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 TeamThe India Country Office (ICO) is central to the foundation’s commitment to advancing equitable health outcomes and strengthening India’s health innovation ecosystem. The Digital, Health Innovations, and Artificial Intelligence (DHAI) Cluster is a core enabler of the ICO’s key goals across our portfolio. The cluster advances R&D and innovation across foundational research; medical devices, vaccines, and drugs, as well as data-science methods (modeling, AI-enabled tools). We approach this by accelerating R&D and the deployment of affordable, high-quality, accessible products, working with the Government of India - at central and state level, academia, industry, and global networks.
Your Role
As a Program Officer, Drug-Devices, you will play a critical role in shaping and managing a portfolio of India-focused investments to ensure quality, manufacturability, regulatory readiness, and affordability of priority drugs, devices, and drug-device combination products that advance women’s health innovation (WHI) and maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH) outcomes. The portfolio includes programs such as Hormonal IUD (intrauterine device), heavy menstrual bleeding, therapeutics, implants, novel contraceptives, and maternal & neonatal therapeutics.
The postholder will collaborate with internal and external partners to drive innovative solutions, making sure products are designed for scale, validated for performance, and progressed through robust Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) plans and fit-for-purpose quality systems. You will bring expertise spanning product development, CMC strategy, manufacturing scale-up and tech transfer, regulatory pathways (including combination products), and cost of goods (COGS) modeling and cost-reduction enabling strategies helping ensure products can be sustainably manufactured and adopted in public health programs.
The role is based and reports to the foundation’s ICO in New Delhi, and reports to a senior manager supporting WHI and MNCH product development and deployment.
What You’ll Do
This is a highly collaborative role and will involve working with multiple Program Strategy Teams (PSTs) in Seattle and teams across the ICO, for new product development and scaling.
In this role you will:
Design, structure, and manage critical grants and contracts for drug, device, and drug-device combination product development-ensuring strong CMC plans, realistic scale-up pathways, and clear deliverables
Identify and select partner institutions (e.g. industry, academia, Contract Research Organization (CRO)/ Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO)/Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) networks, and public-sector partners) and shape scope and strategy for selected grants and contracts to meet strategic goals especially around development readiness, quality systems, and scalable manufacturing.
Apply milestone-based performance metrics and help with go/no-go decision-making, including technical and commercial diligence of feasibility, manufacturing readiness, regulatory risk, and cost targets.
Provide technical and strategic support to grantees and contractors guiding CMC strategy (Drug Substance (DS)/Drug Product (DP) where relevant) and COGS/cost-reduction progress.
Collaborate closely with foundation teams in Seattle and ICO connecting CMC, regulatory, and product strategy to program objectives and partner execution plans.
Your Experience
Master’s or PhD in Science or Engineering or related fields is required.
Minimum of 10 years’ experience with preference in pharmaceutical and/or combination product development, CMC, manufacturing sciences and regulatory affairs in India and/or Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) contexts.
Strong understanding of CMC, and manufacturing within the product development and commercialization pathway, including regulatory requirements, especially in women’s health and maternal/child health product sector.
Experience in manufacturing scale-up through CMO/CDMO tech transfer, process characterization, control strategy development, GMP readiness, and removal of supply/manufacturing constraints.
Experience evaluating COGS models and drive cost reduction via process optimization, yield improvements, raw material optimization, packaging while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance.
Portfolio and project management skills; ability to structure, oversee and review large-scale grants and contracts advancing product development and manufacturing readiness.
Familiarity with India’s health product policy ecosystem and experience working with relevant agencies (such as ICMR, CSDCO) and comfort navigating global expectations where relevant (e.g., ICH-aligned quality expectations, WHO-linked pathways).
Excellent analytical thinking and communications skills, including the ability to synthesize evidence into actionable insights, prepare high-quality briefings and analyses for leadership, and public speaking.
Demonstrated ability to work in a highly matrixed and diverse work environment, with strong collaboration, consultative and negotiation skills.
Growth mindset - curious about innovative approaches, able to change direction, willing to seek feedback and course correct.
Results-driven and self-motivated with ability to inspire the pursuit of excellence.
Other Attributes
Comfortable in a wide range of cultural, geographic and operational situations, demonstrating culturally sensitive behaviour with a diverse range of people and a deep commitment to development issues and high standards of personal integrity.
Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time.
*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.
Application deadline: 20 February 2026
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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
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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.