Deputy Director, Discovery, Products & Surveillance

Deputy Director, Discovery, Products & Surveillance

Gates Foundation

Seattle, WA, United States

Your Role

We are seeking an outstanding individual to join the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) at the Gates Foundation as the Deputy Director for Discovery, Products & Surveillance (DD, DPS). This role will lead and advance modeling & research efforts in our upstream and cross-disease global health portfolios with a focus on product development & discovery; translational sciences; enteric and environmental surveillance; and transmission dynamics. This DPS cluster includes IDM’s work on enteric infections, HPV, pandemic preparedness, novel vaccine approaches, and much more.

The goals of this portfolio are to apply rigorous lens on these upstream research portfolios and cross-disease capabilities in surveillance as well as translation to program strategy partners and direct engagement with in-country partners. The Deputy Director will play a pivotal role in driving forward IDM’s mission to enhance our understanding of disease dynamics and inform effective interventions. This position will be instrumental in shaping research strategies, enabling quantitative research in model development, product and platform design, and a specific focus on surveillance systems. In this position you’ll also play a role in fostering collaborations, and addressing health disparities through innovative quantitative, data-centric, and multidisciplinary approaches.

This role will collaborate closely with internal and external partners to drive meaningful change in addressing health disparities.

This role is based in our Seattle, WA office. Relocation will be provided.

What You’ll Do

Research Leadership:

• Lead the design and execution of a research portfolio that investigates questions of upstream product development & design; engagement with multi-pathogen surveillance systems with an attention to broader use cases; and engagement with modeling and data analytics for translational science, particularly in the infectious disease space;
• Develop and implement research strategies that explore key questions in relation to pandemic preparedness, data strategies for vaccine and product development, and illuminate new areas of engagement in the upstream discovery space;
• Mentor the DPS cluster’s Research Managers as they lead their teams and develop and implement strategy;
• Lead DPS towards increased internal alignments, adding up to more than the sum of its parts.

Collaboration & Partnership:

• Collaborate with DDs within IDM, across research and software teams, as well as broader foundation partner teams, external organizations, and experts in the field;
• Articulating modeling, software, computational infrastructure, and visualization tooling needs and expectations for this portfolio of work;
• Developing and maintaining connections across upstream and downstream themes, building a network of experts;
• Foster partnerships with researchers, policymakers, and partners to ensure research findings have a meaningful impact on product development and scale, as well as global health policies and practices;
• Curating specific opportunities for IDM to contribute to this space as programs evolve in the product, platform & surveillance spaces;
• Advocating for IDM’s engagement within disease verticals and discovery-oriented teams, including embedded partnerships, rapid re-use analytics, and informing data strategies;
• Contribute to capacity-building initiatives to enhance IDM’s expertise in upstream GH-related research within IDM, the foundation, and the broader modeling & research ecosystem;
• Link the strategy and work of DPS into broader Gates Foundation cross-cutting efforts, including the work of the Foundation Strategy Office.

Strategic Planning:

• Develop a strategic vision for IDM’s research efforts in this space and integrate with IDM’s broader strategy across research and software domains;
• Identify emerging trends, gaps, and opportunities in the field and recommend innovative approaches to address them;
• Engage strategically with Foundation Chair and leadership to inform thinking on data and modeling.

Research Team Management & Mentorship:

• Lead the conceptualization of research portfolios, ensuring high-quality data collection, analysis, and interpretation to drive strategic decisions for programmatic and external partners;
• Mentor and advise research managers and individual contributors within the team, fostering professional growth, leadership, and development, as well as in strategy development and engagement with programmatic counterparts;
• Provide guidance to direct reports on research methodologies, study design, and data management to ensure robust and reliable results with foundation partners;
• Fostering a collaborative and healthy internal team culture that emphasizes listening and cultural humility in our engagements with partners.

Communication, Advocacy & Engagement:

• Support dissemination of research findings through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and other knowledge-sharing platforms;
• Engage in the strategic development of global public goods in the upstream global health research space in collaboration with the IDM software team and broader foundation partners.

Your Experience

• Ph.D. or equivalent advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., public health, epidemiology, social sciences);
• Extensive experience (10+ years) in leading research and modeling initiatives informing the product or vaccine development space, with experience at the intersections of policy makers, funders, academia, and industry;
• Strong background in global public health research, mathematical or disease modeling, epidemiology, and health disparities;
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing multidisciplinary research projects, with a quantitative focus;
• Familiarity with advanced statistical methods, dynamic modeling, and targeted data analytics;
• Proven track record of developing and fostering collaborations and partnerships with internal and external partners;
• Experience building and managing a team, cultivating an effective team culture, and leading performance and impact;
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to present complex strategy, both within IDM and within the broader foundation, translating research approaches & findings to diverse audiences.

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