Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Onsite
Not Available
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 Data & AI Infrastructure team works to unlock the full potential of data and artificial intelligence to improve educational and economic outcomes. Our vision is that by 2045, all learners and the adults who support them are empowered by safe, evidence-based, AI-enabled solutions that deliver personalized experiences and universally recognized skills — enabling them to navigate pathways, move across institutions, and thrive in meaningful work. To achieve this, we invest in three catalytic areas: AI solution enablement, trusted evidence for AI in education, and dynamic feedback systems. We amplify this work through investing in focus geographies, driving strategic partnerships with frontier AI labs and co-funders, and partnering with other teams within U.S. Program in using data and AI to drive equitable impact.Your Role
As the Senior Program Officer for Data & AI Infrastructure Integration, you will be at the forefront of transforming the education-to-workforce data and AI ecosystem to advance equity and opportunity for all learners. In this critical role, you will build and integrate crucial public good infrastructure to support evidence-based AI-native data system implementation that strengthens data feedback loops—helping district and postsecondary leaders access timely insights and collaborate more effectively across sectors to improve long-term regional outcomes
You are responsible for leading a research and development portfolio to test, co-develop, and refine integrated data and AI infrastructure solutions in real-world education and workforce contexts. You will design and lead iterative learning cycles at the intersection of the AI Infrastructure and System Feedback Loops (SFL) portfolios, generating actionable evidence about what conditions, infrastructure configurations, and integrated approaches accelerate impact for learners — particularly the most vulnerable populations. You will apply mastery-level expertise in implementation research and education data systems, and a proactive, solutions-oriented perspective to navigate ambiguity and drive thorough, equity-centered inquiry in partnership with grantees, researchers, and cross-divisional colleagues.
What You’ll Do
Design and lead a portfolio of implementation R&D investments that test integrated plays between the AI Infrastructure and System Feedback Loops portfolios in real-world education and workforce contexts where baseline AI, data, and organizational readiness conditions exist.
Generate actionable evidence on the key infrastructure changes that promote efficacy, identifying what conditions — technical, organizational, and governance-related — are vital for integrated data and AI solutions to work as intended and drive measurable outcomes for learners.
Design iterative learning cycles to assess whether integrated strategies accelerate progress toward division impact goals, and ensure findings are translated into concrete refinements to portfolio strategy and investment design.
Test and validate theories of implementation in real-world contexts, surface where assumptions hold and where they require revision and communicate findings to division leadership and portfolio leads with rigor and clarity.
Develop evidence and models that demonstrate benefits conferring beyond single localities or regions, building toward scalable, replicable approaches that can advise the broader field.
Negotiate, implement, and lead a sophisticated portfolio of grants and performance-based contracts, applying an investor’s perspective and mastery-level knowledge of implementation research to ensure investments generate high-quality, actionable learning.
Serve as the primary cross-portfolio integrator between the AI Infrastructure and SFL portfolios, ensuring that real-world implementation evidence directly informs how each portfolio refines its investment hypotheses, technical requirements, and theory of change — and that both portfolios are designed to learn from each other over time.
Identify where AI Infrastructure and SFL investments have interdependent technical or programmatic requirements — such as the need for evaluation approaches to be designed in concert with the data systems that will collect outcomes — and broker the coordination needed to address those dependencies proactively.
Review letters of inquiry and grant proposals; provide clear, concise, and insightful written analyses and recommendations for funding, including drafting and editing proposal summaries and progress reports for review by foundation leadership.
Consult with grantees to achieve the desired impact of grants by conducting site visits, providing technical guidance, convening meetings of key collaborators, and applying and evaluating milestone-based performance objectives.
Represent the foundation to key external constituencies and partners in implementation research, education data, and AI in education, staying informed on emerging signals and trends and contributing to field-level discourse.
Support inclusive culture through modeling behaviors and actions; escalate issues in a timely fashion to appropriate stakeholders.
Ability to travel up to 35%.
Your Experience
An Advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience, preferably in education research, learning sciences, public policy, or a related field.
Mastery level knowledge of implementation research methodologies, including iterative learning cycles, theory of implementation, and approaches to testing and validating interventions in real-world contexts at scale.
Significant experience working with education-to-workforce data systems, including building, expanding, and/or using key federal, state, and private data sources, with deep knowledge of how data infrastructure intersects with AI deployment and learner outcomes.
Significant experience designing and leading sophisticated grant portfolios or R&D investment programs, with proven ability to generate actionable evidence and translate findings into strategy refinements.
Proven ability to make informed decisions that consider the impacts of data and technology on equity, particularly how AI can be developed and deployed to support and uplift Black, Latino, Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds.
Significant experience building and sustaining partnerships across research, practice, and technology communities, with the ability to use informal influence and non-positional leadership to align diverse stakeholders around shared learning goals.
Proven excellence in synthesizing and communicating complex technical findings for diverse audiences, including foundation leadership, grantees, and external partners.
** Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
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.
LI-SC2
The salary range for this role is $190,100 to $294,700 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 $209,100 to $324,100 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.
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.
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