Deputy Director, Digital & AI, DHAI

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) plays a pivotal role in advancing the foundation’s mission through strategic engagement with government, partners, and stakeholders across sectors. As one of the foundation’s largest and most active country programs, the ICO supports a wide portfolio of initiatives spanning health, gender equality, agriculture, and digital transformation. The office works closely with national and state-level institutions to pilot and scale innovations, influence systems, and deliver meaningful impact for the people of India and beyond.

The Digital, Health Innovations and Artificial Intelligence (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 vaccines, drugs, devices including AI-enabled, diagnostics, devices, modeling, and other data science approaches that are crucial to many programs. The foundation has also been partnering with the Department of Biotechnology, BIRAC, Indian Council for Medical Research, CSIR and private sector players to strengthen health product R&D in India. Our aim is to help India serve as a credible source of supply for life-saving vaccines, diagnostics, devices and pharmaceutical products for diseases that affect the poorest.

Our digital work includes technical assistance support to key central government departments and certain state agencies in the development, rollout and scale up of digital architecture in health, gender and poverty reduction, and helping to study impact.

The newest addition to our work is in AI where we aim to catalyze Indian innovation, in close collaboration with Government (Central and select States) efforts, on foundation’s priority sectors, such as health, education, gender and agriculture. Our work focuses on ethical and responsible AI adoption, ensuring that advancements in AI drive positive impact, reduce inequities, and support the strategic goals of governments in India as well as select countries in the South and Southeast Asia region.

Your Role

The Deputy Director, Digital & AI, DHAI will lead strategic planning, portfolio management, and partnership engagement to accelerate India’s health innovation agenda. The role will shape and oversee a portfolio of initiatives to enable India’s contributions to global health R&D and product development for diseases affecting the poorest communities.

A key component of this role involves supporting the Government of India in achieving its strategic goals in AI adoption, while ensuring that AI solutions can be scaled effectively across India and facilitate adoption of relevant use cases across other priority geographies of the foundation. The role will focus on advancing AI use cases that address critical societal challenges, while fostering a strong ecosystem for AI innovation and deployment in India.

You will manage a high performing team with diverse experts on digital for development, artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure. You will be based at the foundation’s ICO office in New Delhi, and report to the Director, Health R&D, Digital Innovation and AI.

What You’ll Do

1. Core Responsibilities* Shape, inform and lead the India Digital & AI strategy execution aligned with ICO and global priorities, focusing on multiple foundation divisions (such as Global Health, Global Growth & Opportunity and Gender Equality divisions), to impact health, gender and economic outcomes positively.

• Support and advise the efforts in Digital/AI for education, health, agriculture, digital public infrastructure across the foundation�s geographies.
  
• Accountable for effectively shaping and managing a high-impact portfolio of investments in Digital & AI.
  
• Actively collaborate within the ICO and across global program strategy teams (PSTs) to co-develop, and adapt strategy execution, implementation and assessment plans to see progress to impact.
  
• Collaborate with Seattle PSTs as an important part of the foundation�s AI leadership structure, and lead India�s AI for social good workstream.
  
• Accelerate efforts to scale up and demonstrate positive social impact of AI at scale.
  
• Lead and manage a small team of expert investment officers and manage cross-functional project teams in Digital & AI.
  
• Advise team members on sequencing investments to accelerate the development of a diverse portfolio of products given local market contexts and needs.
  
• Be the key relationship manager, cultivate and manage strategic partnerships with Indian government agencies, academia, and the private sector.
  
• Serve as a subject matter expert to foundation leadership on India-specific product development and innovation strategies.
  
• Monitor AI project effectiveness, scalability, and ethical considerations, ensuring alignment with responsible AI principles.
  
• Represent the foundation in national forums, consortia, and policy dialogues related to Digital & AI.
  
• Prepare reviews, briefs and communication, as needed, for supporting annual reporting and reviews, learning and senior leadership visits.
  

2. Performance Management and Risk Mitigation* Track key performance indicators, identify emerging risks or misalignments, and enable timely course correction.

• Establish effective systems for performance monitoring, reporting, and learning.
  

3. Operational Excellence* Lead processes related to budgeting, investment planning, and portfolio strategy across the DHAI cluster, working closely with Strategy and Portfolio Planning & Management functions.

• Support implementation of shared tools and systems that enhance efficiency and cross-team alignment.
  

4. Leadership Support* Act as a strategic thought partner to the Director to shape strategic priorities across the cluster, identify emerging opportunities for impact.

• Provide analytical insights, synthesizing complex information, and helping prepare internal and external briefings
  
• Support stakeholder engagement and communications across internal teams and external partners.
  
• Track emerging trends and key players across India�s health innovation ecosystem to inform strategic engagement and investment decisions.
  
• Enable a positive team culture that enables the group thrive within a complex matrix environment.
  

5. People Management* Lead a high performing team and foster a positive team culture that enables the group to have agency and thrive.

• Mentor and grow talent within the team to take on challenges that we anticipate for the future.
  

Your Experience* Advanced degree (e.g. PhD, MD, or Master’s in Public Health, Life Sciences, Engineering, Data Sciences, Computer Science or related field), is preferred.

• At least 12 years of experience in leadership roles within public or private sector in India. Strong understanding of strategic planning, performance management, and cross-functional coordination.
  
• A track record of designing and implementing large-scale portfolios covering technology, digital and/or AI transformation programs across sectors (e.g. health, education, gender, agriculture).
  
• Strong expertise in digital systems in the public sector, government initiatives in digital (such as Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission) and familiarity with the emerging IndiaAI Mission. An in-depth knowledge of India�s AI/digital ecosystem is essential.
  
• Familiarity with India�s digital regulatory ecosystem, product innovation, evolving laws, and how Digital & AI products are approved, introduced and scaled up.
  
• Previous experience of leading and facilitating annual program/portfolio reviews, generating insights, developing strategic frameworks, and translating analysis into persuasive narratives, visualizations, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
  
• Experience in global health product development, regulatory processes, and technology transfer preferred.
  
• Experience in global development, global health, or government systems in India, is highly desirable.
  
• Experience working in heavily matrixed environments, across multiple teams and divisions, and managing changing priorities. Skilled in navigating ambiguity and driving clarity in unstructured situations.
  
• Demonstrated strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Exceptional organizational and analytical skills, including systems thinking, coordination, results orientation and operational rigor.
  
• Proven ability to work with senior leadership and influence across teams without formal authority.
  
• Proven track record in building and managing cross-sectoral partnerships in India. Experience outside India will be a bonus.
  
• Expert in facilitation and influencing skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively and forge strong partnerships with a diverse set of stakeholders.
  
• Strong listening, verbal, and written communications skills; ability to calibrate input, make trade-offs, and synthesize information to connect with diverse audiences.
  
• Excellent leadership and program management skills with ability to drive results in complex, matrixed environments.
  
• A high-level of personal initiative and ability to be proactive, combined with the ability to stay focused on long-term vision.
  
• 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 regionally up to 30% largely to engage with stakeholders and oversee projects.
  

Application deadline: 18 August 2025

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

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process

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.