Deputy Director, AI Delivery & Government Partnerships-Africa

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.

The Team

The Africa Team works to advance the foundation's mission across the continent by scaling evidence-based innovations and driving systems-level impact in health, agriculture, and digital transformation. With a presence in five offices - Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa - the team is comprised of about 180 people.

Application Deadline: April 19, 2026

Your Role

The Deputy Director, AI Delivery & Government Partnerships will lead the Foundation's AI agenda across Africa, translating modern AI capabilities into trusted, practical, and cost-effective programs that measurably improve outcomes for underserved populations in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts.

This is a delivery-first leadership role: building high-trust partnerships with governments and public institutions; strengthening and connecting AI hubs across the continent; and driving priority initiatives from design through adoption and sustained impact.

The role reports to the Director for Africa. Preferred location is Nairobi, Kenya; open to placement in Nigeria, Ethiopia, or South Africa offices.

What You'll Do
- Lead end-to-end design and implementation of AI-enabled programs in African LMIC settings
- Serve as the Foundation's senior Africa-facing partner to Ministries and public institutions
- Lead testing and implementation of AI platform partnerships across Africa
- Co-lead delivery with ARO functional teams to ensure AI is embedded in core institutional agendas
- Strengthen and connect AI hubs across priority countries
- Embed equity-by-design across all deployments
- Manage a portfolio balancing scale-ready execution with disciplined experimentation
- Manage and develop a focused team of program teams, technical advisors, and implementation partners

Your Experience
- 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in large-scale digital, AI, or data-enabled programs with demonstrated results in LMIC settings
- Proven ability to translate complex technology into institutional adoption
- Demonstrated track record of building and sustaining partnerships with governments and public institutions
- Strong program leadership capabilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Practical AI literacy
- Deep AI technical expertise with experience deploying technology under low-resource constraints

Location: Nairobi, Kenya (open to Nigeria, Ethiopia, or South Africa)