Executive Director

Position description

The Climate Resilience Funder Collaborative (the Collaborative) is a growing philanthropic partnership working to align funders and strengthen and coordinate the resilience field to accelerate equitable climate resilience solutions across the United States. With three years of shared learning and grantmaking among six engaged funders, the Collaborative is now ready to evolve from an emerging initiative into a high-impact philanthropic initiative. 

The inaugural Executive Director will lead this evolution, working closely with participating funders to 1) build the foundations for a strong effort – including setting strategy and developing a governance framework; 2) deepen efforts to grow the collaborative, including align and mobilize philanthropic capital; and 3) serve as a field anchor and coordinator, to support stronger field coordination and learning. They will deepen relationships within the climate resilience ecosystem (including many other collaboratives underway), articulate the Collaborative’s value to funders and field partners to foster and expand engagement, and establish an operations infrastructure.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic, collaborative, and entrepreneurial leader with a track record of building coalitions and organizations from the ground up, experience facilitating effective coordination both structurally and relationally, knowledge of U.S. climate resilience and adaptation, and strong philanthropic and cross-sector relationships. This is a unique opportunity to shape an emerging national philanthropic platform and help unlock greater collective action and investment in climate resilience.

The Collaborative will initially be fiscally sponsored by Assets Under Movement (AUM+), formerly known as Amalgamated Foundation. This is a remote role based in the United States. 

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

The inaugural Executive Director will be the architect and steward of the Climate Resilience Funder Collaborative (the Collaborative) during a pivotal period of development. The Collaborative has assembled a committed group of funders, developed a shared framework, established relationships across the field, and begun making aligned investments. The opportunity now is to evolve into a high-functioning philanthropic platform that offers a clear value proposition for members and delivers meaningful value for the broader resilience field.

In their first 12-18 months, the Executive Director will work in close partnership with participating funders to:

• Launch the Collaborative
  • Support the development of a robust governance framework and operations infrastructure.
  • Develop a clear strategy for aligned (and perhaps pooled) investment by assessing field needs and elevating field-informed priorities and solutions.
  • Refine the framework.
  • Facilitate initial grantmaking among funders and other partners.
• Deepen external engagement, including with philanthropy, existing collaboratives, and the field
  • Steward relationships with new and existing funders and mobilizing additional philanthropic resources for resilience. 
  • Facilitate learning, connections, and coordination among funders, tables/collaboratives, 

More specifically, key responsibilities will include the following:

• Stand up governance and operations. The Collaborative’s funders have established basic “rules of engagement” for how they work together. The Executive Director will work with Assets Under Movement, the Collaborative’s institutional home/fiscal sponsor, to build out and put into practice the Collaborative’s governance structure and operating principles, hire and manage a lean core team, develop and implement a workplan that includes meeting cadence and communications norms, and refine and manage the budget with transparency and accountability.
• Deepen field engagement and learning: Deepen relationships with existing tables and collaboratives, key infrastructure organizations, and experts in the field of resilience.
• Set and advance priorities. The Collaborative’s funders have developed an initial high-level, non-partisan, cross-sector, multi-hazard framework for building US resilience that has broad-based funder and field support, and some initial work to begin mapping and aligning funding. The Executive Director will develop and share data-driven insights on funding and field trends/gaps/opportunities; facilitate the development of strategies and the selection of priorities to advance the framework based on funder interest/field need/ability; source and shape a pipeline of funding opportunities based on shared criteria; support a learning agenda that advances the Collaborative’s objectives; and refine the framework as needed. 
• Mobilize the funding community. The Collaborative started with four funders and has grown to six core funders, with other expressed interest and a growing list of funding and learning opportunities. The Executive Director will ensure that funding is more than the sum of its parts (in alignment with framework and funding strategy), enabling funders with diverse interests to fund resilience by connecting them with potential partners and opportunities; curating meetings of various sizes and formats with clear objectives to support learning, coordination, and resource mobilization; and representing the Collaborative within philanthropy, the climate resilience field, and more broadly.

