Climate Intersections Lead

About NetHope

NetHope enables humanitarian organizations to better serve individuals and communities in the developing world through smarter use of technology. Working at the intersection of the international NGO sector, private business and technology innovation, NetHope is a Membership organization currently serving over 60 leading humanitarian, development, and conservation organizations around the world. NetHope empowers our Member organizations to collaborate, innovate, and leverage the full potential of information and communications technology to support their work in 190 countries. NetHope and our Members partner with over 50 of the world’s leading technology firms to create innovative solutions to existing and emerging challenges, and to reimagine how technology can improve our world.

The Opportunity

This is an exciting time at NetHope as the organization develops programs and services in collaboration with members and partners. Working with the team of staff and expert consultants, the Climate Intersections Lead will head the delivery of NetHope’s Climate Intersections Initiative, operating with a 2027 vision of reducing the impact of climate change on vulnerable people through digital technologies. This program will leverage the global NetHope Member and partner community working on the full range of climate adaptation and resilience strategies, to help more people live together safely and well in the face of an unavoidably changing climate.

Climate Intersections Lead

NetHope is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial, and enthusiastic professional to lead our Climate Intersections program. The position will report into the global innovation lead for NetHope who is also the Senior Director of The NetHope Center for the Digital Nonprofit, NetHope’s tech partnership portal and incubation platform for new program ideas.

The Climate Intersections Lead will deliver and scale the Climate Intersections Initiative with the goal of using data and digital technology at the nexus of international development, global conservation and climate mitigation to help vulnerable people in vulnerable places live together safely and well in the face of a changing climate. The Climate Intersections Program is baseline funded for the next three years, and the Lead will be expected to help fundraise for program expansion.

The Climate Intersections Lead will be an effective leader, facilitator, and problem solver across the three pillars of the Climate Intersections program: Anticipatory Action to build digital solutions that enable people to prepare for and adapt to extreme conditions caused by climate change; Education to create awareness and increase capacity enabling communities’ adaptation and resilience; and Localization to amplify the voices of the most vulnerable communities in collaboration with our Members, partners, and local governments.

The Climate Intersections Lead will drive and grow this initiative through engaging with NetHope Member experts in humanitarian climate action and global conservation, digital technologies from leading industry innovators, and outside stakeholders in the pursuit of new and/or scalable solutions to support the most vulnerable in a world characterized by unavoidable change.

Specific responsibilities include:

Management and Leadership

• Hire, lead, and manage staff and/or consultants as required to support the initiative.
• Provide sound leadership and direction to the program with clear communication and strong programme delivery focus.
• Lead the team to work laterally with other NetHope teams, the NetHope Senior Leadership Team (SLT), and others to achieve program outcomes.
• Serve on the NetHope Management Team (MT).

Research, Conceptualization, Communication

• Conduct targeted follow up research with NetHope Members, partners, women, youth, indigenous people, and vulnerable communities impacted by climate change in support of making “good ideas” actionable.
• Work to align humanitarian and conservation organizations on joint needs and goals, through building and sustaining an active community of NetHope Member staff and other stakeholders in the Climate Intersections Working Group.
• Track the inventory of climate programmes and activities of Members and partners in support of collective pilot development and pathways to deliver novel digital solutions.
• Present Climate Intersections findings and learning at the NetHope Global Summit and in other thought leadership venues.
• Collaborate closely and effectively with core program funders and other supporters.
• Develop metrics for success (i.e., MEAL), tracking and reporting back to NetHope Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Board, funders, Members, and others.

Digital Innovation

• Strong understanding of the role data and digital technology can play in having a positive impact on climate action, human development, and nature.
• Ability to identify and assess potential digital solutions and their impact on nonprofits and the vulnerable communities they serve.
• Background of awareness and experience regarding digital solutions that have been tried in the past, as well as the digital maturity of nonprofit climate programmes.
• Credible interlocutor with NetHope IT industry partners, digital program leaders in NetHope Members, and others.

