Director of Strategic Initiatives, Climate

About Us

Additional Ventures is a purpose-driven organization leveraging evidence-based research and deep subject matter expertise to make an outsized impact. We are a philanthropic organization with three initiatives: biomedical research, community and democracy, and climate action.

Additional Ventures’ climate initiative is focused on pathways to permanently remove hundreds of billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere this century. We are funding R&D to create solutions that can safely remove carbon dioxide at costs consistent with gigaton scale. We are championing policies that will catalyze these solutions and we are helping to ensure that solutions are developed and deployed equitably.

Role

Additional Ventures is seeking a Director of Strategic Initiatives for its climate initiative. Candidates should be excited to work on climate change, but no prior climate experience is required. The position will report to Sasha Post, Program Director for Climate and Democracy.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure the climate initiative is operating smoothly and efficiently by tracking and managing diverse work streams with exacting attention to detail.
• Help the climate initiative develop and manage work plans for specific priority projects and for any new program areas, including R&D and policy efforts on carbon removal.
• Help develop the overall strategy and direction of the climate initiative.
• Help develop and track program budgets.
• Engage outside contractors to provide tailored support as necessary.
• Develop, write, and manage RFPs.
• Help stand up advisory bodies of scientific experts and other external stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Superb program and project manager. At least 8-10 years experience.
• Hyper-organized and loves running a good process. Can keep close track of all the balls in the air and ensure that none drop.
• Very flexible and can-do attitude. Eager to work on a wide range of projects and enthusiastically embrace new challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive matters with discretion and interact with a wide range of stakeholders (e.g., scientists, policy advocates, philanthropists, and investors) with diplomacy and enthusiasm.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills.
• Ability to operate independently and balance multiple priorities in a fluid and fast-paced start-up environment with high levels of ambiguity.
• Significant interest and/or prior experience in climate change mitigation and climate equity/justice. Prior experience in climate change mitigation and/or climate equity/justice is a plus but not required.
• Prior climate-relevant R&D program management experience is a plus but not required (e.g., ARPA-E).
• Prior experience designing and overseeing RFPs is a plus.

Compensation and Location

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience.

This position is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The desired candidate will be expected to report to an office in Palo Alto three times a week. Occasional travel expected.

How to apply

To apply to this position, please fill out this survey: https://forms.gle/kxwbdmuXX8RwU58Z7

If you have any questions about the application, please send all questions to sasha@additionalventures.org.

Additional Ventures is an equal opportunity workplace dedicated to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce, especially candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Additional Ventures is comprised of multiple entities that make grants and/or investments in service of our mission to shape a healthier, more equitable world, including Additional Ventures Foundation, Additional Ventures LLC, and a donor-advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.