Program Director

We exist in an unprecedented time for climate work, surrounded by innovative solutions to the global issue of Climate Change. Although we are now equipped with diverse impactful solutions, we still need people who are trained, ready, and motivated to achieve them. That’s where you come in!

Who are we?

SEI is a teams-based, non-profit organization dedicated to building leaders who drive sustainability solutions. Through our Education and Workforce programs, we partner with schools, communities, and businesses to develop inclusive and just sustainability leadership pathways from elementary school to early career.

The Opportunity

The Program Director is responsible for managing the Climate Corps team and the work within SEI’s Climate Corps program. This person oversees the full spectrum of SEI’s innovative early workforce programming, along with leading some projects outside of this program. The Program Director supports SEI’s growing team and programmatic engagements across the country and directs all phases of the furtherance of this program, including program design, strategic partnerships, budgeting and fundraising, implementation, reporting, external presentations, and amplification of outcomes.

The Program Director ensures the organization has the requisite vision, structure, visibility, partnerships, and funding to realize SEI’s goals and the primary organizational goal to build leaders that drive sustainability solutions. This role works closely with SEI’s executive leadership team as a core member of the extended leadership team to strategically identify the collaborations and funding opportunities to pursue that will enable the growing impact of SEI’s sustainability workforce education, training, and leadership-building programs, from kindergarten to early career.

SEI is located in Marin County, CA, and operates on a hybrid work schedule for those located in the Bay Area; however, this position is open for fully remote work anywhere else within the United States.

We encourage anyone who is interested in this position and meets some of the qualifications to apply, even if they do not meet all of them. We recognize that a unique perspective and background can enhance a role when many, if not all, of the listed qualifications are met.

The Impact You’ll Make

Program Management and Oversight

• Ensures effective and comprehensive implementation of the Climate Corps program.
• Leads and supervises a group of employees to achieve goals that contribute to the growth of the organization. Motivates and empowers their team by creating an environment that promotes positive communication and team bonding.
• Provides vision for project definition, planning/scoping the work, organizing, and designing appropriate solutions.
• Assesses the programs’ strengths and weaknesses. Evaluates the program for scalability and ensures implementation of those foundational changes to maximize growth and impact. Includes leading the development of program assessment protocols for evaluation and improvement.
• Oversees the partner relationship and contracting processes for the Climate Corps program.
• Manages a Program budget in excess of $2.5M.

People Management

• Supervises the work, allocations, and schedules of team members, and provides relevant coaching and mentoring.
• Defines roles and responsibilities for Climate Corps team members.
• Partners with the Senior Director of Programs to plan, track, and communicate allocations for the department, and when needed, confer with colleagues to ensure full/appropriate allocations.
• Leads the performance review process for staff in the department. Conducts feedback and performance evaluations that are timely and constructive.
• Prepares development plans for team members. Assesses the skills and skill levels necessary to achieve work objectives.
• Elevates staff issues and concerns.
• Contributes to organizational structure, resources, and staffing decisions within workforce programs, including identifying skills gaps within the team and determining scopes for additional team members when applicable.
• Functions as the hiring manager for the Climate Corps department:
  • Writes/edits job descriptions. Assesses the skills and skill levels necessary to achieve work objectives.
  • Leads the interview and selection process, in consultation with the Senior Programs Director and the Recruiting Team.
  • Ensures appropriate onboarding of new team members with respect to position content.

