About Energy Foundation
U.S. Energy Foundation’s (“EF”) mission is to secure a clean and equitable energy future to tackle the climate crisis. EF envisions a healthy, safe, equitable economy powered by clean energy. They believe a thriving clean energy economy can create sustainable opportunities, spur innovation, and protect our climate—for today and future generations.
EF supports education and analysis to promote non-partisan policy solutions that advance renewable energy and energy efficiency while opening doors to greater innovation and productivity—growing the economy with dramatically less pollution. For more than 30 years, EF has supported grantees to help educate policymakers and the general public about the benefits of a clean energy economy. Grantees include business, health, environmental, labor, equity, community, faith, and consumer groups, as well as policy experts, think tanks, universities, and more.
At EF, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are top organizational commitments. The organization works daily to uproot racism and other forms of oppression and create equitable systems that support people to flourish. EF aims to bring humility, transparency, respect, and an appreciation for others’ lived experiences to our interactions with colleagues, grantees, and partners.
EF is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and our more than 100 staff members are based in locations throughout the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and West regions, where they can best serve our programs, partners, operations, and other functions.
The Opportunity
Energy Foundation seeks a Senior Director, Power to lead the power sector team, including the Fossil Fuel Program and Clean Grid Program, and develop a cohesive policy strategy for EF’s programmatic work across the power sector. This role was created to align EF’s work across the power sector and create a unified vision for equitably eliminating fossil fuels and growing a clean electricity future. The Senior Director will report to the Vice President, Policy and oversee a team of two direct reports and three indirect reports.
The Senior Director will lead a team of skilled policy experts who are working to achieve sectoral policy goals and manage expert networks to fulfill the organization’s mission of securing a clean and equitable energy future to tackle the climate crisis. The power team also works closely with the States & Regions teams to support efforts at the local, state, regional, and federal levels to build power for our clean energy future and to make progress toward those sectoral clean energy goals.
The Senior Director is tasked with synthesizing strategies across the programs and ensuring the work of our Fossil Fuels and Clean Grid programs maximize ambition, increase innovation, and align to achieve EF’s organizational priorities while supporting fundraising activities for the Program team and across the organization. The Senior Director also will scan the field for important new areas of work within the sector that need EF’s attention and then organize teams of staff and consultants to tackle these areas.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Program Oversight and Vision
- Oversee EF’s comprehensive power sector decarbonization strategy.
- Work with the Fossil Fuel and Clean Grid Program Directors, who identify, develop, and implement cross-sectoral and cross-venue strategies.
- Track progress toward annual and long-term goals across all initiatives.
- Lead the project management on many cross-program projects.
- Accountable for Power Program planning (annual and multi-year) and budgeting, delegating day-to-day responsibilities to the Power team.
- Synthesize EF’s work in all jurisdictions to craft a clear and compelling narrative for our priorities and our impact.
- Serve as EF’s primary expert on renewable energy growth in the U.S. including strategies to increase the use of wind and solar power.
Strategy and Budgeting
- Serve as primary point of contact with EF’s Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents on all things related to our Power strategy, including work of the Clean Grid and Fossil Fuels teams.
- Lead strategic planning, goal-setting, and annual and long-term (multi-year) planning processes and program design across the Fossil Fuels and Clean Grid teams.
- Oversee development of and is accountable for Power program strategy and budgeting.
- Support and lead the development of the power sectoral strategies to achieve 2030, 2035 and 2050 climate and equity goals, that are inclusive of major federal and subnational venues.
- Develop overarching campaign strategies for the power sector, inclusive of the Fossil Fuels and Clean Grid strategies. The strategy development and management will specifically include a focus on the cross-team Clean Power areas that intersect with grid, renewables, and taking fossil fuels offline, including increasing renewables capacity to 100%.
- Increase attention to emerging areas of strategic impact to lead the field.
Management
- Supervise a team of roughly five people, including directly managing the two experts leading the Clean Grid and Fossil Fuel Programs and indirectly leading two to three other staff members.
- Support overall team coordination and cohesion.
- Oversee day-to-day work of the Power Team as it relates to EF state, regional and federal strategic priorities.
Grants and Contracts
- Working with the Power team, national team, and regional EF staff, ensure integration of the Power team with EF’s regional and national programs, with grantees and consultants in and outside of states, and with funders.
