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Job details Job 1 of 1 Position TitleProgram AssistantDivisionGlobal Health ProgramDepartmentFamily HealthLocationSeattleFoundation OverviewGuided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.Group SummaryThe Global Health Program harnesses advances in science and technology to save lives in poor countries. We focus on the health problems that have a major impact in developing countries but get too little attention and funding. Where proven tools exist, we support sustainable ways to improve their delivery. Where they don’t, we invest in research and development of new interventions, such as vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics.
Within the Global Health Program, the Family Health Division addresses the leading causes of illness and death for mothers and newborns during and immediately after childbirth; nutrition, especially during the first two years of life; and family planning; Family planning is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions:
Family planning saves lives.
Voluntary family planning is a critical lifesaving intervention that can significantly improve the health of women and their families. Through family planning:
Maternal mortality is reduced. Family planning could prevent up to one third of all maternal deaths by allowing women to delay motherhood, space births, avoid unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions, and stop childbearing when they have reached their desired family size.
Deaths and illness among young women are reduced. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for women under 19, with complications of childbirth and unsafe abortion being the major factors. Adolescents aged 15 to 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as those in their 20s, and girls under 15 are five times as likely to die as those in their 20s.
Child health and survival is improved. Reducing the number of births less than two years apart, births to very young and older women, and higher-order births, family planning lowers child and infant mortality. For example, if women spaced their births at least 36 months apart, almost 3 million deaths to children under age 5 could be averted.
Family planning improves women’s life options.
Unwanted pregnancy is among the leading causes of school dropouts. Women who delay childbearing until their 20s and bear fewer children are more likely and better able to stay in school longer and invest in their child’s education. Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later, and to have smaller, healthier families.
Family planning reduces unintended pregnancies and abortions.
More than 200 million women in developing countries report that they want to avoid a pregnancy but lack access to effective contraceptives. Women without access to modern contraceptives have children too close together, have more unintended pregnancies, and are at a greater risk of dying due to complications during childbirth or unsafe abortion. Of the 210 million pregnancies occurring each year, nearly 80 million are unintended. There are an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions resulting in nearly 67,000 deaths annually.
Family planning helps countries reach their development goals in health and development.
By averting unintended births, countries reap health, education, and economic benefits through reduced pressure on the environment, agriculture, and water and sanitation. With fewer children, families are more able to invest in their children’s education and health. As such, family planning is essential to reducing poverty and achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Responsibilities
The Program Assistant is a key member of the Family Planning team and of the Family Health Division, and provides a wide and varied range of administrative and organizational support to the Program Officers. Efficiency, attention to detail, flexibility and good judgment to ensure smooth operations of the team are critical in this role. Primary responsibilities are listed below.
Provide a wide variety of administrative support to 3 Professional staff including complex calendar management, event planning and management, document creation & organization and maintenance of files including:
• Scheduling a high volume of appointments and meetings, managing complex calendars, and making frequent international travel arrangements.
• Maintaining an organized system of tracking, monitoring, and prioritizing tasks and projects.
• Assistance in scheduling and planning for events, such as meetings, conferences, and presentations, which may include coordinating arrangements for participants, logistics planning, preparing and disseminating materials, and on-site management of the events logistics.
• Creation, update and/or maintenance of organized files and records.
• Compilation and processing expense reports, reimbursements, and check requests, accurately and timely.
• Prepare high quality PowerPoint presentations and edit documents as requested.
Provides communications support and assistance to ensure timely responses to inquiries including:
• Acting as liaison for team with internal and external partners, answering questions and routing requests appropriately.
• Taking and distributing minutes of meetings. Work proactively and take initiative to support the varying needs of the team.
Be an active member of the Family Health Program Assistants team
· Although the primary duty of the job is to the Family Planning team, the Family Planning Program Assistant will be expected to fill in for other Family Health Program Assistant as circumstances dictate, and to be an active member of the team.
Qualifications
• A minimum of 2 years work experience in an office setting in an administrative role for a complex and fast-paced organization, preferred.
• Previous experience in a role requiring regular and intensive interactions with internal and external contacts.
• Bachelors degree is preferred.
• Experience setting priorities and meeting deadlines while balancing the needs of providing support for multiple individuals, including calendar management, travel arrangements, and event planning coordination.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in an environment requiring diplomacy and good judgment in managing interactions with individuals at all levels inside and outside an organization.
• Demonstrated effectiveness meeting deadlines in a role requiring continual attention to detail in composing, typing, and proofing materials.
• Experience establishing organizational systems to improve efficiency and functioning in a changing environment.
• Demonstrated proficiency with MSWord, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint is required. Previous experience using MS SharePoint preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrated positive, collaborative approach to work, including a commitment to client-service and problem solving.
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be contingent upon successful completion of a comprehensive background check.
Requisition Number2621BR Index Monitor
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