Senior Program Officer, Climate Adaptation Policy & Advocacy (2 year LTE)

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families, which includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

The mission of the Global Policy & Advocacy (GPA) division is to understand and shape the public policy debates affecting the foundation’s work, build support for its major program and policy objectives, and develop partnerships and alliances that can advance the foundation’s objectives nationally and globally. Because the foundation’s resources alone are not enough to solve the challenges ahead, GPA also supports advocacy efforts to engage diverse partners and promote innovative solutions that advance our program goals. We work in close partnership with grantees, our colleagues in the Global Health, Global Development, Global Growth & Opportunity, U.S. and Gender Equality programs, and Foundation Communications to build an environment in which all people have the opportunity to lead healthy and productive lives.

The Program Advocacy and Communications (PAC) team works in partnership with program teams, the Africa team, and other teams in GPA to achieve their policy and finance goals by:
• Developing and coordinating the execution of advocacy and communications strategies.
• Developing, when required, resource mobilization strategies in collaboration with relevant teams.
• Bringing to bear leadership and foundation voice to implement advocacy strategies.
• Developing and handling a grant portfolio dedicated to achieving advocacy outcomes.
• Directly advocating with sector leaders, influencers, media, and government officials to achieve advocacy outcomes.
• Leading issue-specific communications in service of advocacy goals.
• Developing policy recommendations or proposals in partnership with programmatic and regional offices.

Your Role

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will help lead the foundation’s cross-cutting policy and advocacy work on climate change adaptation. This is a new, 2-year limited-term role that strives to bring coherence and focus to the foundation’s climate adaptation work, especially in the lead-up to the critical COP30 summit in Belem set for November 2025.

The foundation has significant sector-specific investments in agricultural adaptation, and smaller investments or exploratory work on climate and health, development finance, and gender equity. This role will help drive a more joined-up internal and external narrative and co-develop and implement a cross-cutting advocacy strategy for the foundation’s overall climate adaptation policy and advocacy work.

What You’ll Do

• Provide new insights and overall thought leadership to advise the foundation’s climate change policy and advocacy work.
• Co-develop and help execute the foundation’s new cross-cutting climate policy and advocacy approach.
• Develop, negotiate, and manage a portfolio of investments in climate change policy and advocacy and all related grant-making processes (e.g., investment reviews, strategic alignment, grantee engagement, etc.).
• Effectively engage and coordinate with a range of internal foundation divisions and teams to ensure strong cross-foundation engagement on the climate adaptation policy and advocacy strategy.
• Lead high-impact and complex partnerships, coalitions, and advocacy campaigns including effectively coordinating networks of grantees and partners.
• Engage key collaborators involved in the UNFCCC and COP30 processes to advance foundation goals and objectives.
• Represent the foundation and our strategies to external constituencies. This could include formal and informal presentations such as making speeches, attending conferences, committee representation, and other meetings. May serve on boards and working groups.
• Write and produce clear, concise, and insightful briefings, messaging, reports, email updates, and other materials on key climate topics and other relevant issues for foundation leadership.
• Participate in and learn from the foundation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts to ensure that we are continuing to make progress toward realizing our commitments.

This position will report to the Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications, Ag/Nutrition/Climate Change and will be a core member of the core Climate Advocacy initiative team within the GPA Office of the President.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, international relations, climate science, development, or a related field with 7+ years of progressive senior-level experience leading programmatic, policy, or advocacy initiatives on climate change and development issues.
• Deep understanding of effective approaches to successful policy, advocacy, and communications that increase shape/political and financial support for issues with governmental and non-state organizations.
• Experience working on climate change policy and financing at a global, regional, or national level, either within government, climate philanthropy, climate funds, and/or the climate diplomacy community.
• Experience working with senior-level policymakers, civil society organizations, coalitions, and governments.
• Understanding of key regional and multilateral financial institutions and mechanisms (including climate funds) including how they make policy and fund development programs at the national and regional level.
• Proven track record of providing vision and influencing others in a constructive, optimistic manner, while building and sustaining collaborative relationships.
• Outstanding project and leadership skills including the ability to lead strategy development through execution, develop shared goals and execution plans, prioritize, facilitate meetings, manage budgets, develop consensus, and work both autonomously and collaboratively.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, able to effectively synthesize information to reach diverse audiences and build consensus, ideal.
• Experience handling a grant’s portfolio either as a grantee, receiving and reporting on a grant, or as a grant manager, with direct responsibility for grant-making and management.
• Experience developing and managing complex projects and/or grants in support of policy initiatives, advocacy programs, and events at the global, regional, and national levels.
• Experience working in an environment with ambiguity while helping teams adapt to change.
• Ability to work with flexibility and a high level of rigor, collaboration, and diplomacy, both individually and as part of a complex team effort.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time.

Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $204,600 to $317,100 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $222,900 to $345,500 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires’ salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

Learn more here