Co-Director Turning Tides

Turning Tides is an international grantmaking facility dedicated to a transformative vision: ensuring that local communities, small-scale fishers, and Indigenous Peoples fully exercise their rights and agency over the coastal lands and oceans they call home. Founded in 2024 with $35M in commitments, we are disrupting traditional philanthropy by working towards centering power directly with the movements we serve. We operate across four global regions, addressing the systemic imbalances that have long made local communities the objects rather than the agents of conservation, resource management, and climate response. Learn more at: https://turningtidesfacility.org

Opportunity for Impact The Co-Director role is a rare invitation to co-lead a values-driven organization committed to “decolonizing” philanthropic power. Working in a collaborative co-directorship model, you will share organizational strategy with the founding Co-Director while taking specific ownership of the “External Engine”: Fundraising, Advocacy, and Communications. This is not just a development role; it is a mandate to mobilize resources and shift global narratives to position tenure security as the cornerstone of conservation, climate action and community wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities Shared Vision & Strategic Leadership

Partner with the founding Co-Director to ensure a seamless organizational strategy and a culture of “collective leadership”.

Lead the implementation of strategic priorities to scale the budget from $10M to $30M by 2030.

Serve as the primary liaison to the Steering Committee, leading the planning and preparation for committee meetings, progress reporting, and the recruitment of new members

Transformative Advocacy & Communications

Oversee an advocacy and communications strategy that challenges status-quo narratives and amplifies the voices of coastal movements in international policy spaces.

Ensure communications are deeply informed by partner knowledge, maintaining a commitment to “knowledge ownership” for the communities we support.

Oversee strategic positioning of Turning Tides in international policy spaces, philanthropic conversations, and movement-building efforts.

In partnership with the team, ensure advocacy, communications and fundraising efforts are seamlessly integrated and mutually reinforcing to advance Turning Tides’ mission

Resource Mobilization & Donor Stewardship

Lead the effort to scale from $10M USD in 2026 to $30M USD by 2030 through the identification and stewardship of new funding streams.

Cultivate and steward major donor relationships, serving as primary relationship manager for key funders and prospects, moving beyond transactional funding to build trust-based philanthropic partnerships.

Design curated experiences that deepen funder understanding of complex tenure rights and community-led solutions.

Position Turning Tides strategically within funder collaboratives and philanthropic networks, making the case for transformative, trust-based approaches.

Team Leadership

Facilitate effective cross-functional collaboration across Turning Tides 13-person staff while serving as a direct manager and coach to a high-performing two-person team, including the Senior Advocacy & Development Lead and Development Associate.

Support team members’ growth through regular feedback, coaching, and professional development resources.

Model collaborative leadership and shared power, demonstrating Turning Tides’ values in all aspects of team management.

Qualifications

At least 10 years of progressive leadership, with 5+ years in senior external-facing leadership roles within mission-driven contexts.

Deep understanding of—or lived experience within—small-scale fisher, Indigenous, or coastal communities.

Deep understanding of, work with and/or lived experience defending communities’ tenure and rights.

Strong commitment to international human rights frameworks and “liberatory” grantmaking and organizational practices.

Ability to translate field insights into actionable resource mobilization plans while navigating complex, distributed global environments.

Proven success in executing multi-year fundraising strategies and/or transferable experience tied to closing big deals and building support for innovative, unconventional funding models.

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with ability to represent the organization compellingly to diverse audiences; ideally brings proven experience serving as a spokesperson and/or in communications.

Track record supporting a Board of Directors, Steering Committee or other governing body.

Proven ability to inspire and guide teams in multinational, multicultural settings while navigating ambiguity and distributed work.

Demonstrated ability to thrive in highly collaborative environments like that of a shared leadership or co-directorship model.

Alignment with core values of trust, responsiveness, service, transparency, equity, sustainability, and care

Proficiency in English is required; additional fluency in Spanish, French, Portuguese, or Bahasa Indonesia is highly preferred.

Additional Information

Time Commitment: Full-time (100% FTE or 80% FTE); targeting a Q2 or Q3 2026 start date

Contract Type: Multi-year contract (up to 5 years) with monthly salary based on annual rate

Location: Remote (home office-based); requires ability to travel internationally (approximately 30-40% of time) and work flexible hours to accommodate global time zones.

Compensation:

Compensation

for this position is set according to Turning Tides’ location-agnostic compensation policy, which uses the PEAK Grantmaking Salary Report as a benchmark. The base salary band for this executive level position is $160,000-$198,000. Turning Tides pays an additional 40% contractor uplift to cover self-employment costs for a net salary of $224,000-$276,200. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience within the established range. Turning Tides also provides 36 paid leave days per year, professional development funds, and necessary software and technical tools.

Application Process: Interested candidates should fill out this form to express their interest in the position.

Turning Tides is committed to building a diverse team and strongly encourages applications from individuals who are from or based in the Global South, Indigenous Peoples, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. We particularly welcome candidates with lived experience in small-scale fisher communities, Indigenous communities, or other coastal communities served by our grantmaking.

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