Executive Director

About Tempest Advisors

Based in downtown San Francisco, Tempest Advisors provides professional philanthropic consulting services to two principals and their family members, Sea Change Foundation (their private family foundation focused on climate change mitigation), Sea Change Foundation International, and other aligned philanthropic funds (collectively, the “Clients”). Its advisory work is focused on addressing the existential threats posed by climate change and maximizing the impact of philanthropy in climate change mitigation both in the U.S. and internationally. Tempest Advisors fosters a pragmatic, solutions-oriented culture and a willingness to develop and pursue creative approaches to addressing climate change. The Tempest team is high-performing, collaborative, and mission driven.

The Opportunity

Tempest Advisors is seeking to hire an Executive Director (the “ED”) to lead its small team of professional and administrative staff members (currently approximately 10 team members). Collectively, the Clients have been one of the world’s largest philanthropic donors to climate change mitigation efforts since 2007 and continue to be a leader in the space. Tempest’s fundamental role is to assist the Clients in maximizing the overall, real-world return on their philanthropic investments, including grants that support charitable 501(c)(3) organizations and initiatives focused on climate change solutions, and to coordinate with other advisors on related 501(c)(4) opportunities and on the advancement of clean energy technologies and other mitigation strategies.

The ED is responsible for helping the Clients develop their “big picture,” overall approach to climate change mitigation philanthropy, as well as designing and executing specific grantmaking strategies, and developing and employing processes and policies to optimize the impact of those strategies. The ED will play a pivotal role in guiding the organization as it further develops and refines its operating model, aspiring to set a new standard for the climate change sector—one that demonstrates what it truly means to be multidisciplinary in both approach and impact. This operating approach includes helping to build the connective tissue across the climate sector and showing how collaborative, cross‑sector strategies can accelerate and deepen climate solutions. By championing this innovative model and fostering strong partnerships, the ED will help push the broader climate change field to continue to evolve its thinking and practices in pursuit of greater, more sustainable results.

The ED has responsibility for managing the Clients’ overall portfolio of grants, providing leadership and guidance to staff, and acting as the primary representative for the Clients in interactions with grant applicants and recipients, other donors, and colleagues. The ED must be able to work across multiple disciplines and sectors to advance and multiply the impact of the Clients’ philanthropic giving.

Primary Responsibilities

Engagement with Clients

The Clients make all final decisions regarding the direction and focus of their philanthropy, including individual grant and funding decisions, as well as the staff, office space, equipment and materials, and other resources that they provide to Tempest Advisors. The ED works closely with the Clients to develop and execute their philanthropic mission and activities, must be able to take direction from the Clients on the strategies, issues, policies, and procedures that they want implemented, and work closely with their family office, which provides back-office services to Tempest Advisors. At the same time, the ED is responsible for providing the Clients with the best information and analysis available related to the overall landscape of climate philanthropy and activities, including major external opportunities and threats, so that the Clients are making well-informed decisions. In short, the ED, in close collaboration with the Tempest team, is the primary climate and clean energy philanthropic advisor to the Clients.

Leadership and Management

The ED must be able to convey a clear vision of the Clients’ climate priorities and objectives and provide concrete examples of how to carry out their philanthropic mission, in order to help lead and inspire internal and external audiences and guide staff and consultants in setting their own goals, consistent with the Clients’ bigger picture objectives.

The ED is responsible for overseeing and directing the overall program staff and administrative functions of the organization. Working in close partnership with Tempest’s Deputy Director, the ED must strive to understand employees’ individual strengths and weaknesses and help them develop individually and collectively, so that they can work together effectively to produce impactful results. The ED must also be able to employ a variety of resources, including information technologies, financial systems, external consultants, and communications tools to maximize the efficient and effective deployment of the Clients’ philanthropic funds and other resources.

The ED must be comfortable representing the Clients in a variety of external forums—including interactions with government representatives, private companies, and nonprofit organizations. The ED must also be dedicated to forging effective philanthropic partnerships with other donors and their philanthropic advisors—understanding that no individual can succeed alone in the face of the enormous challenges posed in mitigating climate change.

Grantmaking

In addition to overseeing the entire grantmaking portfolio for the Clients, the ED is expected to be directly responsible for certain specific grantmaking areas, as determined by the Clients. This includes staying abreast of the issues and organizations associated with these areas, conducting due diligence on potential grantees, writing grant recommendations to be reviewed by the Clients, and monitoring and evaluating grantees throughout the grant term. The ED will help plan and implement learning opportunities for grant recipients, as well as develop progress indicators with grant recipients to monitor and track progress.

