WHO Foundation is looking for a Strategic Engagement Program Manager (Remote)

Title: WHO Foundation - Strategic Engagement Program Manager (Based in Geneva or remote)

Job description

ABOUT US

The WHO Foundation (WHOF), launched in May 2020 and headquartered in Geneva, was created as an independent Swiss foundation affiliated with but independent of WHO. Its mission is to mobilize greater private capital and partnership to advance the mission of the World Health Organization (WHO), enabling catalytic impact on the people whose lives rely on WHO’s work, and facilitating innovation to maximize the impact of the resources we invest.

WHO plays a singular role in leading the global health ecosystem, acting as a first-responder to health crises — including cross border conflicts and outbreaks in underserved communities and geographies; producing technical guidelines and tools to prevent and treat disease; and acting as a country-level convener with an unparalleled level of trust. The crises of the 21st century, including COVID-19, have made clear both the inequity of access to effective and affordable healthcare and the indispensable role of WHO. Yet WHO lacks sufficient resources to fulfill its mandate. And its vision cannot be achieved by the funding from the public sector alone.

The WHO Foundation was therefore created as an independent Swiss foundation affiliated with but independent of WHO to marshal new resources from philanthropists, foundations, businesses, and individuals to support its mission: promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable, while protecting the neutrality and independence of WHO as the world’s leading health authority. WHOF is a nexus for unique opportunities in global health, facilitating game-changing opportunities between the private sector and WHO. Our focus is on mobilizing grant income, shared value partnerships, and investment to power WHO’s work.

PURPOSE

The Strategic Engagement Program Manager supports the Strategic Engagement team in driving the WHO Foundation’s investment blueprint for key Health Programs and Impact Areas among the priorities listed above. This role focuses on developing investment opportunities, conducting research and analysis, and producing high-quality content to guide strategies and engage stakeholders. The Program Manager also helps shape partnerships with WHO, donors, and external partners, while contributing to portfolio development, proposal preparation, grant making, and project management. The role will demand a combination of strategic and operational tasks with strong ability to identify and cultivate relationships, in a rapidly evolving context.

REPORTS TO

The Strategic Engagement Program Manager will join a team of four heads of Strategic engagement and one SE Program Manager, that is part of the Development department. S/he will report to one but will regularly work with all of the four Heads of Strategic Engagement. S/he will work across WHO Foundation (Europe/APAC, MENA, US development teams), business operations, impact finance and communications.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic programme management and engagement

• Support the SE Team in identifying and monitoring investment opportunities through collaboration with the prospect researchers.
• Coordinate, plan, and produce materials on strategic initiatives across the SE portfolio, ensuring alignment with WHO Foundation priorities and WHO strategic objectives.
• Manage investment initiatives from opportunity identification through to donor-facing materials, tracking, and updates.
• Act as liaison between the SE team and other units (e.g., regional teams, stewardship, and Communications) to ensure consistency .
• Support the strategic engagement with WHO technical teams where relevant.

Data quality monitoring, assurance and management

• Design and oversee processes for data related to the opportunities the Foundation is fundraising for: data collection, quality control, transfer, management, and reporting.
• Analyze data from multiple sources to identify trends, assess impact, and generate insights on global health issues.
• Develop analytical and visualization frameworks using secondary data to create prospective impact cases.
• Support the SE Heads in integrating impact into proposals, communications, and other materials, collaborating with partnerships, philanthropy, and communications teams.
• Respond promptly and accurately to technical queries.
• Coordinate with WHO Foundation teams, WHO, and partners on data collection design, quality control, transfer, management, and reporting for all grants.
• Contribute to tools, and processes to enable effective monitoring, reporting, data points collection, in close collaboration with the Stewardship team.

Support to development of investment portfolio

• Support the SE Heads in developing the WHO Foundation’s investment portfolio.
• Apply a data-driven approach to analyze key insights across all thematic areas.
• Conduct literature reviews and synthesize evidence to guide portfolio development and decision-making.
• Monitor global health research to identify key trends and emerging opportunities for engagement.
• Contribute to the preparation of pitch decks, concept notes, talking points, and briefing reports for the team.
• Support development of any innovative financing mechanisms (e.g., pooled funds), creating materials and liaising with both WHO teams and donors.

Support to proposal development, grant making and project management

• Support proposal development and reporting by providing data, and technical inputs for specific opportunities.
• Support to the entire S&I team on all aspects of the grant management cycle, e.g., operational, technical and financial support including identification of partners and projects, disbursement of funds, M&E, etc.) to ensure compliance with funding agreements, evaluating progress, and providing technical support when necessary.

Internal capacity building and cross-team coordination

• Assist in training and communicating on WHO’s programs, impact and approaches across the SE team and the wider WHO Foundation.
• Build capacity of junior colleagues and interns through mentoring, reviewing deliverables, and leading internal knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Work with the communications and events teams to produce data points and evidence that will facilitate the effective dissemination of impact stories and results.
• Participate in technical meetings, strategic reviews, and donor discussions as required.

PROFILE

• ESSENTIAL:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public health, international development, humanitarian action or related field.
  • Strong skills in quantitative data analytics, particularly using secondary data for building impact analysis and investment cases. Experience using, managing and cleaning data sets and systems, and using statistical software programmes and other software to analyze data and visualize data.
  • Expertise in preparing high quality slide deck: excellent graphic design skills in PowerPoint, and use of Canva or other platforms an asset.
  • Strong analytical and technical writing skills.
  • Good knowledge of the global health/public health ecosystem, WHO and global health partners,, and sound knowledge of emerging global health issues and debates.
  • Comfort with and/or experience of operating in a lean and fast-paced start-up environment.
  • Fluency in English

• DESIRABLE:

  • Previous working experience in Latin America or Africa or the Middle East or Asia.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the global health funding landscape, including philanthropic organizations, private foundations, and bilateral and multilateral donors; or proven experience supporting fundraising, strategic partnerships, or business development functions within global health or international development organizations.
  • Previous experience in a consultancy firm.
  • A minimum of 2 years of experience working in the health sector (NGOs, private sector, consultancy firms, UN Agencies, etc.)
  • Experience in supporting innovative and high impact global health programming. Experience in the thematic priorities set by WHO Foundation is an asset (Mental health, Brain Health, NCDs, Infectious diseases and surveillance, Climate and Health, NTDs and Malaria, Models of care/Integrated services, Women’s health, Digital Health and Emergencies)
  • Previous exposure to the M&E and impact metrics field, to monitor and quantify impact for global health stakeholders as an asset.
  • Strong aptitude to work with autonomy and entrepreneurship, both individually and as part of a complex team effort.
  • Strong interpersonal and communications skills and capacity to build relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds and cultural sensitivity.
  • Fluency in English, - French and other languages are an asset.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Rewarding work in a dynamic non-profit environment
• A collaborative workplace within a multicultural team
• An agile and flexible environment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Type of contract: Permanent contract
• Location: Geneva or remote
• Working rate: 100%
• Deadline for application: 27.02.2026

This is a rolling process; applications will be revised as they arrive. Final deadline for application is 27.02.2026.

The WHO Foundation puts equity at the center of all its work and is committed to building, fostering, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Employment and advancement opportunities are based upon individual qualifications, regardless of gender, color, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, nationality, cultural & religious background, beliefs, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and marital status. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

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