Associate Director, Philanthropic Advising

About Us

Climate Lead empowers philanthropic leaders everywhere to take immediate and far-reaching climate action. Climate Lead equips new climate philanthropists with the information and insights they need to drive transformative solutions by serving as an impartial guide. We cut through the complexity by curating roadmaps in partnership with a diverse network of experts to help philanthropists make a bold impact on climate from day one.

Summary

The Associate Director, Philanthropic Advising, is the architect of Climate Lead’s donor support ecosystem. This role leads the team of Philanthropy Project Managers who serve as the critical backbone for our Relationship Managers. Your first mission is to transition the organization from a variable-support model to a unified donor service engine as we grow.

The Associate Director serves as a high-level coach, force multiplier, and strategist, ensuring that every project manager has the skills, tools, and leadership required to deliver elite support to our Relationship Managers (also known as Advisors). By bridging the gap between team performance and donor outcomes, you will ensure our Advisors have the capacity and high-caliber deliverables required to secure transformative climate gifts.

Managerial Responsibilities

This role has 4 direct reports to start - a team of philanthropic project managers that will grow alongside the relationship management/donor advisory team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Talent Development (50%)

• Serve as the primary mentor for a team of Project Managers, shifting from task supervision to coaching that fosters independent problem-solving.
• Define, implement, and continuously refine guidelines for donor support to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for Relationship Managers and donors, regardless of which Project Manager is assigned to the portfolio.
• In partnership with the People Team, develop and maintain a clear competency framework and growth paths to ensure team members acquire new skills and have the tools and support needed to map and lead their own growth and development. 
• Lead the design of a robust training program that equips new project management hires with a deep understanding of climate philanthropy, internal systems, and donor-stewardship best practices.
• Dynamically manage team assignments to balance workloads, ensuring that high-priority donor "big bets" have the necessary support while preventing burnout.
• Drive annual individual goal-setting to support the achievement of each team member’s highest potential; deliver performance reviews that unlock continuous growth, development, and improvement. 

Strategic Relationship Manager Partnership (50%)

• Strengthen existing post-production reviews and feedback structures with Relationship Managers and key internal partners throughout the organization to inform the growth and evolution of the project management function, ensuring the group's direct contribution to the broader Philanthropy Team’s success.
• Partner with Philanthropy leadership to align team capacity with organizational ‘Key Results.
• Oversee the evolution of donor deliverables (outreach plans, roadmaps, etc.), ensuring they remain market-leading and impactful.
• Act as the primary implementation partner for key cross-functional team members and partners; translate best practices and feedback loops into the daily team operations; help evolve organizational practices and playbooks. 
• Collaborate with Operations to ensure Salesforce and project management tools are utilized to provide data-driven insights into team productivity and donor progress.
• Collaborate with the Communications and the New Donor Strategy team to define and further evolve project managers’ roles in events and events strategy.

Success Criteria

Leading: creates an environment where others feel supported, empowered, and able to contribute fully by

• Ensuring growth and development, as demonstrated by high team morale and a measurable increase in the independence and strategic contribution of direct reports. 
• Balancing individual growth with collective urgency.
• Adapting communication so others understand and engage more easily.
• Creating space for others to be themselves and fully contribute to climate work.
• Modeling healthy, balanced, and effective work practices in a high-stakes environment.
• Collaborating: builds bridges across individual differences to multiply our collective impact, creating connections that strengthen our whole ecosystem by
• Shaping a consistent experience: Relationship Managers and cross-functio