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 Communications Division, led by the Chief Communications Officer, oversees the foundation’s global communications strategy. The division brings together internal and external communications to advance the foundation’s mission to create a more equitable world.

The Internal Communications team connects employees to the foundation’s mission, strategy, work, and impact. We partner with leaders and teams across the organization to develop strategic, employee-centered communications that inform, engage, and inspire. Through thoughtful planning, channel management, leadership communications, storytelling, and enterprise-wide communications coordination, we help employees understand what matters most, feel connected to our global community, and contribute to a more informed, aligned, and engaged organization.

Application Deadline: Friday, August 14, 2026

Your Role

Reporting to the Director of Internal Communications, you oversee the foundation’s internal leadership communications portfolio—building the systems, strategies, and capabilities that enable leaders across the foundation to communicate with clarity, empathy, and purpose. You are a trusted advisor to senior leaders and a skilled strategist who understands that how leaders communicate is as important as what they communicate.

You develop and manage the frameworks, tools, channels, and content that equip the Executive Leadership Team, and leaders at all levels to engage authentically with employees—during moments of strategic importance, organizational change, and day-to-day connection. You bring a sophisticated understanding of leadership communication as a discipline, including how to coach leaders, how to build and sustain credibility through communication, and how to translate complex organizational moments into clear, human narratives.

You are also a resident expert and coach for the team on internal communications platforms, data, and analytics. You help architect and steward the foundation’s internal communications technology ecosystem—including SharePoint and Viva Engage—and you use data and analytics to continuously improve the reach, relevance, and impact of leadership communications. You bring a systems thinker’s mindset to both platform architecture and communications strategy, ensuring the foundation’s channels and content work together to support a coherent and effective employee experience.

As a key member of the Internal Communications leadership team, you model strong judgment, creative problem-solving, and the ability to lead decisively through ambiguity. This role is designed as a potential succession path for the Director of Internal Communications and offers significant scope, visibility, and opportunity to grow into enterprise-wide communications leadership.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the foundation’s internal leadership communications practice—developing strategy, content, and programs that equip senior leaders to communicate effectively and authentically with employees across the organization.

• Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the ELT, and other senior leaders on leadership communications approaches, message development, audience strategy, and communications risks.

• Develop and manage an integrated leadership communications calendar and cadence—coordinating executive messaging, all-staff moments, leadership forums, and other high-visibility internal engagements.

• Write and edit high-quality communications on behalf of senior leaders, including messages, scripts, talking points, video narratives, and presentations for enterprise-wide audiences.

• Build and manage frameworks and tools that enable consistent, effective leadership communications across the foundation—including standards, templates, playbooks, and guidance for communicating during change or uncertainty.

• Provide coaching and preparation support to leaders ahead of significant communications moments, including announcements, transitions, all-staff events, and other high-visibility engagements.

• Co-lead the strategy, governance, and ongoing development of internal communications channels, in partnership with IT and other functions, ensuring they are dynamic, accessible, and aligned with organizational needs.

• Serve as a primary expert for the team on internal communications data and analytics—establishing measurement frameworks, tracking engagement and reach, synthesizing insights, and using data to inform communications strategy and platform decisions.

• Develop and deliver regular reporting on internal leadership communications effectiveness for the Internal Communications Director and Communications Division leadership.

• Partner closely with the Deputy Director, Employee Experience and Engagement to ensure leadership communications are integrated appropriately into employee engagement channels and initiatives.

• Collaborate closely with the Office of the CEO, People function, Foundation Strategy Office, and External Communications to ensure alignment and consistency across leadership messaging and enterprise-wide communications moments.

• Support issue assessment and communications planning for sensitive or emerging organizational topics that require leadership communications guidance.

• Travel domestically and internationally up to 20%.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, public relations, journalism, business administration, organizational development, or a related field.

• 10+ years direct experience in internal or employee communications, with significant focus on senior leadership communications, executive communications, or enterprise communications in a complex, global organization.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute leadership communications strategies that build trust, alignment, and engagement across diverse employee audiences.

• Strong writing and editing skills, with proven ability to draft high-quality communications for senior executives across a range of formats and channels.

• Experience advising and preparing executives for high-visibility internal communications moments, including change announcements, all-staff events, and leadership forums.

• Deep expertise in internal communications platforms—particularly SharePoint and Viva Engage—including platform governance, architecture, configuration, and employee experience optimization.

• Strong command of internal communications data and analytics: defining metrics, building measurement frameworks, analyzing engagement data, and translating insights into actionable strategy.

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex organizational strategies and sensitive topics into clear, credible, and motivating narratives for diverse audiences.

• Experience working in a highly matrixed, global organization with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.

• Ability to build trusted relationships with senior leaders, cross-functional partners, and communications colleagues across hierarchies and disciplines.

• Strong judgment, discretion, and the ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with care.

• Experience managing individuals or teams in a fast-paced environment.

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and ensuring communications reflect diverse perspectives and voices.

• Ability to work with poise under pressure.

• Experience working with philanthropies, global health and development organizations, public sector institutions, or mission-driven organizations is preferred.

• Strong familiarity with change management principles and their application to communications strategies.

• 
  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.).

The salary range for this role is $212,800 to $329,800 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 $234,000 to $362,800 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.