Job Title: Director, Equity

Workband: E

Location: Remote

Team: The Director, Equity is a member of the Programs team. In the present accountability structures, they are line-managed by the Vice President of Programs. They oversee the work under Equity; one of three GGF’s Impact Areas. They work closely with the Directors of the Energy and Earth Impact Area, while building and working in more collaborative ways across the Programs team and the wider organization. 

About Global Greengrants Fund

Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) is a public charity registered in Boulder, Colorado, and London, UK, that supports grassroots activists and civil society organizations around the world working to address environmental and social justice in over 160 countries. GGF applies a participatory and decentralized model in making grants to grassroots groups through regional and thematic boards of advisors, global partner networks, and partner funds, to support grassroots environmental and social justice action. Global Greengrants Fund believes solutions to environmental harm and social injustice come from people whose lives are most impacted. Every day, our global network of people on the frontlines and donors comes together to support communities to protect their ways of life and our planet. Because when local people have a say in the health of their food, water, and resources, they are forces for change.

In 2026, Global Greengrants Fund is completing a strategic journey in which we collectively center our values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, and organizational care in our work, and rediscover our identity and potential after 30 years of work. We have experienced tremendous growth over the past two years, and we are thoughtfully, yet rapidly, growing our annual grantmaking, our philanthropic advocacy, and our global partnerships and collaborations to new levels. This includes creating a globally networked learning organization and transforming our organizational culture to be more collaborative and self-steering – we call this our transformative journey. The Director, Equity needs to understand the challenges and opportunities that come with these transformations and be able to remain flexible, steady, and adaptable while inspiring the team through change processes.

Program Strategy And Equity Impact Area

Indigenous, Black and Afro-Descendent communities, women and gender-diverse peoples, youth, and persons with disabilities, as well as other identities and communities which have historically been marginalized, are leading a feminist just transition from systems of harm toward liberation. As architects of their own solutions, they exercise sovereignty over their lands and bodies—dismantling systemic oppression to advance environmental justice, communal governance, holistic wellbeing and resilience. Without justice at the center, there are no long-term environmental gains. 

Equity and justice underpin all GGF grantmaking, program activity and field building, while many activities will contribute to GGF’s Earth and Energy outcomes. Across our Impact Areas, we believe that community-led innovations that center local leadership for energy, land and food sovereignty and for protecting and restoring the earth are essential to achieve a feminist just transition from extractive to regenerative and equitable systems.

GGF employs a decentralized decision-making approach to our work, which is focused on our three impact areas: Energy, Equity, and Earth. Our approach is led by a global Advisory Network of regional and thematic Advisory Boards, Independent Funds, and Global Recommending partners comprising individual activists and expert advisers located in the countries we serve. Each Advisory Board sets its own strategy for grantmaking and manages its grantmaking budget, which ensures that funding responds to the priorities of communities and movements.

Director, Equity

The Director, Equity has a deep understanding of philanthropy, grantmaking, and movement accompaniment with a focus on gender and intersectionality. They have a commitment to climate, environmental, and social justice and feminist grassroots movements and an understanding of their importance in shifting social, political, and economic systems from ones that are vulnerable, unsustainable, and unjust, to ones that are resilient, sustainable, and equitable.

Main Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and expertise for the operationalization of GGF’s strategic plan to ensure achieving organizational outcomes from an Equity programmatic perspective; ensure that the programmatic work substantively and effectively advances strategic gender and intersectional goals, is highly relevant and responsive to the context of environmental and social justice movements, and is aligned with organizational priorities and values.
• Oversee strategy evolution, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation for GGF’s program work in Equity, ensuring our grantmaking and movement processes are robust, responsive, and aligned with GGF’s values and strategy, and that our work generates solutions and addresses challenges and opportunities of our networks.
• Build, manage, and maintain relationships with the network of advisors, movement actors, and relevant peer organizations to connect with and listen to the voices of the advisory network in guiding our equity programmatic vision in alignment with GGF’s overarching strategy as a network organization. Work to build collaborations and partnerships to identify gaps and avail of opportunities in strengthening GGF’s model of a learning organization.
• Oversee strategic development and implementation of global program strategies, projects, and initiatives as part of the overarching program strategy as required. 
• Contribute to ensuring strategic alignment, synergy, and cross-team integration among the Programs team as well as across the development, communications, and other GGF teams as well as GGF’s network of coordinators and advisors in their efforts to make an impact.
• Actively participate in the leadership of the organization, providing valued and solution-oriented input on critical problems, working with others to address programmatic, human resource, financial, and legislative issues as they arise to ensure that GGF is effective in achieving its desired outcomes as well as conducting itself as a strong and values-aligned organization.
• Provide both strategic and operational advice to the Vice President of Programs on GGF’s work in Equity programmatic areas.
• Support GGF staff in enhancing their capacities for planning, monitoring, and evaluation collaboration and distributed leadership and other general competencies critical for GGF’s strong functioning.
• Drive a robust, meaningful learning agenda that facilitates continuous improvement in GGF’s work and effectively contributes to environmental, social justice, and feminist movement support.

