Director of Programs

About the Organization

In the Bay Area, as throughout the world, under-resourced communities are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change impacts. Since 2016, Climate Resilient Communities (CRC) has been on the ground, learning the specific needs of residents in diverse, under-resourced communities in East Palo Alto, Belle Haven (Menlo Park), and North Fair Oaks. We have now expanded to San Bruno, and South San Francisco in San Mateo County. Additionally, we’ve begun building social movement infrastructure in Santa Clara County in the Alviso and East San Jose neighborhoods.

CRC’s on-the-ground, community organizing cultivates environmental awareness while giving local residents a voice in proactive resilience planning and adaptation initiatives. By building stronger alliances between residents, schools, local government programs, and community-based organizations, our work builds social infrastructure and community resilience against climate-related stresses such as sea-level rise, displacement, and economic instability.

CRC’s work is guided by community leaders through our Climate Change Community Teams composed of frontline residents in each neighborhood we work in. CRC partners with these teams to meet community-identified needs through programs that advance youth education and leadership development, provide vital home safety repairs and energy efficiency improvements, and directly address community-led climate adaptation priorities like distributing air purifiers.

CRC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a strong record of transparency and community oversight. Through this opportunity, you will have a unique chance to interact with and learn from experienced movement and community leaders and contribute to building climate resilience in a way that centers and empowers the voices of working families and frontline residents.

About the Role

The Director of Programs is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing and managing the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Resilient Homes and Resilient Adaptation programs within our organization. This role requires a combination of strategic planning, project management, team leadership, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement skills. This position reports to the Executive Director (ED) and is a member of the four-person executive team composed of the ED, Chief of Staff, and Director of Outreach and Education.

Responsibilities

• Programmatic (30%):
  • Develop and implement strategies that will maximize the synergies among program areas.
  • Create procedures, deadlines, and milestones to monitor a program’s progress.
  • Develop, approve, and monitor program budgets; track grant deliverables and spend-down.
  • Evaluate programs and project leaders for efficiency and accomplishments.
  • Make changes and improvements to programs to align with the strategic plan and maximize impact as measured by CRC’s core metrics.
  • Coordinate with program managers and other stakeholders to create detailed program implementation plans with deadlines, milestones, processes, and risk mitigation protocols.
• Strategic (30%):
  • Research and plan programs based on the organization’s strategic objectives; provide strategic guidance from the programmatic perspective into overall organizational strategy.
  • Establish clear goals for programs, secure or allocate the resources to achieve them.
  • Hire and supervise new program managers for projects, oversee associate-level hiring.
  • Foster and maintain relationships with funding partners, stakeholders, and organizational partners, including government representatives, nonprofit partners, and NGOs.
  • Create processes for monitoring performance and collaborating with program teams to improve program delivery and maximize effectiveness.
• Leadership (30%):
  • Cultivate new and strengthen existing relationships with vendors with the goal of ensuring sufficient space and resources, and access to services for program implementation.
  • Hire and supervise program managers as direct reports and program associates indirectly.
  • Monitor program performance and collaborate with program teams.
  • Provide operational and technical reports on performance to the leadership and Board.
  • Apply change, risk, and resource management principles when needed.
  • Work with leadership to set strategic goals and objectives for programs.
  • Resolve problems between program teams and other internal or external stakeholders.
• Policy Analysis and Research (10%):
  • Serve as the lead researcher and advocate for the organization on all environmental justice policies and proposals impacting our communities, including state and local initiatives across a wide array of topics.
  • Represent CRC in advocacy efforts as directed by the Executive Director.
  • Lead CRC’s involvement in local, regional, and statewide coalitions related to environmental justice initiatives.
  • Author and approve public comment letters and engage with elected officials on environmental justice policy priorities.

Qualifications

• 5 years of proven experience as a program director or other managerial position.
• Outstanding understanding of project/program management techniques and methods.
• Successful management and procurement of grants.
• Excellent knowledge of performance evaluation techniques and key metrics.
• Thorough knowledge of data analysis, reporting, and budgeting.
• Working knowledge of MS Office and program management software (e.g., Basecamp, MS Project, etc.).
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
• An analytical mindset with great problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication skills.
• BSc/BA diploma in management or a relevant field; MSc/MA is a plus.
• Experience with policy advocacy from an environmental justice perspective.

Pay

Exact salary will depend on qualifications, but will be in the range of $95,000 to $115,500.

Schedule

This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week, non-exempt position in Palo Alto, CA. Your schedule may vary based on need and may include evening and weekend hours.

Benefits

• Health insurance (100% employer-funded for employees, 50% funded for dependents).
• Access to a 403B retirement plan with a 3% company match.
• A flexible work schedule.
• Generous holiday and paid leave policies (5 weeks PTO).
• A highly collegial work environment.
• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact on climate change.
• Professional growth opportunities.