Position: Chief Programs Officer
Reports to: President and CEO
Direct Reports: 7-11
Total team size: 80-98 (based in the US, Canada, Africa, Asia, Middle East, Latin America and Caribbean)
Location: Remote; preferably on the East Coast to facilitate work across our current global hubs
Compensation range: $265,000–$340,000
About Vitamin Angels
Vitamin Angels is a global health organization working to improve the health and nutrition of women and children by delivering proven nutrition solutions where they are needed most. Through long-standing partnerships with governments, local organizations, multilateral agencies, and the private sector, we help strengthen health systems and expand access to evidence-based nutrition interventions that save lives and improve health outcomes.
Today, Vitamin Angels reaches more than 74 million women and children annually across more than 65 countries. Building on more than three decades of impact, the organization has embarked on an ambitious new strategic direction—Science. Systems. Scale.—focused on advancing scientific leadership, strengthening sustainable health systems, and accelerating country-owned solutions that create lasting impact. Joining Vitamin Angels means joining an organization that combines scientific rigor, operational excellence, and deep partnerships with a bold ambition: ensuring every woman and child has the health and nutrition they need to thrive.
Vitamin Angels is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a workplace that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are a dedicated group of individuals who strive to create a supportive environment where all individuals have access to equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of background, identity, or perspective. Our efforts aim to ensure fairness and mutual respect for all employees, promoting a culture of belonging and professional growth.
The Opportunity
This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of one of the world's leading nutrition organizations at a defining moment in its evolution.
Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the Chief Programs Officer will join a newly formed Senior Leadership Team (SLT) responsible for shaping and delivering Vitamin Angels' 2030 strategy while helping define the organization's ambitions beyond 2030. The CPO will lead a high-impact, multi-region Global Programs portfolio, influence the future of nutrition within the global health community, strengthen partnerships with governments and donors, and help mobilize the resources needed to expand Vitamin Angels' impact for generations to come.
For an accomplished global health leader, this role offers a rare opportunity to combine scientific credibility, operational leadership, systems change, external influence, and enterprise leadership to improve the lives of millions of women and children around the world.
Our Strategy and Guiding Principles
Vitamin Angels' 2030 strategy: Science. Systems. Scale. reflects our commitment to creating lasting improvements in the health and nutrition of women and children. At the center of every decision are the women and children we serve.
Our Guiding Principles provide the compass for how we identify opportunities, prioritize investments, design programs, and deliver sustainable impact. We are seeking a Chief Programs Officer who embraces these principles and uses them to shape strategy, guide decision-making, and lead the organization into its next chapter.
- Evidence-Driven Impact – We use the best available science, implementation evidence, and data to maximize health impact.
- Agility with Purpose – We remain responsive to changing needs while maintaining a clear focus on long-term outcomes.
- Systems Integration – We strengthen health systems by working through governments, local organizations, and strategic partners to achieve sustainable, country-owned solutions.
- Sustainable Scale – We design solutions that can be embedded, expanded, and sustained to improve the lives of millions of women and children.
The Mandate
As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Chief Programs Officer (CPO) is the executive leader responsible for shaping the future of Vitamin Angels' Global Programs portfolio and maximizing Vitamin Angels’ impact on the health and nutrition of women and children worldwide.
The CPO provides strategic and operational leadership for Vitamin Angels' Global Programs portfolio, ensuring that scientific evidence, including the Initiative to Advance Implementation Science in Nutrition, implementation expertise, government partnerships, local partnerships, strategic alliances, and organizational resources are translated into high-impact, integrated, sustainable solutions at scale. Together with the Chief Development Officer (CDO), the CPO co-leads Vitamin Angels' resource mobilization efforts by engaging donors and strategic partners, shaping compelling investment cases, and translating the organization's impact, scientific leadership, and implementation expertise into sustainable opportunities for growth and scale.
The CPO leads program strategy, technical excellence, country and regional operations, implementation science, monitoring, evaluation and learning, supply chain, and strategic partnerships, while building the systems, capabilities, and partnerships required to achieve Vitamin Angels' long-term vision. As a key external ambassador, the CPO strengthens Vitamin Angels' influence within the global health and development ecosystem. As a leading advocate for nutrition as a foundational investment in health, human capital, and economic development, the CPO helps shape global dialogue, influence priorities, and position Vitamin Angels as a trusted partner advancing sustainable impact at scale.
Key Success Metrics
The Chief Programs Officer will be expected to successfully advance Vitamin Angels' Science. Systems. Scale. strategy by delivering measurable progress across five enterprise outcomes:
- Science: Continue to position Vitamin Angels as a global leader in evidence generation, implementation science, and technical excellence.
