Senior Associate Director, Global Energy Transition Initiative

Renewable Energy and Storage Industry Associations

About the Organization

ClimateWorks Foundation is a global organization committed to our mission: to end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy. Since our founding in 2008, we have awarded over $1.3 billion in grants to more than 600 organizations advancing climate solutions around the world. We helped grow the field of climate philanthropy to where it stands today, establishing infrastructure, global networks, and momentum for continued growth. Through our Global Programs and Services, we equip philanthropy with global knowledge, networks, and solutions to drive climate progress.

• Scaling solutions: Our collaborative Global Programs — focused on solution areas including carbon dioxide removal, cooling, industry, transportation, and more — produce results that are bending the greenhouse gas emissions curve. From the U.S. to Europe, China, Brazil, and beyond, we collaborate with a diverse community of funders, NGOs, and climate leaders to accelerate just and equitable climate solutions.

• Guiding and supporting funders: Our Global Services provide funders with comprehensive resources to assess, build, evolve, and execute high-impact climate-giving strategies. Our Global Intelligence service equips funders and the climate community with climate insights to pinpoint opportunities for impact and philanthropic insights to help identify investment priorities. We facilitate Global Collaborations that enable funders to increase individual and collective impact. Our Global Grantmaking services enable funders to invest in climate solutions around the world. 

• Fostering collaboration, exploration, and growth: Our collaborative approach and commitment to learning ensure that we continuously explore innovative ideas and emerging opportunities — all with the aim of scaling philanthropy-supported initiatives to help end the climate crisis.

As experts in climate science, public policy, economic and social analysis, and strategic philanthropy, ClimateWorks’ staff understands the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of climate change. We are researchers, strategists, collaborators, and grantmakers who care passionately about our mission. For more information, please visit www.climateworks.org. 

Department Summary

The ClimateWorks Programs Team drives innovation and climate solutions that scale. Through our portfolio of global and transnational climate mitigation strategies and grantmaking, we help funders maximize their philanthropic impact. ClimateWorks supports climate change mitigation efforts from early explorations to scaled initiatives. We help develop innovative and high-impact solutions, fund their implementation, and scale up those that show the greatest promise.

The ClimateWorks Programs Team is nearly 60 strong and growing. It includes 12 senior experts (Program Directors and Strategists), each of whom engages partners in many countries to advance climate solutions globally. Senior Programs staff are sought-after international experts, authors, speakers, and network-builders. Information on ClimateWorks’ Global Programs can be found here: https://www.climateworks.org/programs/

Program Summary

ClimateWorks Foundation’s (CWF) Global Energy Transition Initiative (GETI) supports efforts to rapidly transform the global power sector toward clean energy, beginning with 15 emerging economies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These are countries where power demand is projected to rapidly grow, and there is huge potential for solar, wind, and other renewable energy deployment in this decade. The benefits of a transition to clean energy go far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. It creates jobs, builds local manufacturing value chains, improves infrastructure, protects public health by keeping pollutants out of the air, and provides affordable and accessible power. By shifting to clean energy, developing nations can secure a resilient and thriving future.

The Global Energy Transition Initiative has developed a global initiative to support the renewable energy and storage industry associations for unifying missions and voices, providing policy and regulatory inputs, shaping public communication and narratives, coordinating knowledge and standard leadership, and ensuring financial sustainability and business models. 

Essential Tasks 

The Senior Associate Director will report to the Global Head of the Global Energy Transition Initiative and will be responsible for programmatic coordination of the solar industry association initiative, engaging with regional leads of GETI in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as the selective regions in Europe.

The Senior Associate Director is responsible for delivering strategic excellence, overall coordination within ClimateWorks, as well as with external partners and funders. Together with the program manager who will be responsible for project management functions, the associate director will ensure the key components of the solar industry association initiative are delivered.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Global coordination for solar and storage associations support

• Lead and coordinate complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams, ensuring strong relationship management, strategic quality, timely information sharing, and smooth end-to-end program execution.
• Maintain and continuously refine the Renewable Energy and Storage Industry Association Strategy, ensuring it remains responsive to evolving global and regional market, policy, and industry dynamics, in line with partner activities and learnings.
• Lead the coordination with GETI Program Leads in advancing the Renewable Energy and Storage Industry Association Initiative, ensuring deliverables are high quality and outputs, and outcomes remain closely aligned with the overall strategy.
• Develop strategic direction on which regional and global convenings to prioritize, working across teams and stakeholders to ensure participation is purposeful, well-coordinated, and aligned with broader solar agenda goals
• Serve as the primary coordination point for solar associations, the Executive Taskforce organizational development team, communications teams, and the GETI program team, ensuring seamless execution of all initiative-related activities.

