Senior Officer, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Africa, Europe & Middle East 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 People team is a strategic partner in shaping a thriving, inclusive, and high-performing organization. We steward the employee experience across the full talent lifecycle—from attracting and developing exceptional talent to strengthening culture, supporting well-being as well as impact, and aligning people strategies with our mission.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team within the Office of the Chief People Officer is a central functional team made up of advisors, strategists, and enabling partners (i.e., subject matter experts, analysts, communications experts, project managers, and external consultants) to provide foundation-wide direction, governance, tools, and resources to drive the foundation’s DEI strategy and impact. As a foundation, we are working to integrate and include a wide variety of voices, ideas, and approaches that will enable our mission to help all people improve their lives. Our renewed DEI strategy focuses on three priorities:  
• Engaging more effectively across differences and contexts. This includes strengthening competencies, tools, and support needed to collaborate inclusively, whether navigating cultural differences or working across our global matrixed organization. 
• Better equipping our organization to forge partnerships for impact. We will strengthen that impact by providing clearer guidance and resources for investment makers and by ensuring that our partners feel supported, valued, and respected and that communities get what they need to thrive. 
• Shared expectations. Clarity on commitment to drive impact, recognize and value all backgrounds, voices, roles, and contributions, and regularly reflect and learn to sustain progress towards our organizational goals and commitments. 

Your Role

The Senior Officer, DEI is a DEI Subject Matter Expert (SME) and will lead the foundation’s DEI efforts across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. This role will act as a thought partner by providing guidance, advice, partnership, and execution support to key stakeholders that include but are not limited to senior leadership, partners, and functional teams for the purpose of continuous improvement in service of increased impact and effectiveness of the foundation’s DEI strategy in country. The SO will design and deliver context-specific DEI content that may be used by participants across the foundation. This role requires a deep understanding of the operational realities of both offices and proactive collaboration and vision with senior levels organization-wide to ensure common messaging, sensitivity and shared expectations.  

This role will report to the Johannesburg-based Deputy Director, Global DEI Learning & Development

What You’ll Do

• Strategic DEI Leadership: Act as a DEI subject matter expert (SME), providing thought partnership, insights, and guidance to leadership and teams across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. 

• Planning & Implementation: Lead the development and implementation of the DEI strategy and workstreams, that could include leadership and team effectiveness for teams across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.

• Advisory & Consultation: Partner with senior leadership, working groups, and regional leads to drive progress on strategic priorities and inclusion strategies while aligning closely with the foundation’s overarching approach. 

• DEI Integration into Business Functions: Collaborate across multiple teams and divisions to ensure priorities such as inclusion, engaging across differences and contexts are connected to operational, talent management, and programmatic efforts.

• Cultural & Regional Alignment: Provide country and context-specific DEI guidance, ensuring initiatives reflect the global and local landscape.

• Partnership & Engagement: Collaborate with internal teams (i.e., DEI, Office of the Chief People Officer) and external consultants to develop resources and tools. 

• Change Management & Capability Building: Collaborate with HR Business Partners to support people, managers and leadership and teams in fostering an inclusive culture through coaching, tools, and structured initiatives. 

• Inclusive Culture & Change Content Design and Delivery: Lead context (including diverse voices from the local communities) informed DEI content development and facilitate learning and engagement efforts. 

• DEI portfolio and partner management: Manage external partners, contracts, and portfolios that support the DEI strategy across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field with a minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in DEI, inclusion, organizational development, change management, or a closely related discipline at a senior level.

• Experience designing, implementing DEI tools, processes, learning agendas, and indicators that are aligned with organizational strategies and priorities, and drive meaningful impact. 

• Experience developing and facilitating dialogue sessions, learning spaces, and staff engagement initiatives, especially for global organizations and contexts. 

• An ability to establish leadership credibility and build trusted relationships with leaders and employees at all levels of an organization to influence approach and behaviour shifts.  

• Experience thinking critically, objectively, and strategically about opportunities and developing alternate paths to solutions. Ability to be agile and prioritize under pressure.  

• Demonstrated ability to manage a considerable workload, achieve results and drive complex work to conclusion, including getting results through others.  

• Experience operating effectively in a high-pressure and collaborative environment. Outstanding interpersonal skills and humility, and a demonstrated ability to work with efficiency and diplomacy, and lead and influence individuals from a diverse group of backgrounds and at different levels.  

• Ability to communicate effectively and lead change management. Ability to connect organizational development to how an organization achieves its goals.

• Capable of using and adapting inclusion and organizational effectiveness expertise across multiple geographies and cultural contexts.  

Other Attributes

• Demonstrates cultural sensitivity and adaptability across diverse cultural, geographic, and operational contexts, with a proven commitment to development issues and the highest standards of integrity.
• Ability to travel up to 30% domestically and internationally.  

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

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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.