Executive Director (CommsHub)

Department: CommsHub

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Remote / Flexible Location

Description

Please note that the applications for this role should be sent to: [email protected]

This position is with CommsHub, a new initiative to directly resource and upskill the global climate ecosystem to pursue strategic communications and public engagement at the scale and sophistication required to ensure media narratives, public opinion and governmental decision-making reflect accurate appraisals of climate science.

We’re looking for an Executive Director, who will function as a philanthropic leader with primary responsibilities including attracting new charitable funders and fundraising for pooled and aligned funding, convening collaborative efforts among funders, field leaders and practitioners, shaping effective field strategies and investments, building and directing a team of high-level specialists, and expanding the landscape, all while consistently prioritizing equity in approach.

In Addition To Strategic Communications And Fundraising Expertise, The Executive Director Should Have Experience In One Or More Of The Following Areas

• Building partnerships
• Leading/managing organisations and high-achieving personnel
• Building startups or other projects from the ground up
• Working in and/or with philanthropic foundations

How You’ll Contribute

• Leadership: In this capacity, they will hold ultimate accountability for CommsHub’s overall success, actively collaborating with CommsHub governance, its Steering Committee, its staff (which the Executive Director will hire), its funders, its partners and grantees to ensure productive and effective partnerships. The Executive Director will assist with starting up the program supported by the project team and the CEO and Organisational Development Team of Meliore Foundation.
• Fundraising: The Executive Director will play a pivotal role in fundraising efforts, actively developing and stewarding relationships with charitable funders. This includes presenting a compelling case for CommsHub’s ongoing impact, understanding the needs and goals of CommsHub partners, and, most notably, achieving annual fundraising goals.
• Influence: To advance CommsHub’s objectives, the Executive Director will immerse themselves in the field, attending and convening in-person meetings, understanding best-in-class approaches, science, and research and proactively building relationships with leading minds in this area. Furthermore, they will manage and enhance the Hub’s image within the philanthropic community and beyond, effectively promoting its mission and goals.
• Navigating Complex Collaboration: Facilitating collaboration, aligning diverse interests, priorities, and strategies, and finding common ground for effective action among different philanthropic funders and stakeholders may present challenges. The Executive Director must have the ability to bring people together, build alignment and collaborate effectively across stakeholders.
• Regulatory and Policy Hurdles: Changes in government policies and regulations can impact climate communication efforts. Adapting to evolving policy landscapes may be challenging. The Executive Director will have a supportive team of experts to call on but will need the ability to navigate and communicate these changes to funders effectively.
• Complex Funding Ecosystem: CommsHub is entering a crowded philanthropic and regranting space, which has the potential to be met with concerns over scope and competition. The Executive Director will need to navigate this carefully to ensure robust partnership and alignment with allies in the philanthropic community.
• Startup Growing Pains: CommsHub is in its infancy and with that comes challenges that all startups may face around rapid growth, limited administrative support, prioritization questions, and refinement of policies and procedures. The Executive Director would benefit from experience in a start-up environment, and the agility to navigate these challenges.

The Person

Our ideal candidate has 5+ years of executive leadership experience within a complex organization, demonstrably motivating and building high-performing, diverse teams around the globe and extensive experience managing relationships with stakeholders across diverse sectors.

You would also bring a proven track record in securing significant funding from a variety of sources, including foundations and individual donors, as well as operating in an entrepreneurial environment; be able to create scale, manage a growing organisation, and implement new processes and systems.

Important Skills To Have

• A combination of advanced technical knowledge in a communications, marketing, or public engagement discipline and experience in influencing complex systems, with a nimble problem-solving mindset, and is highly motivated using performance management techniques and metrics to maximise results.
• Able to pull together teams and seek ways to maximise the contribution of others.
• Humility and empathy, recognising where they have gaps and building and empowering a team around them.
• Self-starting approach.
• Possess sound political judgement.
• Possess exceptional written and oral communication skills with excellent presentation skills.
• Be an innovative and creative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset.
• Have the ability to think and plan strategically, combined with a strong eye for detail.
• Have the ability to work well under pressure, and with a high degree of rigour.
• Must be self-motivated, organized, flexible, and have an ability to prioritize workload.

Additional Information

• Location: flexibly remote.
• Frequent international travel will be required.
• Only candidates with the right to work in their location will be considered.
• The process for hiring this position will likely deviate from the standard Meliore hiring process outlined on the webpage.

Please note that the applications for this role should be sent to: [email protected]