Program Officer, Environment Team

Robertson FoundationRemote

Due to the high volume of submissions, we are no longer accepting applications for this role.

About the Robertson Foundation

The Robertson Foundation is a private, family-led foundation established in 1996 by Julian Robertson, the founder of Tiger Management LLC, and his wife Josie. By taking a targeted yet creative approach to philanthropy, the Robertson family seeks to have a positive social impact and create a legacy that reflects their values. The Robertson Foundation has three giving areas – medical research, environment, and education. They have recently clarified the priorities and strategies that will shape the Foundation’s next decade of giving across all areas.

The Foundation’s culture is collegial, smart, driven, and high performing. With a small team of 17, there is no opaque bureaucracy. All staff members at Robertson are given real responsibilities, real visibility into all aspects of the work, and real exposure to leaders in the field, fellow funders, and the board.  

The Opportunity

The Robertson Foundation is seeking a Program Officer to join its small nimble team and help advance its bold, new environment portfolio strategy. Working in a complementary and collaborative way with other Environment Portfolio team members and reporting to the Program Director, Christy Loper, this new Program Officer will help shape, guide, and refine strategic priorities, conduct due diligence on potential grantmaking opportunities, and actively support grantees across the Environment Portfolio.

Every member of the Robertson team has the opportunity and expectation to:

  • Drive important work
  • Build networks and leverage the insights of amazing people outside the organization 
  • Work with members of the board in 1:1 and group environments 
  • Raise the collective performance of the team by bringing fresh eyes and perspectives
  • Ask questions, test, and challenge the context in which the Foundation is doing its work

The Environment Portfolio

Over the past two years, the Robertson Foundation has conducted a refresh of its environment strategy. The harms of unchecked climate change are well-known and devastating to humanity and the natural world. The goal of the Robertson Foundation’s Environment Portfolio strategy is to address the threat of global climate change by supporting efforts to cut emissions in half by 2030, and restricting warming to 1.5 degrees.

Energy use is the most significant contributor to global emissions, followed by agriculture. Over the next five years, the Foundation’s environment grantmaking will focus primarily on these issues, aiming to maximize impact by supporting work with the potential to make major progress against emissions this decade, in areas where philanthropic funding is currently limited.

The Foundation has identified two major pillars for the environment strategy where its investments can have the highest impact:

Energy Transition: Accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy, with a particular focus on minimizing new investment in oil and gas infrastructure.

  • Geographic focus: the Global South; the current portfolio of grants is focused on Latin America.
  • Approach: support campaigns to reduce near-term investments in fossil fuel infrastructure and demand for fossil fuels. At the same time, develop evidence-based pathways toward economic prosperity that go beyond fossil fuels for jobs and revenue.

Food Systems Transformation: Reducing the climate impact of food production, with a particular focus on boosting healthy, sustainable proteins and reducing food loss and waste.

  • Geographic focus: the U.S., with the possibility of global work in the future.
  • Approach: shift food procurement at major institutions towards sustainable options and build momentum for policies that support a more sustainable agricultural system. Underpin both with robust and evidence-based research, coordination, and communications.

Key Responsibilities

Grantee Support

  • Build trusted relationships with grantees; regularly identify critical barriers to achieving maximum impact; propose possible solutions
  • Engage in 2-way learning with grantees; gain insights from and share observations with grantees
  • Amplify grantees’ work with strong communications to internal and external audiences
  • Provide organizational development support to grantees as they scale
  • Offer campaign strategy and promotional assistance
  • Connect grantees to resources and partners that will advance their work and accelerate their impact

Strategy Implementation and Learning

  • Track and analyze progress against strategy objectives
  • Support monitoring and evaluation to inform future grantmaking decisions
  • Compose concise, regular progress updates to the board, using strong data visualization
  • Lead an annual board discussion on progress against grantees’ goals and the impact of Robertson’s investments

Portfolio Development

  • Conduct research and synthesize information on key issues underlying the Foundation’s strategies
  • Provide strong diligence that leads to the identification of potential new grantees
  • Propose and steward new, multi-year, multi-million-dollar investments

