Program Officer, Data & Insights (Development Finance)

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
paid time off
United States, D.C., Washington
Apr 10, 2025
The Foundation We are the largest nonprofitfighting 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 mission of the Global Policy & Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation's work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation's objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation's resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse stakeholders and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, U.S. and Gender Equality programs, and Foundation Communications to build the environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives. The Development Policy & Finance (DPAF) team is the foundation's development economics and finance team, accountable for ensuring GPA's work - and by extension the foundation's work - is informed by strong economic and financial analysis and viewpoints, resonant with economic trends, and connected with key decision-makers at major multilateral development banks (MDBs), development finance institutions (DFIs) and think tanks focused on development economics and finance. This is not a research team but a group of economists, grant makers and development finance experts accountable for using economic analysis and perspectives to strengthen foundation policy and advocacy strategies, and for growing the community of economic policymakers engaged in foundation issues such as global health, human capital, and gender equity. DPAF's focus and primary customer client is the Ministry of Finance in a developing country - and we have the goal of helping them transform their public finances via digital public infrastructure. Your Role As a Program Officer, you will build and manage an advanced analytics capability that informs critical decisions across GPA and the foundation. This individual will lead technical aspects of data sourcing, processing, analysis, and visualization-helping teams leverage development finance and policy-relevant data effectively. This is a 24-month limited-term employment position with competitive base compensation and generous benefits. Relocation to the Washington, DC area can be provided, if needed. Applicants for this role will only be considered if they are able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.* What You'll Do You will be performing several functions, in close collaboration with the team: Data Architecture & Management Identify, acquire, and maintain relevant datasets related to development finance (e.g., Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) and International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) for Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Other Official Flows (OOF)) and development outcomes (e.g., World Development Indicators). Establish robust data pipelines and develop replicable, well-documented data quality assurance code for repeated use across datasets. Collaborate with foundation IT and Communication teams to implement secure, efficient data storage and sharing solutions, including by translating substantive analytic needs into technical requirements. Analytics & Reporting Create data dashboards (e.g., in Power BI or R-Shiny) that offer interactive exploration of critical development and financing data at the country, sector and flow type levels. Support the production of regular data insights through internal notes, memos, and leadership-ready analyses in highly accessible formats. Apply new AI models, machine learning techniques, or advanced statistical techniques where beneficial (e.g., forecasting ODA, exploring patterns in financing flows) to generate novel insights. Knowledge Sharing & Capacity Building Maintain a central knowledge hub or SharePoint site with FAQs, technical documentation, and best practices. Conduct training sessions, tutorials and help host "Data Days" to elevate the use of empirical data and analytic insights across GPA. Partner with the foundation's communications teams to develop visually compelling data stories for internal and external audiences. Methodological Leadership Serve as an internal data expert on major development finance datasets, including their methodologies, and talk fluently about their relative strengths and limitations. Draft technical notes based on metadata analysis for examining the gaps in datasets and potential solutions related to improving the collection, cleaning, quality assurance, and analysis of official development finance datasets with future investments or partnerships. Contribute to policy research and publications by translating complex data insights into accessible recommendations to support foundation leadership's strategic decision making. Collaboration & Strategic Alignment Work closely with leadership and cross-functional teams (policy, program, communications) across GPA and beyond to proactively identify and fulfill their emerging data needs. Support ongoing strategic planning efforts by projecting future development financing scenarios and analyzing relevant trends related to human welfare outcomes. Serve as a liaison with external data providers and research partners to ensure timely and accurate data flow, and insight generation. Your Experience You have demonstrated skills and/or expertise in undertaking data analytics related to development finance including but not limited to ODA, OOF, and private sector instruments. You are proficient at independently producing advance data analytics, data dashboards and data visualization for senior leadership. Experience setting up automated data processing pipelines using digital APIs and replicable code, and ensuring data integrity across various official data sources related to development finance flows. Proficiency in data visualization and reporting, using tools such as Power BI, R Shiny, or Tableau for creating interactive, custom-designed dashboards and projections for senior leaders. Hands-on experience using advanced data analysis and processing tools for economics and policy analysis, including but not limited to R, Python, and SQL for large-scale data management. Practical expertise in a professional capacity (preferably in a research organization, policy think tank, or development finance institution) in data analytics and strategic insights generation. Experience working with econometric modeling, forecasting, or machine learning techniques to derive actionable insights from development finance data. Proficiency in building multi-source analytical frameworks, mapping indicators to objectives, and evaluating progress toward key outcomes. Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, macros, and strong data visualization skills in PowerPoint. Experience crafting and contributing to policy-oriented research, including development finance publications and strategic advisory materials. Familiarity with major development finance and aid effectiveness datasets, such as OECD-DAC, IATI, or World Bank indicators. Experience working in international development, philanthropy, government, or a global policy institution is strongly preferred. 5+ years of proven experience in a similar role, focusing on data-driven policy analysis, research, and strategic insights. Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship. The salary range for this role is $140,200.00 to $210,200.00 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $152,800.00 to $229,200.00 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate's job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process. #LI-TO1 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 If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here. 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.