Program Officer, MLE – Early Learning & Education Pathways – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: that people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. By building a global and cultural workplace that supports greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — together with our employees and partners, we can help all people improve their lives from poverty and health to education. As an organization we offer full healthcare premiums coverage, generous paid time off, contribution to your retirement fund, several employee communities, and a commitment to embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into everything we do.

The Team

The foundation’s U.S. Program (USP) works to expand access to life-changing opportunities. That’s why our primary focus in education is ensuring that all students – especially Black and Latinx students, and students experiencing poverty – have an opportunity to earn a degree or certificate that prepares them for a successful career and fulfilling life. But often, education isn’t enough. Factors outside of schools and the classroom have an enormous impact on a student’s success, which is why we’re also supporting efforts by public officials and community groups to better understand and advance economic mobility, leading to permanent ladders out of poverty for communities, such that race, ethnicity, and income are no longer predictors of life outcomes.

Our US Education programs support young people along the PK-16 continuum, from Pre-Kindergarten through postsecondary. The Early Learning & Pathways team focuses across the critical transition points that are essential to supporting young people’s momentum along their education journey – early learning as the foundational platform in elementary school, and the latter half of high school into postsecondary, which is the launching pad for success in the workforce.

Our work in early learning is passionate about increasing Kindergarten-readiness among Black, Latinx and children experiencing poverty such that they meet third grade benchmarks that are predictive of academic and later-life success. We invest in innovative assessments, curricula and instructional supports, along with data infrastructure and tools that drive improvement in the quality of public Pre-Kindergarten programs.

Our work in Education Pathways focuses on ensuring that Black, Latinx and low-income students access the learning opportunities and mentorship and navigation supports needed to acquire credentials of value and gain professional skills, agency, and social capital needed to thrive in the workforce. We support high schools, postsecondary institutions, and employers to adopt and coordinate delivery of effective solutions, aligning K-12/PS programs of study with labor market demand that enables more students to be empowered and prepared to select and pursue postsecondary pathways of value.

What You’ll Do

• Support measurement, learning, and evaluation activities for the Early Learning & Pathways team. This includes designing, refining, and executing plans for each portfolio and the strategy and ensuring MLE activities are aligned in support of the learning agenda and fully reflect the team’s equity priorities.
• Implement and lead evaluation contracts to ensure data are collected, analyzed, and reported in a timely and useful manner to support strategy progress monitoring and reporting. Lead grants and contracts related to developing and implementing an education-to-workforce metrics framework internally and externally. This may include reviewing grantee progress, budgets, and results; conducting site visits, and convening meetings of key partners.
• Consult with other POs, grantees, and other partners to ensure programmatic grants are producing data and evidence to measure strategy progress.
• Facilitate use of data and research to inform decisions and strategy execution. Develop tools and processes to provide access to data, evidence, and analytics; design and support data-driven learning opportunities, including analyzing, synthesizing, and reporting findings from funded and other research.
• Collaborate with our Strategy Planning and Management team to lead development and implementation of strong performance management routines and reporting, advised by MLE and data. Develop and maintain knowledge management practices and assets for the team.
• Represent the foundation through clear and consistent communication with grantees, other funders, universities, think tanks, and government agencies. May serve on working groups and/or advisory boards.

Your Background

• Strong interest and experience in deploying data and evaluation to identify and address equity gaps for Black, Latinx, and low-income students along the P-20 education pipeline.
• In-depth knowledge of evaluation design and implementation, logic models, quantitative and qualitative research methods, data collection and management, and data analysis and presentation to inform internal decision making and external policy and practice. Particular experience working with evaluation of education technologies including digital curricula, assessments and student facing interventions using a variety of methods including rapid cycle evaluation.
• Proven knowledge and experience supporting the development and use of education-to-workforce data sets and research and evaluation experts at the state and national levels.
• Knowledge of how different communities and stakeholders engage with measurement and evaluation tools and approaches, incorporating community/partner demand and needs into education research and evaluation. Familiarity with equity in evaluation principles and/or inclusive research practices.
• Strong project and relationship management skills necessary to lead projects requiring deep engagement and collaboration across internal and external partners to ensure achievements are clearly defined, progress stays on track, and results meet standards to advance the US Program Data strategy.

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in education, education policy, and/or evaluation-related field, and 7+ years of relevant sector experience.
• Experience in design and implementation of research and evaluation projects with educational institutions and/or non-profit organizations.
• Experience developing and measuring systems-change indicators.

Travel Requirements: Up to 33%

Location: Preference for DC and Seattle with remote opportunity TBD.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Depending upon your work location, we may require proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 and any recommended booster doses. All employees based in the United States are to provide proof of full vaccination upon hire and any recommended boosters, subject to applicable laws.

Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to hr@gatesfoundation.org.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We’re committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve—in race, gender, age, cultures and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of 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.