Purpose, Strategic Planning, and Development

• Sets vision, and plans, actively communicates, and oversees progress toward meeting department multi-year goals and desired impacts and related budgeting and staffing projections.
• Supports contracting and related negotiations for new engagements.
• Participates in an extended leadership team, and contributes to, and advances weekly group discussions. Regularly scans for and brings forward organizational issues and concerns.
• Oversees partnerships and fundraising for the department, sets development goals, activates appropriate team members, and contributes to strategic partner-making and fundraising. Engages with funders to ensure expectations are being met and to advance/ expand SEI relationships over time.
• Provides timely collection, synthesis, and review of annual department outcomes and impacts for SEI’s Impact Report. Leads the planning and delivery of annual department presentations at the Staff Retreat and Board Retreat, and related inputs to SEI’s annual strategic planning activities.
• Works closely with SEI’s communications team to grow our organization’s reputation as an innovator, expert, and thought partner by representing SEI and our work in key external meetings and venues.
• Serves as a thought partner to the executive team to coordinate programmatic vision and activities to SEI organizational goals and interests, which includes expansion into new states, and working across the organization to design, build, and implement new engagements.
• Provides timely coordination with others, i.e., strategic level agreements and commitments.
• Shares executive leadership guidance and feedback with the department for shared learning and alignment.

Education and Experience

• BA in a sustainability field or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of increasing responsibility, ideally in a leadership role within a complex nonprofit.
• Proven track record as a successful Program Director or program manager, preferably in the sustainability field. Experience expanding a program or department geographically is a plus.
• Experience working within the early workforce sector and ideally one or more of the following areas: education and/or training, climate change/ climate protection, energy conservation/ efficiency, renewable energy, green infrastructure, and/or building science.
• Demonstrated success at project management and effective program design.
• Prior demonstrated experience developing successful collaborations and partnerships that realize programmatic and organizational strategic goals.
• Experience developing and implementing strategy, fundraising, and development.
• Proven track record of managing multiple initiatives successfully at the same time, with the ability to prioritize and de-prioritize effectively in a dynamic environment.
• Experience and agility with networking, partnership development, public speaking, and group presentations.
• Willingness to travel intermittently, including the occasional overnight trip.

Skills and Abilities

• An emotionally intelligent and approachable leader with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position strategy discussions at both the organizational and departmental levels.
• Proven people management and leadership experience; committed to transparency, mentorship, and role modeling and accepts ultimate responsibility for the success of the team.
• Practical experience managing change and applying change management principles Advanced and practiced individual and team communication and collaboration skills that include, active listening, appreciative inquiry, empathy, open-mindedness, respect, clarity, and concision.
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to "manage by influence” and to forge trust with new people. Strong relationship management and collaboration skills in working with external partners.
• Ability to hold themselves and others accountable to key commitments, milestones, and deadlines through goal-setting, review, expectation-setting, and timely constructive dialogue.
• Able to work systematically with both qualitative and quantitative information to analyze trade-offs, do cost-benefit analyses, and draw robust inferences.
• Strong creative, strategic, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Significant experience creating, planning, and driving the implementation of large-scale projects and programs; Entrepreneurial mindset.
• Comfortable learning and using digital tools with little assistance, and willing to try out new technologies and work tools.
• Clear, direct, and succinct writer.
• Commitment to being part of creating, maintaining, and improving a diverse, equitable, respectful, and inclusive workplace.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to SEI’s mission.

Benefits

• To promote greater work-life balance and better personal well-being, for Bay Area residents work is conducted in your home office or an offsite location 3 days per week and at our San Rafael office 2 days per week; and for those residing outside of the Bay Area, all work is conducting in your home office or an offsite location.
• A starting wage of $100,000-$120,000 depending on experience.
• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with employer match after one year.
• Generous paid time off, and 14 paid holidays.
• Employer pays 100% of medical, dental, and vision healthcare insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
• The ability to do what you do best; the opportunity to do work you are naturally gifted at and trained to do.
• Purpose: Joining a mission-driven equitable and inclusive workplace committed to concrete and substantial change.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

We seek candidates who share SEI’s commitment to equity and environmental justice, and who share a commitment to work and learn within an anti-oppression framework. Persons of color, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply. SEI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity. We believe that a wide array of perspectives contributes to creative climate solutions where all communities thrive. We strive to reflect diverse communities, especially those most impacted by climate change and other kinds of environmental, social, and economic injustices.