Senior Director, Climate Campaign

Date: January 18, 2024

About Pacific Environment

For more than three decades, Pacific Environment has worked to serve people, wildlife, and ecosystems by promoting grassroots activism, strengthening communities, leading strategic campaigns, and working for policy changes. Pacific Environment is currently headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices or staff across the United States, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Thailand, and with partnerships that span the Pacific Rim.

Pacific Environment and its partners fight fossil fuels and champion clean energy, challenge industrial models that disregard local interests, and bring grassroots concerns – and whenever possible grassroots leaders – to national and international bodies to advocate for policy solutions that reflect community needs and values.

Pacific Environment operates as a campaigner, coalition-builder, and thought partner. The organization provides direct funding and technical assistance to grassroots environmental activists in the regions where they work. Pacific Environment offers one of the very few granting and training programs for grassroots environmental leaders that nurtures creative activism and leadership among local partners and their many community volunteers. The organization complements these community-led efforts with national and international coalition-building and advocacy to decision-makers to support policy changes. Pacific Environment has a strong track record of local and international achievements, addressing the root causes of environmental challenges.

About the Climate Campaign

The world still largely relies on dirty fossil fuels to satisfy our voracious energy demand. But we must change our ways now if we want to avert catastrophic climate change. Pacific Environment’s Climate Campaign partners with local leaders to mobilize communities to design community-led solutions that curb carbon pollution and accelerate a just transition to a clean energy economy.

The Climate Campaigns Program orchestrates solutions-oriented campaigns that fight to decarbonize shipping and ports, two underappreciated sectors in the climate movement. Recognizing that if shipping were a country it would be the sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Pacific Environment’s shipping decarbonization campaign in collaboration with ally organizations pushes corporations to take responsibility for their ocean shipping pollution and lead the way to climate-friendly, clean-air shipping practices. The team also partners with local communities to transform ports from hotspots of fossil fuel pollution to thriving hubs of sustainable economic development and environmental protection. These efforts are complemented by policy advocacy on the federal and state levels in the United States, as well as internationally at the International Maritime Organization to secure commitments, regulations, and funding that will help force the global shipping industry off fossil fuels. Finally, the Climate Campaign works with communities to block fossil fuel projects, promote sustainable solutions, and support a just transition to a clean energy economy.

The Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, visionary campaigns expert to lead a high performing team working to decarbonize an underappreciated sector in the climate movement – global shipping. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Senior Director will lead the Climate Campaign into its next era, growing the shipping decarbonization campaign, and branching into new areas that align with Pacific Environment’s strategic goals and priorities.

The Senior Director, Climate Campaign will supervise a team of 15 and manage a $6 million program budget. This leader will work closely and collaboratively with other senior directors to best align strategies and advise the Executive Director and other senior leaders on organization wide efforts and priorities. The team spans geographic regions and works with stakeholders in the United States, Singapore, Republic of Korea, and China. The Senior Director will represent Pacific Environment in large coalition initiatives using a mix of policy advocacy, corporate campaigning, and coordinated support for grassroots environmental partners.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Development & Implementation

  • Lead and manage the overall strategy and vision of the Climate Campaign; provide campaign oversight, strategic direction, project, and budget planning.
  • Steer and grow the shipping decarbonization campaign; evaluate and improve strategies; lead Pacific Environment’s engagement with the large climate movement of activists, funders, and other stakeholders.
  • Explore opportunities for the Climate Campaign’s expansion into other sectors, issue areas, and geographies that align with Pacific Environment’s goals and priorities.
  • Mobilize stakeholders and foster collaboration with other departments and external partners.
  • Build and manage the team’s structure, annual goals, and key performance metrics.

Fundraising & External Engagement

  • Grow Pacific Environment’s Climate Campaign efforts and staffing through fundraising to foundations and other supporters. Maintain strong relationships with donors, funders, and the organization’s board of directors.
  • Serve as a climate campaign expert and thought leader, representing the organization in media, events, public comment opportunities, and more.
  • Manage relationships with key program partners. Work sensitively with grassroots organizations and local leaders, foster and work within large, often international coalitions.