Program Management

• Deliver the program or work on time, on budget, engaging Members and Partners.
• Develop and track KPIs, project milestones, activities, output, outcome, and impact measures.
• Monitor timeline and risk in the program and be proactive in notifying NetHope leadership of risks and identifying solutions.
• Communicate and report back to Senior Leadership Team, Members, donors, and others on a regular basis about project performance.
• Assist NetHope External Relations team in identifying new prospects for initiative funding, drafting, and pitching concept notes and proposals to donors.
• Consult with NetHope Finance and Operations team to develop and manage budgets, deliverable schedules, and financial reporting in compliance with NetHope Policies and funder requirements.

Qualifications:

Personal Characteristics

• A passion for NetHope’s mission and for working collaboratively and nimbly in a fast-paced dynamic global environment.
• Cultural sensitivity across all aspects of work.
• Values and encourages diversity of thought, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Solid judgement including handling of sensitive information.
• Integrity/ethics beyond reproach.
• Excellent at working in a networked & virtual team environment and with digital communication and content management tools.
• Ability to multi-task while maintaining vigilant attention to detail in a fast-paced working environment.
• Resourcefulness and good judgment.
• Committed to doing the work to maintain a high trust working environment.
• Someone always on the lookout for ways to improve, to apply best practices, enable clarity, innovation, and simplicity—and leave order in their wake.
• A colleague with grace, humility, and humour, as committed to the success of those around them as they are themselves.
• Self-organised and delivery focussed.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of digital application to humanitarian or conservation missions.
• Knowledge of climate adaptation.
• A senior level, collaborative leader, and communicator, experienced in the delivery of multistakeholder programs.
• A person equally at home in the realms of climate mitigation, international development, and digital transformation.
• An experienced manager of teams and coach of talent, working to ensure that NetHope is performing and succeeding at the level of the program and the level of the staff doing the work.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills with an ability to develop strong concept and pitch materials, manage reporting frameworks, and synthesize the story for stakeholders, participants, funders and others from multiple quantitative and qualitative data points.
• Multilingual verbal and written communication skills highly desired.

Education and Experience

• The Climate Intersections Lead will have at least 10+ years of experience, with at least five years managing complex program coalitions with digital product innovation and execution across multiple geographies as key components.
• The successful candidate will have experience across the broad spectrum of issues represented in the NetHope Member community of global humanitarian and conservation organizations and technology partners.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertise required; advanced degree / expertise preferred.

Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience in:

• Technical familiarity with climate adaptation and resilience in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts.
• Experience in humanitarian or conservation nonprofits devising platforms for environmental action with five or more years of field experience in LMICs, leading, or supporting climate adaptation and resilience projects with a digital component.
• Fundraising, grant development and execution.
• Managing dispersed teams.
• Budget development and oversight.
• Managing others, empowering them to make decisions, especially in a matrixed or virtual organization.
• Effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, the Board, or other outside partners/influencers/clients.
• NetHope Member experience highly valued, other NGO and industry experience a plus.

Reporting and Working Conditions:

• This position is a full-time position that reports to the Senior Director of The Center for the Digital Nonprofit.
• NetHope is a virtual organization, so our team, our Members, and our Partners are located around the world. Due to the global nature of the organization, meetings will thus be required at any time of the day to meet with our stakeholders in varying time zones. To meet these needs, NetHope embraces flexible schedules for team members, and we work with each other to be located globally, but still maintain a reasonable work time balance.
• As a global organization, we welcome qualified applicants with diverse backgrounds from various locations, and who may have non-traditional work patterns.
• NetHope is a networked team-oriented environment with staff working across functional areas to produce high-quality programs, services, and connections with our Members. We value open communication and believe that a staff working as a team produces the best outcomes.
• This position is 100% remote and virtual. International or domestic travel may be required for NetHope and external events annually.
• This position is funded through a 5-year grant ending in 2027 and will continue should funding be available.