More specifically:

1. Provide leadership and expertise for the operationalization of GGF’s strategic plan from an Equity programmatic perspective to ensure achieving organizational outcomes by ensuring that the programmatic work substantively and effectively advances strategic equity goals, is highly relevant and responsive to the context of environmental, social justice and feminist movements and is aligned with organizational priorities and values.

• Actively participate in the leadership of the organization, providing valued and solution-oriented input on critical problems, working with others to address programmatic, human resource, financial, and legislative issues as they arise to ensure that GGF is effective in achieving its desired outcomes as well as undertaking itself as a strong and values-aligned organization.
• Serve as the key Equity program and impact strategist for GGF, providing guidance, support, and information to the Vice President of Programs to inform strategic direction; serve as a thought partner to the Vice President of Programs in the Equity program, Equity grantmaking, and movement spaces and provide robust and detailed strategic political and movement support as relates to Equity to the Vice President of Programs when required.
• Lead in designing and deploying various organizational learning and development programs, tools, and change processes that facilitate improved organizational performance and strengthen GGF’s practices as an intersectional grantmaking organization.
• Promote an organizational culture of accountability and continuous improvement that values learning. 
• Advance GGF’s strategic objectives by networking and sharing information with relevant external stakeholders (including grantees, coordinators and advisors, donors, feminist, environmental and social justice and/or human rights organizations, and other social justice actors) in different select spaces and regions of the world, with a particular focus on Gender and Equity.
• Proactively identify, manage, and mitigate risks to the organization and its board members working closely with the Vice President of Programs.
• Represent GGF and participate in donor meetings, conferences, Board meetings, and special events as necessary, and prepare and deliver public presentations, articles, and/or other media products as required to convey highlights coming out from the program work relating to Equity, in line with the strategic objectives for external audiences.
• Lead and/or contribute to strategic development and implementation of global program strategies, projects, and initiatives as part of the overarching program strategy as required. 
• Contribute to developing and maintaining ways of working that facilitate strong cross-team interaction within the organization, the Programs team, particularly with colleagues on the Energy and Earth clusters, and the global network.
• Lead the transformation within own role and responsibilities, as needed for the organization and the team, towards developing a more collaborative Programs team.   

1. Oversee strategy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation for GGF’s program work in Equity, ensuring our grantmaking process is robust, responsive, and aligned with GGF’s values and strategy, and that our work generates solutions and addresses challenges and opportunities in the world of philanthropy with an intersectional focus on environmental, social justice, and feminist movements.

• Provide strategic vision, direction, guidance, and input to the work of the organization, including in the Equity program strategy development and implementation and the development of systems and procedures to operationalize the work plan in alignment with the overall program and organizational strategic vision and priorities and the needs of the global network, including:
• • Analyzing the Equity grantmaking budgets and absorption capacity of the organization and the networks. 
  • Scenario planning and strategy development for Equity programmatic growth.
  • Ensuring Equity program initiatives and pilots are embedded in the Earth and Energy and organizational strategies and are done in collaboration with other areas of the organization, as well as delivered as planned.
  • Overseeing the learning function and vision, including documenting effective and innovative small grants strategies and learning from and supporting the role of advisors’ organizations and regional networks in supporting Equity and intersectionality.
  • Collaborating with fundraising and development teams to ensure strategic alignment regarding fundraising and gender and equity programmatic goals and objectives.  
• Maintain active and broad external engagement to ensure awareness of feminist, social justice, and environmental movement needs and opportunities, as well as a broad understanding of trends and needs in the GGF network of grantees, environmental justice, and philanthropic ecosystems on intersectionality, gender, and equity. 
• Oversee research, design, implementation, and dissemination (including in partnerships with relevant research organizations) to advance Equity programmatic strategic objectives. 
• Build, manage, and maintain relationships with the network of advisors, movement actors, and relevant peer organizations to connect with and listen to the voices of the advisory network in guiding our gender and equity programmatic vision in alignment with GGF’s overarching strategy as a network organization. Work to build collaborations and partnerships to identify gaps and avail of opportunities in strengthening GGF’s model of a learning organization. 
• Oversee the provision of proactive, in-depth gender and equity program analysis, to enhance the organization’s leadership and Advisory Board impact, as well as the necessary management reports for Equity; conduct regular planning, monitoring, and evaluation for the Equity program in collaboration with GGF staff teams, Coordinators, and Advisors.
• Provide leadership to the organization in analyzing the feedback from the networks to understand their Equity and intersectional grantmaking strategies and in developing GGF’s political positioning and contributing to the development of GGF’s global program and organizational strategies based on gathered intelligence and analysis on gender, intersectionality, and equity.
• Ensure political and operational integration across the Equity work of GGF and that of the Advisory Boards, maximizing opportunities for learning, thinking, and propositions.
• Support the growth of GGF Equity program work, grantmaking, and movement accompaniment by overseeing all planning processes for Equity program-related activities, ensuring that they are coordinated, addressing the needs of the network, meeting trends, and promoting GGF’s mission.
• Work closely with the UK organization and the US Programs team to integrate collaborations in Equity programs and exchange information and other activities relevant to networks.

