Head of Climate Leadership

About Water.org

1 in 4 people around the world lack access to safe water and 2 in 5 people don’t have access to a safe toilet. We are working every day to change this. We are Water.org. We’re here to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible, and cost-effective because we believe that water is the way to empower a bright future that we can all share in, worldwide. We are an international nonprofit organization based in Kansas City, Missouri that has positively transformed millions of lives around the world through access to safe water and sanitation. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, we pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis. For more than 30 years, we’ve been providing women hope, children health and families a bright future. 

Join us

The Head of Climate Leadership is primarily responsible for strategic, technical and programmatic alignment and oversight of climate initiatives in close coordination with Water.org’s affiliate entities, WaterEquity and WaterConnect. Within Water.org, the incumbent in this position will lead strategic planning, implementation, management and evaluation of a broad portfolio of organizational-level climate-focused initiatives and opportunities.  

Department Accountabilities 

• Strategic Vision + Leadership 
• Organizational Governance + Oversight 
• Corporate + Business Development 
• External Stakeholder Engagement 
• Event Strategy and Management 
• Strategic Communications 

What You’ll do

Strategic Planning & Leadership  :Works collaboratively across the Water.org group of entities to develop and align a cohesive climate strategy that effectively positions the organizations for individual and collective success. Partners with capital raising, fundraising, and impact teams gather input and advise on climate-related work. Acts as the primary representative to the organizations’ governing body to recommend and activate key opportunities aligned to strategic goals and priorities. Ensures accurate and timely tracking and reporting on impact and progress metrics, utilizing dashboards and other reporting tools for executive-level communication and decision-making. 

Program Leadership: Within Water.org, oversees the portfolio of organizational-level climate solutions-focused programs and projects with primary accountability for meeting impact metrics. Works in partnership with Water.org program implementation teams to help design new and/or modify existing programs to maximize climate impact. Identifies and delegates resources and appropriate actions to internal and external partners, ensuring timely and high-quality deliverables that meet business needs. 

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Works cross-functionally to develop written analyses, position papers, tools, and resources to coalesce strategic messaging, foster understanding of climate change adaptation and resilience issues, and advance high-impact climate engagement opportunities. Develops and maintains effective systems to ensure cross-functional coordination, integration, and internal and external communication 

Technical Leadership: Serves as a strategic advisor and subject matter expert on climate resilience and/or climate adaptation. Aligns priorities across departments and works in partnership with the organizations’ leadership and internal experts to define and deploy internal systems and procedures for climate-focused research, data, intervention and metric design. 

 Why Water.org? 

At Water.org, we’re dedicated to breaking barriers to safe water access for everyone, everywhere. When you join us, you’ll be part of a purpose-driven team committed to sustainability, diversity, and making a lasting impact. We offer growth opportunities, a collaborative culture, and the chance to drive global change. 

 Supervisor Responsibility 

• ​​Individual contributor with no subordinates.​ 

Requirements

What Makes you a great fit

·         Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent related work experience. 

• 12 or more years of progressive responsibility with climate initiative, strategy and engagement within for-profit and/or social impact organizations. Five or more years of senior leadership experience overseeing complex climate funds, programs and/or initiatives, including managing finances and coordinating the work of other professionals and partners. 
• Advanced knowledge and proficiency with effective climate adaptation and/or resilience interventions involving the water and sanitation and/or finance sector.      
• Proficient (written and verbal) in English.