, family status, sex, gender identity or expression, physical characteristics, race, religion, spirituality or sexual orientation. Gavi has zero tolerance towards sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse as well as any form of discrimination or harassment. Everyone at Gavi is expected to conduct themselves with integrity and respect towards each other. Gavi is committed to creating a work environment that is safe and professional, therefore all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference checks. Read more here.
Gavi brings together the public and private sectors to save lives and protect people’s health by increasing equitable and sustainable use of vaccines against 18 infectious diseases. You will work in a culturally diverse environment with over 70 nationalities. You will collaborate with partners such as WHO, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank – and from business, civil society and government. And you will work in the first global health organisation to receive equal gender salary certification. Your unique experience, skills and talents can help us achieve our vision of leaving no one behind without the life-saving power of vaccines.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together implementing country and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunisation of more than 1 billion children and the prevention of more than 17 million future deaths.