Team Leadership & Management

  • Supervise a dynamic and growing team of place-based staff, technical staff, and consultants.
  • Motivate and inspire a diverse and cohesive team, ensuring a culture of support, transparency, communication, accountability, and inclusivity.
  • Proactively engage all team members to support their professional development, career goals, and growth plans.
  • Foster a culture of innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
  • Promote and sustain a culture and work environment where equity, diversity, and inclusion are shared, practiced, and instilled within the team.

Ideal Candidate

Pacific Environment seeks a dynamic, equity-driven, collaborative leader with robust expertise in designing impactful issue-based campaigns locally and globally. The Senior Director, Climate Campaigns will have deep skills in progressive and trust-based coalition building and campaign development that empowers and supports impacted communities. This person will be skilled at working with communities, advocates, scientists, policymakers, national and global organizations, and funders.

The ideal candidate will have a record of leading successful global campaigns, experience with foundation fundraising, a passion for climate solutions, and technical expertise on complex campaign management. This leader will have a commitment to advancing environmental justice and addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. Experience working on global climate campaigns – particularly decarbonizing the global shipping industry – is a plus.

Qualifications

With the understanding that no person will offer every desired skill and characteristic outlined below, compelling candidates will offer much of the following:

  • 7+ years of relevant experience in strategic advocacy, policy, and campaign work; in program leadership and implementation; and in managing campaign programs and staff.
  • 5+ years of personnel management experience
  • 3+ years of budget management experience.
  • A record of achievement in winning campaigns.
  • Proven analytical skills to assess the political, social, and economic landscape to inform and adapt campaign strategies.
  • Experience and expertise in climate campaigns and policy advocacy.
  • Demonstrated success in foundation fundraising.
  • Demonstrated success as an effective team player and collaborator in coalition efforts; a strong plus for experience partnering with Pacific Rim grassroots organizations and experience in community organizing.
  • Superb oral and written communication skills, including proposal and report development and presentation with partners and other stakeholders. A compelling presenter to groups and at conferences with the ability to articulate complex climate issues in a compelling and accessible manner.
  • A results-oriented mindset with a focus on achieving measurable outcomes and impact. Experience developing, tracking, and reporting on metrics and KPIs to track program development.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and evolving environment, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges.

Location & Salary

Pacific Environment staff currently work from home. West Coast residents are preferred, followed by candidates located in other states. This position primarily works West Coast Time Zone hours and requires flexibility to align with Asia time zone working hours, plus potentially some evenings or weekends. Some travel to the Bay Area may be required if the successful candidate is based outside the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The position will require domestic and international travel.

Pacific Environment provides compensation commensurate with experience and equitable with others on our team, plus a full benefits package for staff positions. The salary range for this position is $125,000- $150,000, which is carefully considered to account for equity, and the final offer will be based on candidate’s qualifications. The employee will enjoy a flexible working environment with a dedicated, diverse group of colleagues.

Physical Requirements

The Senior Director’s work involves remaining in a stationary position and looking at a computer for long stretches of time, communicating with co-workers electronically, and occasional travel (including overnight travel), in-person meetings, or events. The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation. Pacific Environment has an organization-wide policy that staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pacific Environment’s EEO Statement

Pacific Environment is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from communities harmed by environmental degradation and from backgrounds underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply. We welcome diversity to do our best work and believe that creating teams in which everyone can be their authentic self is key to the change we seek.

Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on Pacific Environment. Please inform the GoodCitizen team using one of the emails below if you need any assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application or interview process.

Pacific Environment participates in the E-Verify Program: https://www.e-verify.gov/employees

To Be Considered

Please submit your resume and cover letter expressing your interest in the position and fit for the role by following this link. Letters may be addressed to Martens Roc.

Applicants applying by February 26 will be given priority consideration, with the position open until filled.