Senior Research Program Manager

Job Description

Your Role

As a Senior Research Program Manager, you will leverage your experience in public health research, program and project management, and leadership advising to guide strategic alignment, road mapping, and partnerships that underpin IDM’s scientific research activities.

You will lead a team of program managers and collaborate closely with research managers and scientists across diverse domains, including infectious diseases, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health, and health system strengthening. You and your team will structure and guide decision-making to prioritize and sequence research activities to meet foundation and partner needs, enhance impact, and maintain cohesive roadmaps for execution. You will also surface and recommend decisions regarding risk and timeline management.

This role offers the opportunity to span all areas of IDM research, contributing both at the organizational level and the individual project level. You will be a thought partner and catalyst for change, crafting, coordinating, and implementing plans for complex challenges in global health modeling. Whether developing strategy, guiding teams through ambiguity, or mentoring emerging talent, you will bring structure, insight, and collaboration to your work.

You will report to the Deputy Director for Strategy, Planning, and Management and partner with peers focusing on software product management and overall IDM strategy development.

What You’ll Do

• Provide strategic guidance for planning and execution of research portfolios in alignment with IDM’s and the Gates Foundation’s overall goals.
• Analyze and distill research findings to inform strategy, anticipate risks, and guide portfolio-level pivots when necessary.
• Apply data-driven decision-making and structured problem solving to advance program goals across diverse health domains.
• Lead end-to-end program management, including setting objectives, crafting implementation frameworks, leading cross-functional collaboration, and ensuring progress toward impact.
• Facilitate decision-making discussions in response to changing strategic needs, research implications, or execution risks.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with internal and external collaborators to ensure alignment, communication, and shared outcomes.
• Collaborate with research leadership to build and manage critical partnerships across the foundation and with external research partners.
• Lead a team of program managers, fostering a high-performance, inclusive, and collaborative culture aligned with organizational priorities.
• Drive internal capacity building through professional development initiatives, leadership onboarding, and cross-functional knowledge exchange.
• Promote a culture of clarity, inclusion, and shared ownership across teams and functions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to research managers and deputy directors and act as a delegate for the Deputy Director for Strategy, Planning, and Management when needed.

Your Experience

We are seeking an expert, adaptive, and strategic team member who thrives in dynamic environments and is passionate about impact-driven global health work. Ideal candidates will demonstrate:

• A degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent research experience; experience with collaborative or multi-disciplinary research programs is a plus.
• Expertise in sophisticated program management, preferably in research-oriented fields.
• Experience with public health research, including infectious diseases, health system strengthening, or cross-cutting domains.
• Strong written and oral executive communication skills, including translating complex scientific information into clear, actionable outputs for diverse audiences.
• Intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, resilience, and a constructive approach to challenging assumptions.
• Experience in team building and people management, with a track record of developing talent and fostering inclusive, high-performing teams.
• Ability to address ambiguity, synthesize diverse inputs, and create structure from complexity to drive execution toward shared goals.
• Strong collaboration skills, including facilitating leadership decision-making and discussions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to the foundation’s mission, values, and ethical standards.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20% domestically and internationally.

Disclaimer: Applications will be received until this position is filled