Deputy Director, Content, Campaigns and Digital at Gates Foundation

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

The Communications Division, led by the Chief Communications Officer, oversees the foundation’s global communications strategy. The division brings together internal and external communications to advance the foundation’s mission to create a more equitable world.

The Africa Team works to advance the foundation’s mission across the continent by scaling evidence-based innovations and driving systems-level impact in health, agriculture, and digital transformation. With a presence in five offices - Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa - the team is comprised of more than 180 people. The Africa Team collaborates deeply with country governments, regional institutions, private sector actors, and civil society to drive African-led development through a strong network of partners and programs across the continent.

Your Role

As Deputy Director, Content, Campaigns and Digital - Africa, you will lead the strategy, development, and delivery of regional communications that elevate the foundation’s priorities and partnerships across the continent. You will oversee all Africa regional communications work - managing a multidisciplinary team, including leads for content, digital, and campaigns, and work in close partnership with program, policy, and external affairs teams.

In this role, you will bring a deep understanding of Africa’s diverse media and digital landscape and political economy, including regional dynamics, stakeholder priorities, and key audiences.

You have a proven track record of shaping and leading innovative, high-impact campaigns and engagement strategies across multiple African contexts. You are a trusted advisor on high-profile and sensitive communications, able to navigate complexity while strengthening our brand, voice, and influence continent-wide. An experienced leader of high-performing teams, you thrive in matrixed environments and have a collaborative mindset. You combine political acumen and strategic vision with executional excellence - building alignment, inspiring others, and delivering results that matter.

The role will be based at the Foundation’s office in Nairobi, and report to the Africa Regional Office Director and the Director of Communications for Africa and India.

The postholder will serve as an active and key contributor to the Africa Leadership Team (ALT) and the Communications Leadership Team. You will be regularly engaging across all regional office Communications leadership, including India, Europe and Middle East, China and the US. You will also be an extended member of our global Content & Campaigns team and collaborating closely with the global Content & Campaigns director.

What You’ll Do

• Manage and mentor a high-performing team, fostering collaboration, learning, and professional growth and ensuring all staff members are operating with aligned priorities, clear expectations, and regular performance feedback.

• Lead Africa-wide storytelling and campaigns that showcase impact, innovation, and partnership across the continent, ensuring cultural authenticity and local relevance.

• Oversee regional content, digital, and campaign functions, setting strategic direction and maintaining high standards for creativity, accuracy, and inclusivity.

• Strengthen regional brand and media presence by building relationships with journalists, creators, and partners to amplify African voices and achievements.

• Drive innovation and data-informed engagement, using analytics and audience insights to guide strategy, test new approaches, and improve performance.

• Collaborate across the foundation to ensure consistent, integrated messaging that aligns with both regional priorities and global communications goals.

• Advise senior leaders and spokespeople on communications strategy, narrative positioning, and regional engagement opportunities.

Your Experience

• Advanced degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. communications, marketing, journalism, economics).

• Minimum 12–15 years of senior-level experience in strategic communications, marketing, brand, and digital strategy - ideally spanning multiple African contexts.

• Deep understanding of African media landscapes and campaign ecosystems, narrative development, brand-building, and audience engagement, ideally with a focus on African political economy and development dynamics.

• A track record of operating in global, multinational environments and ability to navigate complex matrixed organizations, aligning and uniting stakeholders across divisions, functions, and regions.

• Demonstrated success leading integrated, multi-platform campaigns that achieve measurable impact.

• Deep understanding of media and audience metrics and ability to apply data to build and adjust a communications strategy or campaign.

• Exceptional storytelling, content production, editing and writing skills.

• Demonstrated success leading brand strategy development, delivery and alignment.

• Strong reputation management and brand-building experience.

• Demonstrated success building and managing diverse and high performing teams across regions, time zones and cultures.

• Excellent leadership, strategic vision, and delivery execution skills.

• Experience of representing an organization at high-level forums and public platforms. Ability to build trust and cultivate strong relationships across diverse geographies and cultural contexts with high-profile partners, champions, and senior stakeholders.

• Skilled at fostering organizational alignment, facilitating joint decision-making, and ensuring shared ownership of strategies.

• Superior written and verbal communication in English; French is highly desirable.

Other Attributes

• Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational settings, demonstrating culturally sensitive behavior with a diverse range of people.

• Ability to travel up to 40% internationally.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Application deadline: 13 April 2026

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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.