Senior Program Manager, Climate

Senior Program Manager, Climate

Family Office – Organization Confidential

Palo Alto, CA

Full Time

About the Organization

The hiring organization is a Single Family Office supporting an Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individual, including management of investment and philanthropic initiatives. The Family Office’s philanthropy team manages a multi-billion-dollar foundation with initiatives in climate change, health sciences, and poverty alleviation. The office and staff are based in Palo Alto, California.

About the Climate Initiative

The Family Office launched a climate initiative in 2021 across its philanthropy and investment units to deploy the full spectrum of capital to advance solutions that reduce emissions globally. The philanthropy portfolio has an annual budget of more than $100 million and employs diverse philanthropic strategies including policy, research, and community and commercial organizing. The climate portfolio has a particular focus on efforts to reduce emissions in the U.S. power and transportation sectors.

Senior Program Manager, Climate

Working closely with and reporting to the Director of Philanthropy, the Senior Program Manager will serve as a thought partner and play a lead role in developing and managing climate grantmaking portfolios in U.S. power and transportation. Key responsibilities include research, strategy development, grant sourcing and diligence, grantee management, and impact reporting.

The Senior Program Manager thrives in autonomous and entrepreneurial working environments. They will have broad experience in power and/or transportation, ideally as a climate grantmaker. The Senior Program Manager works closely with the Family Office investments team to develop grantmaking strategies that complement climate investment activities. The Senior Program Manager also partners with staff across the Family Office to collaborate on initiatives that advance the Office’s overall goals.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Program Manager will perform the following and other duties as assigned:

• Support the Director of Philanthropy to develop, implement, and manage strategic grantmaking plans for key sub-sectors within U.S. power and transportation.
• Lead due diligence efforts and develop thorough funding recommendation memos for strategy-aligned grantmaking opportunities.
• Source best-fit opportunities for the climate portfolio through engagement with peer funders, partners, and grantees.
• Manage relationships with existing grantees to monitor performance and provide guidance, advising, and thought partnership.
• Develop time-bound grantee and portfolio performance metrics and evaluate and report on progress.
• Adapt climate portfolio strategy as needed based on feedback from leadership and the field.
• Own climate grantmaking operations including information management, budgets, and quarterly reporting.
• Collaborate with the Family Office investments team to develop complementary strategies, share relevant intelligence across portfolios, and identify opportunities for philanthropic grantmaking to address commercial deployment challenges.
• Provide proactive updates to senior leadership on key grantee and sector developments.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

• Minimum eight years of experience working in climate philanthropy, non-profits, consulting, or impact investing.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and present a cogent grantmaking strategy and execute against it.
• Strong research, writing, and analytical capabilities, including the ability to communicate complex issues concisely.
• Self-starter who is comfortable working in a flexible environment where priorities can shift quickly.
• Detail-oriented with strong project management skills.
• Strategic and critical thinker who is comfortable working independently with minimal oversight.
• Willingness to perform duties across all aspects of the climate portfolio’s grantmaking operations, as necessitated by a lean team.
• Experience in climate grantmaking strongly preferred.
• Experience with U.S. policy on power and/or transportation is desirable.
• Expertise in grid modernization, offshore wind, decarbonization of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and/or international maritime shipping is a plus.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.

Compensation and Location

For this role, we are open to considering candidates with a wide range of experience and skills. Therefore, compensation for this role starts at $145,000 and will be adjusted accordingly based on candidate’s level of experience, up to the low $200’s.

• The Family Office provides a robust benefits package, including an annual performance bonus.
• This position will be located in Palo Alto, CA and currently requires in-office presence twice per week on days of the candidate’s choosing. Please note these requirements may change at the company’s discretion.
• At this time, our preference is that applicants have authorization to work in the United States.

To Apply

CEA Recruiting is assisting the Family Office with this search. To be considered for this position, interested candidates must follow the link below to submit a resume, cover letter, and salary requirement through CEA’s job portal. Please direct all applications and inquiries to CEA Recruiting. This position will remain open until filled.

https://job.ceaconsulting.com/jobs/senior-program-manager-climate-palo-alto-ca-106919

The Family Office is an equal opportunity employer.

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit www.cearecruiting.com.