Associate Director, Global Health Innovation

The Global Health Innovation (GHI) area of impact is the first and largest at GCC. GHI’s current investments focus on mental health, maternal and newborn health, sanitation, access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights including safe abortion, and include portfolios of innovative service delivery, digital solutions and medical products. We provide grant and concessionary risk capital, along with technical advisory, to support innovators through seed and transition to scale funding.

The portfolios lead by this ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR are diverse and currently undergoing a strategic refresh. The successful candidate will play a central role in shaping the investment thesis of GCC’s work in several areas, including maternal and newborn health, sanitation, primary health care, sexual and reproductive health, digital tools, medical products and technologies, and Stars in Global Health. Deploying relevant thematic expertise, an understanding of the global health ecosystem, investment knowledge, project and people management skills, and stakeholder management expertise, the Associate Director has the following responsibilities:

Fund Innovation for Impact

• Oversee the development and management of GHI portfolio strategies with inputs from portfolio managers, including focus on seed, transition to scale, and ecosystem catalyst grant opportunities.
• Oversee the development and launch of relevant requests for proposals to source high quality pipeline deals for investment.
• Project manage and coach GHI deal leads and/or Senior Program Managers to develop investment theses and deliver quality TTS investment memos, including coaching deal leads via office hours, liaising with KMT and impact modelling, conducting memo reviews and approvals, and approving lead recommendations for the Investment Committee.
• Oversee and monitor portfolio and GHI wide results and strategic objectives to ensure tracking against funder and organizational targets.

Effectively Manage External Engagements

• Identify, develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key organizations and individuals, including strong relationships with current and potential government and private foundation funders.
• Provide guidance and oversight of funder reporting.
• Support national and international stakeholder engagement to advance GCC and GHI’s priorities.
• Working closely with Senior Director, GHI and the Strategy and Partnerships team, build new partnerships and fundraise for global health innovation programs.
• Provide strategic oversight on external partnership engagement opportunities (e.g., conference events, side meetings, speaker opportunities, etc.).

Provide Collaborative Leadership to Advance a High-Performing, Resilient Team

• Provide direct supervision and management of approximately 4-6 manager/senior manager-level team members, with a focus on enabling staff to succeed in their roles.
• Recruit new staff, including preparation of updated job descriptions and role-specific onboarding.
• Optimize team structure and accountabilities.
• Model work behaviours that support personal and team wellness, and are aligned with Grand Challenges Canada’s commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.

Promote Functional Team Operations

• Alongside the Senior Director, GHI develop and monitor annual plans & priorities and budgets.
• Work with relevant functional teams to set, monitor and meet feasible quarterly allocation, negotiation and spending targets / funder / GHI targets.
• Identify, assess and manage risks with deal teams and relevant cross functional teams.

Term

• Start date: As soon as possible.
• Full-time, temporary 1 year (parental leave coverage) – with potential extension, if business requires.
• A percentage (%) in lieu of benefits.
• Up to 20 days of vacation (10.5 days covered by 4% in lieu of vacation and 9.5 topped up by GCC to equalize with permanent full-time staff) for an annual contract, otherwise prorated.
• Four (4) day work week (with Friday as a flex/off day), excluding weeks with Statutory holiday (program reviewed annually).
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• International SOS (ISOS) travel safety and supports around the world.
• Professional development allowance.
• New Temporary Work Relocation – work remotely for up to 90 days, almost anywhere in the world.

Qualifications

Knowledge & Skills

• Demonstrated excellence to lead people in a way that promotes inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, and that allows individuals to grow personally and professionally.
• Ability to effectively assess potential investment opportunities and lead recommendations; prepare deal leads to present proposals successfully to the Investment Committee; and develop and assess investment portfolio strategy and implementation.
• Ability to cultivate external funder and partner relationships to advance the goals of GHI and GCC.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across functional teams (legal, finance, knowledge management, communications, partnerships).
• Demonstrated analytical skills, ability to extract meaning from complex information to develop a strategic approach.
• Commitment to GCC’s strategy of shifting power to those closest to the challenge.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities and deadlines without sacrificing wellbeing.
• Working knowledge of French is a significant asset.

Experience & Education

• Minimum of 10 years relevant experience (e.g., relevant global health technical areas, people management, innovation management, impact investing).
• Experience working and/or living in low resource contexts a significant asset.
• Advanced degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. impact investing, global health, international development, mental health) – or commensurate work experience.

Location and Work Requirements

• We are currently working in a hybrid model. However, with few approved exceptions, all GCC staff are to be located in/near the GTA and available to travel to, and work from the Toronto main office, as business and operational needs require. Any expenses related to travel and or relocating to Toronto are the sole responsibility of the employee and will not be reimbursed by GCC.
• Some international travel will be required.
• Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada.

Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women, people of color, people from LGBTQ2S+ and disabilities communities are less likely to apply to jobs when they do not meet every qualification. At Grand Challenges Canada, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, authentic, and accountable workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply, as you may be the ideal candidate we are looking for.

People from historically excluded communities with lived experiences in relevant thematic areas are encouraged to apply. People with lived experience and/or work experience in the communities or countries we are supporting are especially encouraged to apply.

To apply

Please upload your resume and cover letter here.

POSTED DATE: March 27, 2025 CLOSING DATE: April 11, 2025

Grand Challenges Canada

Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) is dedicated to the vision of a world where innovation helps every person thrive. Our role in this vision is to support local, scalable, sustainable innovation that builds a healthier, more equitable future. We are committed to our core values of seeking impact, promoting equity, and being good partners – as well as to being accountable and caring for our work and each other.

One of the largest impact-first investors in the world, Grand Challenges Canada has supported a pipeline of over 1,700 innovations in more than 100 countries. Since 2010, innovations supported by GCC have reached more than 80 million people with life-saving or life-improving initiatives who would otherwise not have had access.