 

Qualifications

While no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about the Climate Resilience Funder Collaborative’s mission, bring significant experience within philanthropy, and have many of the following skills and experiences:

• Systems thinker and strategic leader: Brings a systems perspective to climate resilience challenges, recognizing the interconnected social, economic, environmental, and governance factors that shape outcomes. Able to identify leverage points for large-scale change and advance adaptation strategies that are equitable, inclusive, and responsive to community priorities. Able to work with the field and funders to develop a strategic vision and deliver on it by understanding the current landscape of infrastructure and assets.
• Coalition building: Excited to understand what assets and infrastructure already exist, and build on this to enable that the sum is greater than the parts. Able to navigate a polarized environment, build relationships across the political spectrum, and protect the collaborative's nonpartisan approach/avoid constraining participation or viable solutions, with a track record of building coalitions that bridge sectors and/or movements. 
• Collaborative leadership: Demonstrated track record working effectively with senior philanthropic leaders among foundations of different sizes, theories of change, political postures, and risk profiles. Skilled at designing and facilitating meetings and conversations with influential peers, building consensus, and saying no when needed. Able to take initiative to lead directly when necessary and enthusiastic about leading by motivating others behind the scenes, thereby cultivating and elevating leaders within philanthropy and the climate resilience field.
• Field credibility and network: Demonstrated, deep understanding of the U.S. climate resilience and adaptation landscape, including policy, practice, funding, and field-building efforts. Trusted relationships throughout the resilience and adaptation ecosystem, including community-based organizations, philanthropy, government, and business. Ability to listen and translate between funders and the field, not just convene them. Experience contributing to supporting field and movement building efforts.
• Startup operations: Experience standing up an organization, initiative, or function from the ground up. Comfortable with ambiguity, serving as the face of a still-emerging effort, fluent in budgets and contracts, capable of hiring and managing a small team, and operationally rigorous in a startup environment. Experience in evaluation and learning a plus.
• Communications: A skilled, credible spokesperson and ambassador in the climate resilience field. Ability to develop and guide strategic communications to advance strategic goals and priorities in partnership with Collaborative participants, and to ensure effective funder coordination and collaboration.

Characteristics of the Executive Director:

• Strategic leader: The Executive Director will need to espouse a vision for a resilient country – equipped and enabled to withstand the shocks that climate changes are already bringing. To shape and steward this vision – and to deliver progress towards it – the Executive Director will both need to have a point of view and work collaboratively with funders and the field. 
• Curious before advocating: Collaborative work is always shared and evolving. The Executive Director needs to listen to members and the field with genuine curiosity and develop a clear understanding of funder perspectives before engaging in advocacy.
• Comfortable with ambiguity: The Executive Director is operating in both a startup and collaborative environment that will shift frequently based on member needs and interests and on shifting realities in the field. They need to enjoy charting and changing course with ease without stalling, and they will understand and demonstrate facility with navigating power dynamics in philanthropy.
• Dedication to the Mission: The Executive Director represents and builds the connective tissue that holds the Collaborative together. The Collaborative seeks an individual who prioritizes facilitation and behind-the-scenes leadership over personal brand-building.
• Transparency and Truth-telling: The Executive Director will possess the gravitas and wherewithal to tell funders hard truths when needed. They will bring a strong service orientation while serving as a strategic partner.
• Operates with discretion: Member relationships, grant data, and political context are sensitive. The Executive Director will need to manage relationships and protect confidential information appropriately.

 

WORK LOCATION, COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Work Location: This role is remote and can be based anywhere in the United States. 

Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this full-time, exempt position is $260,000 - $310,000 annually. A generous benefits package, which is provided through Assets Under Movement, includes:

• Excellent health benefits, including 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision coverage and flexible spending accounts for employees and dependents.

• 20 days of vacation, 10 sick days, and 13 paid holidays.

• Parental and caregiver leave options.

• 401(k) with employer match.

Application instructions

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