Chief Impact Officer

Leadership & Team Management

• Collaborate with the leadership team to inform the development and delivery of GFW’s organizational strategy.
• Drive program innovation, ensuring responsiveness to global trends and extending reach and impact worldwide.
• Partner with department heads to lead and support planning and priority-setting, breaking down silos for collaboration across GFW’s divisions.
• Provide insights to the CEO and Board of Directors on programmatic impact, risks, and successes.
• Oversee the establishment of program Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), manage team performance, and foster a collaborative, safe, and inclusive remote work environment.
• Identify capacity gaps and proactively coach and mentor staff, ensuring the program team is fully equipped to execute their responsibilities.

Strategy Design & Impact Delivery

• Lead the strategic and financial oversight of GFW’s global program, designing and executing large-scale, multi-year strategies and their associated budgets.
• Act as a key thought partner to the technology and science and innovation teams, shaping and driving continuous platform improvements to accelerate and scale impact.
• Identify and respond to evolving ocean governance trends, leveraging these opportunities to advance GFW’s programmatic goals.
• Ensure robust frameworks are in place to evaluate program effectiveness, enhance continuous learning, track outcomes, and report impact to key stakeholders.
• Proactively identify programmatic needs, risks, or bottlenecks and propose solutions.

Financial Management & Fundraising

• Contribute to the development of compelling grant proposals to advance new funding opportunities.
• Manage the departmental budget, partnering with Finance to monitor expenditures, prepare forecasts, and ensure compliance with donor rules and regulations.
• Undertake effective planning, budgeting, and financial management with the program leadership team, ensuring alignment with all relevant policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate value for money to donors through accurate, timely financial and narrative reporting.

External Representation & Partnerships

• Represent GFW at relevant international conferences, roundtables, and senior bilateral meetings, serving as a key organizational spokesperson, including with the media.
• Champion a holistic narrative that clearly highlights how our combined data, technology, and program efforts drive our mission forward.
• Develop and implement partner engagement strategies that advance program priorities and initiatives while ensuring mutual accountability and shared learning.

Experience & Skills

• Demonstrated senior-level experience designing, leading, and managing large-scale programs aimed at governance reform, specifically within international ocean conservation.
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required; a Master’s degree is highly preferred.
• Deep technical knowledge of global marine conservation issues, international ocean policies, and the political economy of marine governance.
• Substantive senior-level experience leading, mentoring, and scaling globally distributed teams, with a strong track record of recruiting and building high-performing groups diverse in gender, nationality, and background.
• A decisive, empathetic leader who fosters a highly collaborative and inclusive culture, actively seeks diverse perspectives, and adapts quickly to changing conditions.
• Proven ability to balance strategic planning with agile execution, keeping teams tightly focused on core organizational priorities.
• Strong capacity to manage for results, evaluate talent, provide candid feedback, and take decisive action, all while effectively delegating to and empowering your staff.
• Proven track record in strategic planning and project management, with strict accountability for delivering concurrent major organizational goals and translating long-term objectives into measurable outcomes.
• Superlative diplomatic, negotiation, and advocacy skills.
• Prioritizes building and navigating complex, multi-stakeholder partnerships involving government agencies, NGOs, and scientific bodies.
• Proven ability to anticipate, assess, and mitigate risk within complex environments.
• Highly logical and organized, with deep experience analyzing multifaceted issues to formulate and execute decisive, effective recommendations.
• Experience working effectively at the highest levels, confidently representing the organization, promoting ideas, and influencing decision-makers.
• An exceptional communicator capable of serving as a global spokesperson, articulating complex scientific and policy issues clearly to a wide variety of audiences across diverse media channels.
• Demonstrated success in global fundraising, including cultivating relationships with a variety of public, private, and government donors.
• Solid, hands-on budget management skills with the ability to strategically align financial resources with program priorities.