- Systems: Strengthen existing internal and external ways of working to support the delivery of evidence-based nutrition interventions through a defined program approach tailored to local contexts, integrated into health and community systems, built on long-term partnerships for local ownership, and continuously refined to achieve effective, sustainable, and scalable impact.
- Scale: Expand organizational impact through high-quality program delivery, strategic growth, and resource mobilization.
- One Team: Build a high-performing, collaborative Programs organization that develops future leaders and models Vitamin Angels' Guiding Behaviors.
- Global Influence: Elevate Vitamin Angels' reputation as a trusted partner and leading advocate for nutrition within the global health and development community.
Responsibilities
(1) Global Programs Strategy, Impact & Performance
Lead the vision, strategy, execution, and performance of Vitamin Angels' global Programs portfolio, ensuring measurable health impact and alignment with the organization's long-term strategy.
- Define and execute Vitamin Angels' global Programs strategy, ensuring alignment with the organization's mission and long-term strategic priorities.
- Lead the Global Programs portfolio in alignment with Vitamin Angels' Guiding Principles, ensuring decisions are evidence-driven, strengthen systems, remain agile, and create sustainable impact at scale.
- Lead the delivery of measurable health and nutrition outcomes across all programs, regions, and interventions.
- Drive operational excellence, accountability, and performance through clear objectives, data-driven decision making, and continuous improvement.
- Ensure effective stewardship of program resources while balancing quality, efficiency, innovation, and impact.
(2) Science, Evidence, Innovation & Technical Leadership
Advance scientific excellence, implementation science, innovation, and evidence generation to strengthen program quality, influence policy, and continuously improve impact.
- Advance scientific excellence and technical leadership across the organization, ensuring programs remain evidence-based and globally relevant.
- Champion implementation science, innovation, and organizational learning, ensuring decisions remain evidence-driven and continuously improve impact.
- Lead the organization's monitoring, evaluation, learning, and knowledge management agenda, fostering a culture of continuous learning and using data and evidence to strengthen programs, inform strategic decisions, and demonstrate impact.
- Provide executive sponsorship and strategic oversight for the Initiative to Advance Implementation Science in Nutrition in advancing Vitamin Angels' strategic priorities and programmatic impact.
- Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight for the Initiative to Advance Implementation Science in Nutrition, ensuring that its scientific agenda, led by the Principal Investigator, advances Vitamin Angels' strategic priorities, strengthens program effectiveness, and expands the organization's global influence.
- Anticipate emerging scientific, technological, and policy trends and position Vitamin Angels to lead future opportunities.
(3) Strategic Partnerships, Resource Mobilization & Organizational Growth
Co-lead enterprise growth with the Chief Development Officer by building strategic partnerships, engaging donors, shaping investment cases, and expanding resources to maximize impact.
- Together with the Chief Development Officer, co-lead enterprise resource mobilization by engaging strategic donors, corporate partners, foundations, governments, and investors.
- Shape compelling investment cases by translating scientific evidence, implementation expertise, and program impact into opportunities for sustainable growth.
- Represent Programs in strategic donor engagements, proposal development, and partnership stewardship.
- Identify opportunities to expand Vitamin Angels' geographic reach, technical portfolio, and long-term organizational impact.
(4) Government Engagement, Systems Strengthening & Sustainable Scale
Strengthen government and strategic partner relationships to accelerate the integration of nutrition into health systems and scale sustainable, country-owned solutions.
- Strengthen and expand strategic partnerships with governments, multilateral organizations, NGOs, academia, and implementing partners.
- Lead efforts to integrate Vitamin Angels' interventions into sustainable, country-owned health systems, advancing systems integration across the organization.
- Ensure program delivery models are scalable, resilient, and responsive to evolving country and community needs.
- Strengthen global supply chain and implementation systems to maximize reach, quality, and long-term sustainability.
(5) Executive Leadership, Talent & Global Influence
Build a high-performing Programs organization, develop future leaders, foster cross-functional collaboration, and serve as a global ambassador and thought leader for Vitamin Angels and nutrition.
- Build, inspire, and develop a high-performing global Programs organization that reflects Vitamin Angels' behaviors and principles.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous learning across Programs and the broader organization.
- Serve as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to enterprise strategy, organizational effectiveness, and cross-functional decision-making.
- Represent Vitamin Angels as a trusted global leader and advocate, elevating the role of nutrition within global health, human capital, and economic development agendas.
