Head, Private Sector Partnerships and Innovation

Position title: Head, Private Sector Partnerships and Innovation  

Location: Geneva

Purpose of the position: Lead Gavi’s Private Sector Partnerships and Innovation team 

Department: Resource Mobilisation & Private Sector Partnerships & Innovative Finance (RMPSP&IF)

Team: Innovative Partnerships and Development Finance

Reports to: Managing Director, Innovative Partnerships and Development Finance

No. of positions supervised: 3 – 5 

Career step level: 5

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together implementing country and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunisation of more than 981 million children and the prevention of more than 16 million future deaths. 

BACKGROUND
Over the past years, the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt. In countries with already fragile health systems, this has had a catastrophic impact. Through the ground-breaking COVAX Facility and the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), Gavi is working with the international community to take urgent action in accelerating a COVID-19 vaccine and ensure it becomes available to populations no matter where they live. This is the moment where more resources from diverse and sustainable sources are required, and that available financing must be leveraged strategically and efficiently to unlock the greatest level of impact possible. What is needed now is a comprehensive approach to attract, retain, and multiply the financial and business resources of the private sector, and catalyse transformative innovations to strategically support countries, partners, and the Gavi secretariat as it seeks to ensure sustainability in its ambitious immunisation programmes and safeguard global health security. 

The RMPSPIF department supports the Alliance by ensuring sustainable donor financing and enhanced resource innovation. This includes (i) securing donor pledges delivered in Berlin and deepening relationships with existing donors while helping to elevate Gavi and immunisation on global agendas, (ii) diversifying Gavi’s financing base to include new and emerging donors, development institutions, regional banks, and the private sector (iii) bringing to bear the innovation and resources of the private sector through new and expanded partnerships, innovative financing, and other initiatives; and (iv) leading key fundraising and reporting excercises. 

The Private Sector Partnerships and Innovations team, nested in the Innovative Partnerships and Development Finance Team (IPDF), is focused on mobilising financial resources from private partners, including philanthropic investors, building expertise based partnerships with the private sector, and identifying and scaling innovations to advance Gavi’s objectives.  To date, the team has pioneered the use of emerging technologies to accelerate vaccine delivery, built partnerships with global multinationals and leading country corporations, and created the INFUSE platform to identify high potential innovators. 

• Demonstrate thought-leadership in the adoption of advanced technologies to achieve outsized immunisation impact;
• Create and maintain an ecosystem of investors, accelerators, and donors, to drive Gavi’s innovation agenda;
• Lead the team to identify and mentor high-potential start-ups and social entrepreneurs, clearly communicating and advocating for INFUSE 2.0 in global and regional forums;

4.  Drive and develop new selected innovative initiatives including but not limited to enhanced partnerships with select business platforms, new mechanisms targeting the private sector, and other priorities as they arise; 

• Working in partnership with the Director, Middle East, Asia, Africa and LATAM, develop specific market strategies for engaging sovereign donors and industry associations;
• Develop market specific narratives and value-propositions for public investors to encourage private sector engagement for Gavi;
• Working with the Innovative Finance and Development Finance teams to tailor innovative finance instruments for private sector investors;

5.  Ensuring the engagement of the private sector and innovators in key Gavi events such as WEF Annual Meetings, Gavi’s Mid-Term Review, and Replenishment conference.

Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs.

QUALIFICATIONS
Academic:

• Advanced degree in public affairs, global health, business administration, social entrepreneurship, fundraising, or international development.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience in the fields of resource mobilisation, strategy, partnership development, private sector engagement, impact investing, and innovation management;
• Experience and proven management track record in successfully creating and managing partnerships with the private sector is necessary, ideally in the health space;
• A good understanding of the innovation cycle and the innovation space is required; experience identifying, fostering and/or scaling innovations is a plus;
• Good understanding of key transformations impacting today’s business, industry and political environment; as well as good overview of development aid work is a plus;
• Ideal candidate has experience both with private and public sectors, with a proven track record of mobilizing 7 figure funds;
• Experience of managing multiple projects within a fast-moving environment is required; 
• Experience of engaging with business executives and senior level stakeholders is required;
• Demonstrated ability to structure financial instruments and navigate complex funding mechanisms is a plus;

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent people management skills and established operational track record in managing teams; a demonstrated ability to leverage team strengths, coach development areas and provide the source of ongoing motivation necessary to achieving results;
• Exceptional partnership development  and management skills;
• Exceptional people skills including relationship development at senior levels, and ability to influence outside of formal hierarchical structures;
• Exceptional tact, political, diplomatic, and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent networking, representational, communications and negotiation abilities;
• Excellent presentation and storytelling skills;
• Ability to cope with uncertainty and ambiguity;
• Excellent analytical and synthesizing capabilities;
• Excellent communication skills and an outstanding commend of written and spoken English;
• Entrepreneur spirit, problem-solving skills and result-orientated is a must;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish working relationships with multiple teams;
• Good understanding of Gavi and Gavi strategic objectives or capability and willingness to acquire this knowledge quickly;

Languages:

• Fluent written and spoken English required; other languages desirable;

Contacts:

• Gavi Secretariat; 
  
• Gavi Partners; 
• Donor governments and development agencies; 
• Financial institutions; 
• Private sector companies; 
• HNWI and private foundations; 
• Impact and commercial investors;
• Other key stakeholders in target markets. 

Gavi is committed to diversity within its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.

If you wish to apply, please provide a cover letter and resume through our Careers webpage by clicking on “Head, Private Sector Partnerships Innovation". 

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