World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Senior Director, Renewable Energy Transition

Overview

World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Senior Director to develop and oversee its work on supporting a nature-positive and just transition to renewable energy. To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, annual clean energy investment worldwide will need to more than triple by 2030 to around $4 trillion. As funds flow toward this transition to renewable energy, it is critical that the siting of new renewable energy infrastructure and the mining of needed materials not only have minimal impacts on people and nature but are part of a larger global transformation toward a nature-positive future. WWF’s goal is to ensure that the benefits of the clean energy transition are maximized and fairly distributed while nature is valued and protected.

Major Functions

The Senior Director will manage the development and execution of an emerging body of work that aims to accelerate the global transition to renewable energy while minimizing its impact on people and nature. The role will call on strong technical, policy, and project management skills. A successful candidate will have broad experience and relationships in the renewable energy sector. Technical understanding of the U.S. energy and utility sectors is required. This position will report to the Senior Vice President, Climate Change for WWF-US.

• Develop and execute a new work program for the WWF Climate team to ensure the rapidly accelerating renewable energy transition is just and nature-positive
  • Build on and create synergies with existing WWF Climate Team initiatives focused on accelerating decarbonization. Build partnerships in the U.S. with academic institutions, government and multilateral agencies, civil society organizations, and corporations that advance WWF’s green energy transition work and the US goal of 100% clean energy production by 2035.
  • Develop technical resources and a thought leadership agenda to support programmatic work.
• Lead and support technical analyses of the renewable energy supply chain with an emphasis on solar, on- and offshore wind and battery storage.
  • Develop and tailor mitigation strategies for extraction, reuse, and recycling of primary minerals and materials in the renewable energy supply chain to limit their impact on natural ecosystems and increase benefits to local communities in WWF priority geographies.
• Recruit and manage staff to oversee domestic and international components of the program.
  • The Senior Director will develop the terms of reference and oversee the hiring process for staff positions to support this work.
  • The Senior Director will also establish collaborations with other internal stakeholders such as members of the science team, other WWF-US program teams and consultants working on renewable energy.
• Collaborate with related WWF initiatives within WWF-US and the larger global WWF Network.
  • To benefit from synergies and maximize impact, the Senior Director will forge and manage key internal relationships, including coordination with existing related initiatives on other WWF-US teams that are key to maximizing the impact of the new strategy; and stakeholders from WWF country offices and international program teams within the WWF Network.
• Represent WWF-US as a climate expert on the energy transition.
  • The Senior Director will represent WWF-US in climate forums such as the UNFCCC and NY Climate Week, and with the US and global media as needed.
• Mobilize philanthropic funding and manage the program budget.
  • The Senior Director will support the SVP, Climate Change in securing funds to support WWF’s green energy transition strategy and manage the annual budget for program activities and staffing.

• 15+ years of experience in renewable energy deployment with specific expertise in siting of renewables and/or resource extraction strongly preferred.

• Extensive experience in programmatic design and management. Experience creating and managing programs within a highly matrixed organization is preferred.

• Proven experience in coalition building.
• Excellent people management and teamwork skills with the ability to work across boundaries.
• Demonstrated commitment to conservation, climate change, and environmental justice.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Strong ability to engage in fundraising and donor engagement.

• Extensive experience working in and across a variety of cultures and geographies with superb cultural intelligence and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Ability to travel internationally and domestically.
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
  • COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
  • INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
  • RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
  • COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

Location

Ideally, a successful candidate would be located in Washington DC. Exceptional candidates based elsewhere will be considered but would be expected to make regular visits to Washington DC.

WWF is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and requires all US-based staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. WWF will consider requests for accommodation from the vaccine requirement based on disability, medical contraindication, sincerely held religious belief, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

To Apply:

• Submit cover letter and resume through our Careers Page, Requisition #24048
• Due to the high volume of applications we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone

As an EOE/AA employer, WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status. WWF values diversity and inclusion and welcomes diverse candidates to apply.