- Oversee grantmaking and contracting led by the Program Directors, which includes ensuring grants and contracts are moving efficiently, resolving problems, and engaging with Grants and Finance teams, grantees, and consultants.
- Serves as the point person on grants and contracts as needed.
Funder Engagement and Fundraising
- In coordination with EF’s Strategic Partnerships team, work with the Power team to develop and maintain a fundraising strategy and goals; track progress toward the goals.
- Serve as lead point person for the Power team to actively fundraise for the identified strategic priorities.
- Act as the primary communicator of the Power program vision and funding opportunities to internal EF and external stakeholders.
- Serve as (initial) primary point of contact for EF organizational leadership regarding Clean Power funder engagement or fundraising.
- Lead the development of, or review and approve, written funder communications and materials for the team within it (includes regular funder updates, fundraising proposals and reports, wins/loss updates, etc.).
- Coordinate funders nationally (as appropriate) and work to align strategies and investments.
Ideal Candidate
Energy Foundation seeks candidates with deep knowledge and expertise of policy issues impacting the power sector, including renewable energy, grid reliability, and fossil fuel transition. The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience developing advocacy strategies that have resulted in clean energy policy wins. The Senior Director is a skilled collaborator and co-creator with experience effectively managing high performing teams.
Additional qualifying factors for the Senior Director include:
- Deep knowledge of key policy topics impacting the power sector, including fossil fuels transition and clean energy at both the federal and state levels. Demonstrated experience developing effective strategies to achieve policy goals.
- Extensive experience designing and managing U.S.-based advocacy campaigns relevant to climate, clean energy, politics, democracy, justice, business engagement, health, organizing, etc.
- Demonstrated management excellence in a complex, multi-site, and multi-cultural organization that includes managing teams and supporting the personal growth of all employees with a coaching and mentoring orientation.
- Experience collaborating with philanthropic partners on strategic initiatives, with an understanding of the climate philanthropic landscape and the role of re-granting institutions.
- Experience developing strategies that consider and synthesize multiple perspectives into a coherent big-picture strategy and workable plan, prioritizing investments, and evaluating progress; able to facilitate strategy across a network of internal and external partners.
- A service orientation for your work, with a commitment to support staff to thrive and the organization to succeed in meeting its goals.
- Decisive and detail-oriented project manager with a proven ability to solve challenging problems while advancing multiple streams of work.
- Brings a high degree of cultural competence and emotional intelligence, experience participating in or leading DEI initiatives, and track record of contributing meaningfully to a workplace where equity and inclusion are core values in our internal and external EF work.
- Respected leader in the field with an ability to establish rapport internally and with funding partners, grantees, consultants, and other stakeholders.
- Solutions-oriented problem-solver who is committed to working collaboratively in a diverse, dynamic, and complex environment with a combination of local, regional, and national staff and partners.
Position Compensation, Location, and Work Environment
This is a full-time position. The target salary for this position is $234,000 for a candidate based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and $211,500 for candidates in other areas of the U.S. EF provides a comprehensive benefits package, including competitive salary, medical, dental, vision, disability, and retirement benefits and paid time off.
EF is a remote-first work environment. This position may be based in any of EF’s offices or may work remotely from anywhere in the U.S.
The office environments include some shared workspace, some individual offices, and shared kitchen facilities, with moderate noise levels and a collegial atmosphere. On occasion, there are activities or events after work hours.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to spend extended hours at the computer. This position requires travel four to six times a year for three to four business days at a time.
Energy Foundation’s EEO Statement
EF actively seeks to expand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within our organization and through our work. We encourage people of color and candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply.
To Be Considered
Please submit your resume and cover letter expressing your interest in the position and fit for the role via the “Become a Candidate” button. Letters may be addressed to Kevin Bryant.
Applicants applying by May 6 will be given priority consideration, with the position open until filled.
GoodCitizen has been exclusively retained by Energy Foundation to lead this search. For questions, please contact:
Kevin Bryant
Managing Director
Direct: 213.467.0119
kevin@goodcitizen.com
Mollie Smith
Engagement Manager
Direct: 206.462.6190
mollie@goodcitizen.com
Keristian Farra
Associate
Direct: 206.792.4311
keristian@goodcitizen.com