Sector Engagement

The ED will establish and maintain the technical and funding partnerships necessary to support an innovative portfolio of grants. This requires staying current on emerging issues, trends, and interventions related to climate change to advise Tempest Advisors’ Clients on effective strategies.

The ED will represent Tempest Advisors to a broad array of external audiences, including partners, experts, consultants, and co-funders to advance programming. As such, the ED must have highly developed skills in individual and group communications, convening stakeholder meetings with grant recipients, subject matter experts, community representatives, governmental representatives, funders, and others in order to compare and coordinate strategies. A key component of the ED’s work is to learn about trends, movements, and policy developments, and help promote knowledge among Tempest staff, funding partners, and grantees, with an emphasis on group learning. The ED is also expected to help identify and engage with potential new funders in the climate space, whether they be families, individuals, or philanthropic entities.

Executive Director of Sea Change Foundation and Role in Other Philanthropic Vehicles

The ED is expected to serve as the Executive Director of Sea Change Foundation and as an officer and/or agent of other philanthropic vehicles, including Sea Change International. As such, the ED will represent Sea Change Foundation and the other vehicles and will provide leadership, advisory, and support services for those respective entities.

Additional Responsibilities

• Work closely with Tempest’s Deputy Director to provide comprehensive and seamless leadership of the organization.
• Schedule, prepare for, and lead the monthly Board meetings and Administrative meetings.
• Proactively cultivate, review, and assess grantmaking opportunities.
• Conduct rigorous due diligence, including site visits to meet with current and potential grantees.
• Recommend grants for funding by soliciting peer reviews and providing critical analysis of project strengths, weaknesses, and risks.
• Serve as advisor on all grants, providing feedback to Tempest Advisors’ program strategists on specific grant proposals and recommendations.
• Provide a strategic framework and leadership on all legal matters.
• Lead on budget preparation and financial oversight.
• Actively shape and execute a communications strategy in coordination with the Clients in order to protect the Clients’ external brand and identity.
• Help design and implement learning opportunities for grant recipients, Tempest employees, the Clients, and the broader climate change community.
• Work with and manage external consultants in both programmatic and administrative areas (including attorneys, accountants, human resources, and other management support professionals).
• Convene meetings of relevant stakeholders, including grant recipients, subject matter experts, community representatives, governmental representatives, funders and others, to learn from each other.
• Ensure compliance with IRS regulations and any other legal requirements, as well as Client reporting requirements for all grants.

Ideal Candidate

Tempest Advisors is seeking an ED who will bring vision, energy, strategic and innovative thinking, and leadership skills to lead a mission-driven organization. Candidates must demonstrate a determination and commitment to use philanthropy as an effective tool to mitigate climate change, along with significant expertise in some combination of climate and energy policy, nonprofit organizational management and grantmaking, clean energy financing, and/or public and political engagement. This requires an understanding of how each of these areas intersect with each other and how they might be affected by external climate and energy developments, as well as shifts in government policies and financial markets. Knowledge of key issues in climate change mitigation, especially climate and energy policy, as well as U.S. national and state policy-making processes is also required.

The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to analyze, synthesize, and effectively communicate complex information and to develop strategic and operational plans based upon that analysis. Outstanding strategic thinking and planning skills are also necessary, along with the ability to think creatively about developing and implementing new philanthropic solutions to complex problems. Additionally, a successful candidate should bring a flexible, humble, and collaborative disposition rooted in a direct, honest, and respectful approach to problem-solving. The ability to foster and contribute to a strong sense of community among Tempest Advisors’ colleagues, partners, and Clients is necessary. The ED must have poise, judgment, and discretion when working with and supporting high-profile partners and Clients, and must be comfortable advising the Clients and supporting and implementing their decisions and vision. Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills are key to success in the ED role. Candidates must be able to demonstrate the ability to overcome unexpected challenges in a professional manner, apply experience and knowledge in practical ways, and assist staff, grantees, and partners in dealing with high-pressure situations. A natural coach and mentor to the team, the ED must be comfortable considering multiple points of view, encouraging constructive discussion to determine how issues should be addressed, and integrating the outputs of those discussions as needed.

The ideal candidate must be a self-starter and team-player who will thrive in a work setting that is high-performing and results-driven. The ED needs the ability to keep long-term goals in mind, while also recognizing the urgency of the climate challenge and the need for immediate action. This includes maintaining agility and fostering strategic innovation in the face of constantly changing geopolitical, economic, technological, and other global conditions.

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.

For additional questions, please contact tempest-advisors@goodcitizen.com.