Director, Climate

Mainpurposeoftherole The political economy of climate change is fundamentally changing as the world moves from the so-called ‘era of ambition’ to the ‘era of implementation’.Already, this shift is influencing a new phase of geopolitics defined by competition, expansionism, geoeconomic volatility and worsening inequity. Based in CIFF’s London office, the role holder reports to the Global Director, Climate.The role holder bringsdeep thematicexpertisein the political economy of climate changeand related topics,andsignificant experiencein implementingstrategies thatseektoaccelerate the climate transition. As asenior leader in the cluster and wider climate team, the role holdermakes a major contribution to the overall success and impact of CIFF’s climate portfolio, including delivery of the annual business plan.Theyoverseea global grantsportfolioexceeding $100m in multi-year value, andare responsible forboth strategy development, activeprogrammemanagement (including course correction when necessary) andrepresentingthe Foundation externally. Theyplay a vital role in building capacity and knowledge across both the CIFF Climate team and the wider global climate ecosystem, including through grantees and matrix management ofparticular projectsand strategies. As a member of theDirector cadre,the role holder contributesdeep subject matterexpertise, humility, resilience, entrepreneurship, and the ability to design and build support for diverse and innovative grant‑making strategies. They play a key role in promoting andmaintainingahealthyorganisationalculture, including creating adynamic learning environment that celebrates curiosity and risk taking and seizes opportunities for improvement. Theroleholderensuresthat the skills and knowledge are in place internally and within the extended grantee network to deliver excellence in execution of the Climate strategy. As a member of the Climate Director Cadre : As a recognised subject‑matter expert provide up‑to‑date, professional advice to the Global Director, Climate, EDClimateand the CIFF Executive Team (ET) to support the development of Foundation strategies,policiesand initiatives. Together with the other Directors in Climate provide inspiring, coherent and united strategy across the cluster led by the Global Director, Climate; primarily creating a clear and unified experience across joint ecosystem grantees. Ensure that a focus on individual and team wellbeing is a key consideration in the effective delivery of the Climate portfolio, holding Directors and Line Managers to account and keeping CIFF’s Code ofRespecttop of mind. Adopt a coaching approach within the Climate team, with other CIFF colleagues and across the ecosystem which builds capability and confidence, instills a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning. Ensure that the skills andknowledgeare in place to deliver the Climate strategy, Take the lead on corporate, cross‑cutting initiatives and projects, as required by the Executive Team – this may include work not directly in the core subject‑matter. Provide compelling, consistent and united leadership which creates clarity for all staff in the team and builds a sense ofsharedaccountability for its success and that of the organisation. Deputise for the Global Director, Climate, as required. Strategy &planning Be jointly responsible for the design, delivery and reporting related to CIFF’s Missions, alongside the other Directors in Climate and with oversight from the Global Director, Climate. Act as an in‑house strategic advisor to the CIFF Climate team on key topics, which may includesectoraldecarbonization, business engagement, transition finance, carbon pricing, multilateral governance, climate & trade dynamics, communicationsand public engagement strategies, among others key climate‑relevant themes. Stay connected to relevant societal and political trends and new developments that could impact the strategy and reflect these appropriately in internal meetings and strategy design / execution. Bring catalytic and innovative new thinking to our existing and new portfolios to scale the work and maximize the impact, with a focus on strategic communications and advocacy. Work across teams at CIFF to ensure coherence and coordination between the agendas within Climate and the wider Foundation. Keen understanding of risk management approaches and crisis communications to ensure resilience of their portfolios. Work closely with Global Director, and ED Climate and External Affairs team as needed. Programmedevelopment,delivery&performance Oversee both the development of successful investment proposals and the implementation of high impact programmes by a team of Managers and Analysts, ensuring the quality, timeliness and strategic alignment of their work to Foundation priorities and objectives. Allocate and monitor achievement of individual targets for pipeline, new investments and grant draw‑down for all relevant team members, to ensure the team meets its objectives for programme development and delivery. Lead the integration of public sentiment data and insights into CIFF’s Mission OKR frameworks and data systems (dashboards) to support evidence‑based decision making, and reporting to the Climate Investment Committee (PICC) and Board of Trustees. Provide programme advice, specialist guidance and mentoring support to colleagues (within and beyond the team) to deepen the skills, capability and professionalism of the organisation. Lead the collection and analysis of team performance data and management information, in accordance with CIFF corporate frameworks and requirements, to enable timely and effective decision‑making and planning. Conduct regular reviews of investment proposals under development and programmes in delivery, to monitor compliance with agreed due diligence and risk management protocols, ensuring the interests and reputation of the Foundation are appropriately and proportionately protected. Intervention to take corrective action where necessary. Personally oversee an end‑to‑end caseload of live programmes with a value exceeding $100m, in accordance with the thematic priorities and plan. Sectorknowledgeandecosystem building Act as an ambassador for CIFF externally, including working with the CIFF Organisation & Ecosystem Development Team (CEDO EcoDev) to design and execute an ecosystem building strategy that builds capacity, coherence and coordination across the ecosystem CIFF supports. Work collaboratively with other members of the Climate Executive Team and the CEDO Office to conduct ecosystem evaluations of national, regional, sector and global partner ecosystems, and then invest accordingly in actively strengthening those ecosystems, including through convening, training and upskilling, coaching and mentoring senior leaders, and strengthening partner relationships. Provide leadership to the wider philanthropic and bilateral donor community on relevant subject areas. Provide input to the development of the Business Plan to the Climate Global Leadership Team, as appropriate. Stakeholder and partner management In accordance with agreed account management principles and plans, identify, cultivate and manage relationships with nominated key partners / stakeholders, to support the achievement of Foundation and Sector Team objectives in a coordinated manner. Develop and maintain excellent external relationships within the sector and on a cross‑cutting climate basis, acting at all times as a corporate ambassador for CIFF, to help build the organisation’s reputation and profile as a professional, visionary and collaborative philanthropy. Represent CIFF in senior capacity more broadly, in addition to providing sectoral leadership (e.g. in Trustee engagement, in co‑funding, in public engagements, in Board representation). Support ecosystems of grantees and other partners to collaborate effectively and efficiently, including through convening and other mechanisms. Leadership of the team Offer inspiring and motivational leadership that role models CIFF’s values and leadership behaviours, and empowers and enables staff to deliver excellence. Adopt a coaching approach with colleagues which instills a culture of openness and trust, embraces diverse thinking, and encourages continuous improvement and learning. Provide ongoing support to all direct reports (in manager and / or analyst roles), ensuring high performance is enabled through objective setting, clear accountabilities and regular review. Requirements Demonstrable experience inrelevantareas such aspublic affairs,corporate decarbonization, transition finance,public communications strategies, and the political economy of climate change,preferablyacross multiple countries or regions, or the multilateral institutions,including experience of designing systemic strategies for shaping and responding to public discourse in a particular policy area. Strong understanding of the roles and functions ofpolicymaking in key geographies inAsia, and / or EMDEs andEurope, including demonstrable experience of shaping or influencing climate or energy policy atregionalorcountrylevelorminilateral / multilateral level. Experience commissioning,coordinatingand / orguidinga range of actors towards an overarching influencing / political goal, preferably with experience in multiple cultures, both professionally and / or personally, with a preference for lived experience. Experience of embeddingnewapproachesinto existing team cultures, ideally with experience of deliveringchangeprogrammes Entrepreneurial approach and ability to project manage in a fast paced and unpredictable environment Deep commitment to supporting and enabling the climate transition Experience working across different nationalcontextsand cultures, including fluency in anotherlanguage(s)(stronglydesira...