Field Engagement and Networking

  • Represent the Foundation at convenings, workshops, and conferences to gain greater insight into relevant topics
  • Engage with advocates, government officials, funders, and other thought partners to discern where philanthropy can make the greatest impact
  • Build and diversify the Environment Portfolio team’s network of potential advisors, thought partners, co-funders, and potential grantees

Ideal Candidate

Strong candidates have a deep commitment to solving the climate crisis and an understanding of the role philanthropy can play. The Foundation seeks candidates with a broad generalist understanding of climate change and a desire to work across a range of topics; specific experience in the Global South (especially Latin America), energy transition, or U.S. food systems transformation is also valued.

Strategic thinkers who are excited to dig into multiple complex topics, seek out alternative viewpoints and learn from a wide range of sources will be ideally suited for this role. Candidates should be proactive and action-oriented, able to juggle competing priorities. They must be able to work independently to advance a range of projects and excel as good team players who enjoy working closely with colleagues on collaborative projects.

The Foundation seeks naturally inquisitive lifelong learners who are comfortable reaching beyond current areas of expertise, and have the intellectual agility to recognize connections, opportunities, and intersections across different aspects of the Environment Portfolio. Their innate interest in the field drives a proactive and forward-looking approach to following trends, anticipating changes, and predicting potential impacts for the Foundation.

The strongest candidates enjoy engaging with grantees; building supportive relationships, listening to needs, making connections, and identifying opportunities to help grantees grow and achieve greater impact. Operating from a place of respect and humility, the best candidates will be able to create an environment of continuous learning with grantees, other funders, sector experts, and lay audiences.

Sound judgment and a high degree of discretion and tact will be necessary for this role. The ability to organize, prioritize, and meet deadlines will be expected.

Desired Qualifications

While no one candidate will possess all the desired qualifications, strong candidates will offer a combination of the following:

  • Organizational development experience
  • Strong relationship management ability
  • Heightened project management skills
  • Excellent written and visual communications
  • Fluency in emissions math, with the ability to apply findings analytically
  • Lived experience and/or cross-cultural competency to work in the Global South across contexts that could include South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa. 
  • Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese

Qualified candidates may have experience in and networks with advocacy organizations, think tanks, philanthropies, impact investing, development banks, and local or national governments in Latin America or the Global South more broadly.

Location

While the Foundation is based in New York, the culture is designed for remote operations with ample collaboration opportunities. Candidates not based in New York City must be prepared to travel to New York regularly, particularly in their first year in the role. Please note the Robertson Foundation is unable to provide a work visa for this position.

Compensation 

The salary range for this position is $130,000-$165,000. Total compensation includes an excellent benefits package including, PPO healthcare, ample PTO, 401k contributions, a small personal discretionary grantmaking budget, and professional development opportunities.  

Robertson Foundation’s EEO Statement

The Robertson Foundation values diversity and is committed to recruiting and retaining individuals of diverse backgrounds, sex, race, religion, age, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Visit the website for more information: www.robertsonfounation.org.

To Be Considered

Due to the high volume of submissions, we are no longer accepting applications for this role.

The recruitment process will involve the following: 

  • Virtual screenings with the Search Firm
  • Virtual interview with the Foundation’s Environment team  
  • Written exercise (similar to activities relevant to this position) 
  • Finalist interviews with the Environment Program Director and Foundation Leadership  
  • Analytical skills assessment test  
  • Background and reference check 

Robertson Foundation hopes to welcome a new team member in late fall 2024. 

Program Officer, Environment TeamRobertson FoundationRemote

GoodCitizen has been exclusively retained by Robertson Foundation to lead this search. For questions, please contact:

Melissa Merritt
Managing Director
Direct: 206.792.4300 
melissa@goodcitizen.com

Celene Haque Tanner
Engagement Manager
Direct: 206.462.6189
celene@goodcitizen.com

Gabe Sapuay
Senior Associate
Direct: 206.792.4221
gabe@goodcitizen.com