Senior Manager, Digital & Applied AI

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 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 Innovation, Health R&D, and AI (DHAI) cluster is a core enabler for key goals of the ICO across our portfolio.

On the health innovation front, the cluster is focused on new products such as diagnostics, vaccines, drugs and devices including AI-enabled, diagnostics, modeling, and other data science approaches that are crucial to many programs. On the diagnostics front we aim to accelerate the discovery, development, and deployment of high-quality, affordable, and accessible in-vitro diagnostics and diagnostic devices for infectious diseases that disproportionately impact vulnerable populations. We work with the Government of India, state governments, academia, private sector, and global networks to build effective diagnostic tools as part of a broader strategy to reduce disease burden and improve health equity. The foundation has also been partnering with the Department of Biotechnology, BIRAC, Indian Council for Medical Research and private sector players to strengthen vaccine R&D in India. Our aim is to help India serve as a credible source of supply for life-saving diagnostics, vaccines, and pharmaceutical products for diseases that affect the poorest.

Our Digital for Development (D4D) & AI work continues to focus on unlocking the transformative potential across our portfolios and our approach is continuously evolving to reflect the expanding opportunities and cross-sectoral relevance of these tools. We aspire to work on ethical and responsible D4D & AI adoption, ensuring that advancements in D4D & AI drive positive impact, reduce inequities, and support the strategic goals of governments in India. Our D4D & AI work primarily includes technical assistance support to key central government Ministries/Departments/Agencies and foundation’s State governments on the development, rollout and scale-up of digital architecture in health, gender, and poverty reduction, and helping to study impact.

Your Role

The Senior Manager, Digital & Applied AI, will co-develop the strategic direction and bodies of work for the broader Digital for Development & AI portfolio, working closely with both internal and external stakeholders in India (e.g. government, philanthropic, private sector). Apart from providing oversight to the interventions supported by the team, you will lead the thinking and execution of critical Digital & Applied AI interventions that are core to the long-term strategy of our program teams and may be cross-cutting.

You will be based at the foundation’s ICO in New Delhi, and report to the Deputy Director, Digital & AI, DHAI.

What You’ll Do

• Provide leadership on all the Digital & Applied AI interventions being led/supported by the D4D & AI team, across our all our active program areas under all the clusters at ICO.

• Actively contributes to the development and execution of the ICO/and Foundation program strategies as well as bodies of work; includes supporting iterative refinement and evolution of our approach for all the D4D & AI bodies of work.

• Aligned with the overall strategy, develop anchor partners for digital collaboratives and ecosystem development - both at national level as well as in our priority States.

• Work with partner organizations and key government stakeholders to support long-term capacity building efforts on Digital & Applied AI within government.

• Develop, advise, and manage well-scoped, well-structured investments (grants and/or contracts) to execute against the bodies of work related to D4D & AI, aiming for innovative approaches that can be scaled.

• Conduct thorough analysis of grants and contracts, grantee progress reports; write high quality briefing documents that synthesize results and learnings for leadership and the ICO teams.

• Identify and leverage opportunities for developing synergies between the Digital & Applied AI work and Health Innovation priorities.

• Manage and mentor the Digital & Applied AI team; includes but not restricted to - responsible for hiring, successful employee onboarding, communicating performance expectations, creating goal alignment, integrating project and change management, giving and seeking feedback, providing coaching, measuring progress, holding people accountable, supporting employee development, and recognizing achievement as well as lessons learned.

• Work closely with the philanthropic ecosystem with the objective of collaboration and/or unlocking additional resources for the Digital & AI priorities in the priority States for the foundation.

• Lead and maintain the foundation relationship with key ministries and departments - both at the Government of India level, as well as in priority States of the foundation in India.

• Develop and continuously evolve the ‘AI for Good’ strategy for India and actively contribute to the foundation wide efforts on taking AI use cases to scale, aligned with the programmatic priorities of the foundation.

• Build strategies and partnerships to leverage India’s strengths and capabilities in the Digital & AI, with the aim of catalyzing the development of platforms, tools and solutions to serve foundation’s goals in India and potentially for the world.

• Represent the team and the foundation on industry and public engagement priorities for Digital & Applied AI related topics; both internally and externally.

• Be a high-energy, strong culture ambassador of the foundation (internally and externally).

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s or other relevant advanced degree (e.g. health, technology, digital, business administration) with 10+ years of relevant experience, developing, implementing and monitoring large scale Digital & Applied AI initiatives/strategies.

• Extensive experience in the Digital & Applied AI space and taking them to scale at a State/National level, ideally in implementation capacity. An in-depth knowledge of India’s AI/digital ecosystem is essential.

• Experience in managing a portfolio of grants/contracts focused on digital development or transformation is preferred.

• Strong initiative, organizational skills, and ability to work autonomously and cross-functionally while remaining flexible to changing tasks, priorities, and roles and responsibilities.

• Passion for solving complex problems through digital innovation (especially in health) and demonstrated relevant experience of the same.

• Proven ability to manage/deliver complex digital projects/programs and risk mitigation, with clear milestones and outcomes.

• Experience working in developing country settings. Knowledge of India and prior, relevant work experience in-country is essential.

• People management skills, including managing teams of impactful self-directed professionals and acting as a partner to team members managing specific projects/portfolios.

• Demonstrated ability to work in a highly matrixed and diverse work environment, with strong collaboration, consultative and diplomacy skills.

• Excellent analytical thinking and communications skills, including writing and public speaking skills to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Results-driven and self-motivated with ability to inspire the pursuit of excellence and stay focused on long-term vision.

• Models professional courage - engages in trust-based debate, asks hard or unpopular questions, and is willing to say no.

• Demonstrated commitment to innovation, inclusion, and impact.

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.

• Ability to travel up to 35% of time domestically and internationally.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Application deadline: 23 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.