Funder engagement: 

• Serve as the key coordination support for the Global Head of GETI in funder engagement and communications.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners for organizing funder briefings 
• Lead preparation of agendas, briefing materials, and top-line messages
• Collect and synthesize updates from grantees through regional leads
• Draft funder-specific or general written reports

Strategic and programmatic communication and convenings: 

• Lead, or monitor global, regional, and national renewable energy and stroage convenings in coordination with external partners and communications experts
• Design, develop and/or support strategic communications activities in collaboration with communications partners and coalition partners
• Develop policy-maker-friendly briefings and written materials

Quality, impact, and learning: 

• Develop and maintain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for solar industry associations using agreed criteria 
• Maintain a high-quality database of learnings to create a repository of materials accessible to all stakeholders
• Facilitate learning sessions with grantees to capture successes and lessons learned
• Lead preparation of bi-annual monitoring and learning reports for stakeholders

Required Qualifications

• At least 15 years of relevant professional experience, including 7+ years in a managerial or leadership role.
• Experience working with trade associations and/or at the intersection between the public and private sectors for clean energy would be an advantage 
• Highly experienced in strategic planning, project oversight, and budget management, ideally within complex, multi-stakeholder or international environments.
• Relationship-oriented and solutions-focused, with a strong service mindset and ability to partner effectively with internal teams, grantees, and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with philanthropic, nonprofit, coalition, advocacy, or legislative communities preferred.
• Self-directed and thoughtful, with sound professional judgment and the ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution.
• Able to work efficiently and effectively (both virtually and in person) with minimal supervision. 
• Experience working in a global matrixed team
• Ability to communicate the success stories and impact of the work
• Commitment to the mission and values of ClimateWorks Foundation

Compensation

International salary range to be determined based on the location and local cost of labor.

We recognize that compensation and benefits can vary across countries and understand that this can raise important questions. Our goal is to ensure fairness, equity, and competitiveness within each local context. To achieve this, we align our compensation structure with the economic conditions, labor market dynamics, and social benefit systems of the regions where we operate.

Salaries are determined based on country-specific labor markets, allowing us to offer pay that is competitive within each region and consistent with other international organizations. Compensation is intentionally structured to be above leading local market averages and appropriate to the regional cost of labor. This approach supports our commitment to equity across our global workforce while enabling us to attract and retain top talent in diverse locations.

Location

This is a full-time remote job with expectations for frequent travel. Candidates will be expected to work across time zones, especially the US West and East Coast, the UK, Myanmar, Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya, and Nigeria. 

Commitment to Racial and Social Justice 

At ClimateWorks Foundation, we are driven by our vision of creating a thriving planet for all living beings for generations to come. We aim to foster an inclusive workplace that values diverse lived experiences and emphasizes the voices of marginalized people — especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color — who are most vulnerable to climate impacts, and whose voices, ideas, and leadership are crucial to winning the climate fight.

To ensure that we are making meaningful progress, we have made a set of diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments across all dimensions of our work to further our mission and realize our vision. For more information, please visit: Fostering Racial and Social Justice in Pursuit of our Mission

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at ClimateWorks Foundation and as such we are committed to creating a diverse and multi-cultural work environment. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race), ethnicity, religion, color, sex (including childbirth, breast feeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, uniform service member and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment.

ClimateWorks Foundation is committed to complying with all laws protecting qualified individuals with disabilities, as well as employees’ religious beliefs and practices. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, termination, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment. ClimateWorks Foundation will provide a reasonable accommodation for any known physical or mental disability of a qualified individual and/or employees’ religious beliefs and practices, as required by law.

If you require accommodation, please notify Human Resources. Once ClimateWorks Foundation is aware of the need for accommodation, it will engage in an interactive process to identify possible accommodations.

Application Process 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. To be considered for this position, interested candidates must submit a resume and cover letter. This position will remain open until filled.

Employment at the ClimateWorks Foundation is at-will.