Qualifications and Leadership Profile
(1) Executive Leadership & Organizational Transformation
- Proven executive leadership experience within global health, nutrition, international development, humanitarian assistance, or related sectors, with responsibility for organizational strategy, execution, performance, and measurable impact.
- Demonstrated success leading large, geographically dispersed teams and complex multi-country programs through growth, transformation, and organizational change.
- Enterprise mindset with a track record of leading across functions, influencing beyond direct authority, and contributing to organization-wide priorities.
- Experience managing complex organizations, strategic partnerships, and significant program portfolios and budgets (managing multi-million-dollar, multi-country budgets across diverse funding streams).
(2) Scientific & Technical Credibility
- Deep expertise in maternal and child nutrition, implementation science, public health, health systems strengthening, or closely related disciplines.
- Strong scientific credibility with the ability to translate evidence into scalable programs, policy influence, and sustainable health outcomes.
- Experience leading implementation science, monitoring, evaluation and learning, or technical innovation to strengthen organizational impact.
- Ability to anticipate emerging scientific, technological, and policy trends and position organizations at the forefront of innovation.
(3) Strategic Growth & Resource Mobilization
- Track record of partnering with fundraising teams to develop compelling investment cases, engage strategic donors and partners, and mobilize resources for organizational growth.
- Understanding of institutional funding landscapes, strategic partnerships, and business development approaches that enable long-term sustainability.
- Demonstrated ability to connect scientific leadership, programmatic impact, and organizational strategy to create opportunities for sustainable growth and scale.
(4) Government, Global Influence & Strategic Partnerships
- Demonstrated success strengthening relationships with governments, multilateral organizations, academia, NGOs, and strategic partners to advance sustainable, country-owned solutions.
- Experience influencing policy, shaping global dialogue, and building coalitions that accelerate impact at scale.
- Recognized ability to represent organizations with senior government officials, institutional donors, multilateral organizations, and international forums.
- Experience engaging major institutional donors, bilateral agencies, multilateral organizations, and philanthropic foundations (e.g., UNICEF, Gates Foundation, World Bank, Global Affairs Canada, FCDO, USAID, Gavi, CIFF, or similar organizations).
- Significant lived and professional experience working in and across low-and middle-income countries, with credibility to lead and partner authentically in the regions where Vitamin Angels operates.
(5) Leadership Style & Personal Attributes
- Visionary yet pragmatic leader who combines scientific rigor with operational excellence.
- Collaborative enterprise leader who builds trust, develops leaders, and fosters high-performing, mission-driven teams.
- Exceptional communicator, relationship builder, and systems thinker with the ability to navigate complexity and influence diverse stakeholders.
- Courageous decision-maker who demonstrates humility, curiosity, resilience, integrity, and sound judgment.
- Passionate advocate for nutrition as a driver of health, human capital, and economic development.
Leadership Behaviors
At Vitamin Angels, how we achieve results is as important as what we achieve. We seek leaders who consistently model our Guiding Behaviors in their decisions, relationships, and actions.
1. Collaboration & Inclusivity – Builds trusted relationships, values diverse perspectives, and fosters a culture of One Team across functions, partners, and geographies.
2. Integrity – Leads with authenticity, transparency, humility, and the highest ethical standards.
3. Accountability – Sets ambitious goals, delivers results, takes ownership, and empowers others to do the same.
4. Solution Orientation – Navigates complexity with curiosity and pragmatism, focusing on opportunities, innovation, and continuous improvement.
5. Innovation – Challenges conventional thinking, embraces learning, and continuously seeks better ways to improve impact for women and children.
Education
- Advanced degree (Master's or equivalent) in Public Health, Nutrition, Global Health, Medicine, International Development, Health Policy, or a related discipline required.
- Doctoral degree (PhD, DrPH, MD, or equivalent) preferred.
- Equivalent combinations of education, executive leadership experience, and demonstrated impact will also be considered.
Additional Basic Requirements
Ability to travel internationally regularly.
Ability to manage stress, including but not limited to, stress resulting from local and foreign travel, large crowds, open spaces, shared office space, and daily activities with reasonable accommodations.
Ability to remain seated and/or stationary for extended periods of time, including but not limited to prolonged air travel, and general job assignments performed at a desk.
BENEFITS: Comprehensive benefits package includes Medical, Dental and Vision Care, Life Insurance, Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Wellness Reimbursement, 401(k), Paid Time Off, Winter/Summer Recharge Weeks, Holidays, paid parental leave and more.