• Oversee the tracking of our Equity grants progress and lead the development of high-quality analysis of the results of our grantmaking and the work of our grantees and partners.
• Co-create tools and systems to support Advisory Boards to sharpen strategy, improve grantmaking, and increase efficiency with a focus on gender, intersectionality, and equity.
• Contribute to the annual organizational budgeting process and ensure strong alignment with annual planning and GGF’s defined strategic goals.
• Ensure adherence to approved budget and all internal financial policies and procedures, including timely submission of quarterly and annual budget and variance information.
• Contribute to the assessment, monitoring, and communicating of GGF’s Program work and practices to a variety of stakeholders, including the leadership team, the Board, funders, and GGF’s global network partners.

1. Team mentoring, development, and support.

• Mentor and provide strategic direction to the Program team who may be working remotely in multiple locations across multiple time zones.
• Contribute to ensuring the Programs team can meet their day-to-day needs to reach their goals in alignment with the organizational vision.
• Mentor the team and individual members and aid in setting goals and milestones for success and professional evaluation, accountability, and growth.
• Provide strategic support to coordinators and ongoing coaching and mentoring in creating practices and collaborations to meet advisory board goals, reach program goals, and ensure program strategies are aligned and implemented.
• Create and ensure meeting goals and metrics for success are reflective of how we define progress within our strategic plan.
• Lead and integrate steps towards more collaboration and ensure the team has the tools, resources, support, guidance, and information they need to reach team goals and maintain a collaborative and trust-based environment.
• Contribute to the development of a high-quality team in the organization through participation in recruitment, evaluation, and career development.

Position Specifications

Essential Values and Competencies

• Commitment to the guiding principles, mission, and values of Global Greengrants Fund
• Commitment to a value-based intersectional framework and its implications for organizational practices and principles of anti-oppression
• Transparency and accountability
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Strategic risk management
• Build strong interpersonal relations from the role – across both the US and UK organizations (up, down, and across and externally)
• Influencing and resolving differences across boundaries
• Self-awareness and insight

Essential Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience

• Significant relevant experience in similar roles in non-profit environmental, development, social/environmental justice, feminist, gender, human rights organization, philanthropy, movement building, grantmaking, and/or funding organization.
• Demonstrated experience in creating Equity, gender, and intersectional program strategies and operationalizing their implementation to address the needs of movements and how movements are supported by philanthropy. 
• Strong familiarity with social and environmental justice and feminist movements and relevant gender and equity and just transition frameworks.
• Proven experience in program planning and implementation, operationalizing strategies to achieve priorities and goals, and change management with excellent organization skills and extensive experience in project and program management, ability to develop, monitor, and evaluate an operational plan with multiple projects, multiple deliverables, and deadlines, and ability to plan, organize, and lead the implementation of plans and processes.
• Demonstrated capacity to think strategically, innovatively, and analytically, with expertise in complex problem-solving, decision-making, and critical thinking skills; displays good judgment.
• Excellent relationship-nurturing, interpersonal understanding and skills that build strong alliances with diverse constituencies and manage complex politics, positioning, and dynamics.
• Strong financial management acumen; knowledge of accounting procedures and protocols, budgeting, and financial analysis.
• Experience as a leader in ensuring the team meets programmatic milestones and can adapt and pivot when needed to address new contexts, with the ability to engage team members, build consensus, and build high-performance collaborative teams.
• Experience working with diverse communities from multiple identities across the globe, in a virtual environment.
• Fluency in English; proficiency also in other languages preferred.
• Strong expertise in the use of various software and a high level of computer literacy (MS Office Suite, Google Apps, instant messaging, and virtual team collaboration software such as Trello, Zoom, Slack, Asana, and Raiser’s Edge or other donor management systems)
• Ability to travel within the U, and the rest of the world (approx. 8-10 weeks per year). 

Personal Characteristics

• A transparent and adaptive leader with a commitment to lifelong learning and a drive to mentor, coach, and share leadership, and who can intellectually drive the vision and ensure that there is space and opportunity for others while taking meaningful purpose-driven actions. 
• Experience and skills to give, receive, and work with feedback constructively, with the intellectual and emotional resilience necessary to take up critical responsibilities for an international global organization. 
• Articulate communicator, storyteller, and visionary.
• Demonstrated skills as a leader who guides wisely and compassionately through unknowns, motivating teams toward results and developing creative strategies to evolve and embrace new opportunities, while also being clear on which opportunities to pass on if they are not strategically aligned.
• Experience in complex human resource management; ability to work with a diverse and virtual team and engage team members, build consensus, and build high-performance teams.
• Able to innovate and navigate uncertainty and thrive in seeing and taking up opportunities in the context of the ongoing organizational transformative journey.
• Relevant lived experiences related to GGF’s work and community.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience

• Experience in strengthening growing organizations.
• Experience of shared leadership models of work, and more collaborative ways of working.