Job Title: Director of Communications and Influencing   

Workband: E

Location: Remote/Global with a preference for candidates from the global majority countries (noting that as this is a GGF Inc. hire we won't be able to consider UK based candidates at this time)

Team: Director of Communications and Influencing is a member of the External Relations team and is line-managed by the Vice President of External Relations

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.

GGF Transformative Journey: In 2026, Global Greengrants Fund is amid a strategic journey in which we collectively center our values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, and organizational care in our work, and to 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. An important aspect of this journey has involved strengthening the organization’s capacity to absorb funds and expand our grantmaking, but also to strengthen our strategic approaches, planning, financial sustainability, systems, and people and culture. We have also focused on 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 of Communications and Influencing is a new role that shifts from the traditional Director of Communications role to one that centers impact and philanthropic influencing as core components of the job. This role 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.

Impact Areas: GGF employs a decentralised decision-making approach to our programmatic work, which is focused under three impact areas: Energy, Equity, and Earth. Our approach is led by a global network of regional and thematic Advisory Boards, Partner Funds, and Global Recommending partners comprising over 250 individual activists and expert advisors located in the countries we serve. This approach shifts decision making to Global South partners through collective sharing of information, knowledge, and resources for learning, monitoring, and evaluating the impact of our collective work. To ensure we reach communities often overlooked or excluded by mainstream philanthropy, we employ a diversity of grantmaking and other resourcing approaches to strengthen the resilience and capabilities of organisations aligned to GGF’s programmatic priorities. This means that the work of narrative impact and influencing philanthropy is deeply tied to the framing of our impact areas and the work of our advisory network. 

Director of Communications and Influencing

At Global Greengrants Fund, communications and influencing are transformative acts. They are how we help elevate the power of grassroots climate and environmental justice movements, sharpen their narratives, and influence the philanthropic ecosystem to support them.

The Director of Communications and Influencing (DCI) will sit at the heart of this work, overseeing the development and execution of strategic communications, philanthropic fieldbuilding, and international climate justice advocacy. This position will lead the stewardship of GGF's voice, visual identity, and storytelling practice, ensuring that everything we produce—from reports and op-eds to campaigns and digital content—amplifies the work of our grantee partners and uplifts the efficacy of movements as viable solutions to the climate crisis.

The DCI will work closely with the CEO and UK ED, global resource mobilization leadership teams, the global Advisory Board network, including Programs, Grantmaking, and Philanthropic teams. Crucially, this role will collaborate with the Manager, Monitoring Evaluation and Impact (MEI) to distill learning and data into research, publications, and compelling content for funder influencing.

The DCI will supervise the Communications Specialist and two grantwriters. This is both a strategic and hands-on role, requiring a deep commitment to climate and environmental justice movements, a long-term vision for narrative change, and a proven track record of positioning organizations on the global stage.

Position Specifications

Major duties and responsibilities:

1.  Internal Leadership & Narrative Strategy

• • Develop and drive a comprehensive communications strategy to elevate GGF’s position, amplify the impact of grantee partners, and support the organization's refreshed strategic direction.

• • Under the supervision of the VP External Relations, work closely with the leadership team to develop the narrative organizational positioning and build narrative coherence across GGF’s programming (grantmaking, philanthropic advocacy, and MEI).
  • Supervise the Communications and Grantwriting team, ensuring high-quality, coherent, compelling materials aligned with fundraising priorities and audiences and GGF’s value offers and narrative.
  • Ensure close coordination between Philanthropic Partnerships and Communications teams, jointly planning and producing donor-facing materials and campaigns (e.g., year-end appeals, Impact Area reports, and updates) to ensure messaging is aligned, compelling, and accessible to target fundraising audiences.
  • Liaise with Programs, especially the MEI manager and coordinator for Learning, to help link and enhance learning and narrative clarity within the organization and teams.
  • Oversee the annual communications budget and work plan, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and efficient use of resources.
  • Provide editorial and creative direction to internal and external contributors (writers, designers, consultants).

2.  External Communications & Content

1. • Oversee and generate compelling content that amplifies grassroots movements, tells the GGF story, and showcases GGF’s value as an effective movement support partner for climate and environmental justice.

• • Partner with the Manager of MEI to distill learning, data, and insights into high-level content for fundraising, philanthropic influencing, and fieldbuilding.
  • Lead content strategy for reports, campaigns, and influencing materials, balancing evergreen storytelling with timely outputs.
  • Oversee visual design and guide brand refresh to elevate GGF’s profile.
  • Manage media engagement strategy and content creation, cultivating strong connections with international and regional outlets in climate and philanthropy, and ghostwriting for leaders across the organization. 
  • Support and prepare organizational spokespersons (CEO, GGF UK Executive Director, Advisory Board, senior leadership) and, when needed, represent GGF directly at events and convenings.

3.  Advocacy & Philanthropic Influencing

1. • In collaboration with the GGF Network, Programs, and External Relations/Philanthropic Partnerships teams, lead and implement a philanthropic advocacy strategy to shape narratives, influence peers, and expand and diversify resources for climate and environmental justice — including identifying strategic content and key influencing spaces.
   • Work closely with leadership and partners to ensure advocacy and influencing strategies are aligned with organizational goals and rooted in grassroots priorities.
   • Position GGF in global and regional conversations, centering grantee voices and movement perspectives.

Essential Values and Competencies

• • Commitment to the guiding principles, mission, and values of Global Greengrants Fund
  • Transparency and accountability
  • Critical thinking, analysis, and proactivity
  • Build strong interpersonal relations from the role – across both organizations (up, down, and across and externally)
  • Influencing & resolving differences across boundaries
  • Self-awareness and insight
  • Discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential information

Essential Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience

• • Significant experience in strategic communications and narrative change work within feminist non-profit, philanthropic, and/or climate and environmental justice organizations.
  • Strong knowledge of narrative change, strategic communications, grassroots movement strategies, and deep familiarity with the climate, environmental, and conservation philanthropy landscape and global media.
  • Substantial experience in both high-level strategic thinking and granular skills, including writing, editing, and content deployment.
  • Proven experience developing and delivering communications strategies aligned with organizational goals.
  • Demonstrated leadership in managing teams and external consultants/vendors, and overseeing creative projects like brand refreshes.
  • Excellent writing, editing, and ghostwriting skills, with a track record of developing thought leadership and high-level media relationships.
  • Proven ability to work constructively in a virtual, global, and multicultural environment and foster a values-aligned culture of trust and equity.
  • Excellent interpersonal understanding, relationship building, and interpersonal skills to build strong alliances with diverse constituencies and manage complex politics, positioning, and relationships.
  • Strong financial management acumen; knowledge of accounting procedures and protocols, budgeting, and financial analysis.
  • Experience as a leader in ensuring the team meets milestones and can pivot activities when needed to address new contexts, with the ability to engage team members, build consensus, and build collaborative teams.
  • Experience working with diverse communities from multiple identities across the globe, in a virtual environment.
  • Fluency in English; proficiency 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 US, and the rest of the world (approx. 4 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 to come along on its transformative journey 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.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Experience

• • Experience in strengthening and growing organizations.
  • Relevant lived experiences related to GGF’s work and community.
  • Experience supporting advisory boards or governance bodies.