About Verra.

At Verra, we've created a culture of flexibility + autonomy. You'll be able to work with remote teams from diverse countries and industries. Wherever possible, we aim to find mutually agreeable solutions for international hiring.

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven non-profit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods and protect natural resources across the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards, tools and programs that credibly, transparently and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits. We work in any arena where we see a need for clear standards, a role for market-based mechanisms, and an opportunity to generate significant environmental and social value.

Verra manages a portfolio of standards, including the: 

• Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) -- the world’s leading carbon crediting program, with more than 2000 registered projects in 80 countries, and accounting for two-thirds of all voluntary carbon market transaction volume.
• Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) -- a flexible framework for assessing and reporting on the sustainable development benefits of project-based activities.
• Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards -- to identify projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities and smallholders, and conserve biodiversity.
• Plastic Waste Reduction Program -- to enable robust impact assessment of new or scaled-up waste recovery and recycling projects around the globe.

Title:                   Director, Development

Location:          Remote - Worldwide (with significant overlap with US business hours)][HB1] 

Reports to:       Chief Financial Officer            

The Opportunity. 

Verra is at a pivotal moment in expanding its impact and driving meaningful change on a global scale. [AV2] [HB3] [AV4] To achieve this, we need a seasoned leader who can drive all aspects of development and fundraising with precision and innovation.  This is a newly created role to establish and refine Verra’s development function from the ground up. You will help build and shape Verra’s revenue operations and strategy.

As Director, Development, you will shape and execute strategies that diversify revenue streams, establish and deepen donor relationships, and unlock new funding opportunities. Your expertise in developing grants, donor engagement, and CRM systems will help us overcome challenges in scaling the development function, streamlining processes and maximizing efficiency. By leading these efforts, you will ensure Verra has the financial foundation to accelerate climate action and deliver measurable outcomes worldwide.

The Role. 

·       Develop and execute a comprehensive, cohesive development strategy that aligns with Verra's mission and growth objectives, encompassing philanthropic contributions (including major gifts), grants, and corporate partnerships, with a focus on climate-focused donors and foundations.

·       Identify, research, and cultivate new funding prospects, including foundations, institutional partners, and high-potential donors, while implementing innovative approaches such as digital campaigns, donor events, and diversified revenue stress to expand Verra’s funding based and maximize impact.

·       Lead generation for donor acquisition, retention, and stewardship efforts, ensuring strong relationships with foundations, corporations, and climate-focused donors.

·       Design and manage grant proposals and reporting processes to ensure compliance and timely submissions.

·       Maintain a robust donor pipeline, track prospect progress, and manage cultivation strategies to ensure a steady flow of funding opportunities.

·       Oversee CRM implementation and optimization, ensuring accurate donor data management and leveraging insights for strategic decisions.

·       Create compelling fundraising materials, including proposals, donor decks, and impact reports that communicate Verra's mission and outcomes.

·       Track and analyze fundraising performance metrics to provide insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.

·       Represent Verra at key events and networking opportunities, elevating organizational visibility and cultivating strategic partnerships.

·       Collaborate cross-functionally with communications and marketing teams, finance, legal and program teams to align development efforts with organizational priorities, including media campaigns, digital outreach, and donor engagement initiatives.

·       Ensure compliance with legal and ethical fundraising standards and maintain accurate documentation of donor interactions.

·       Mentor global team members and colleagues on development best practices, donor engagement strategies, and CRM utilization, while building organizational capacity for grant writing and stewardship to foster a culture of philanthropy across teams.

·       Lead the fundraising change management process for the organization.

·       Develop compelling stories and reports that demonstrate Verra’s impact for donors and stakeholders, supporting grant proposals and stewardship efforts.

·       Continuously refine processes and tools to increase efficiency and impact, leveraging technology and data-driven insights.

·       Support fundraising budgeting and forecasting, monitoring progress against goals and providing insights to leadership for strategic decision-making.

Our Team.

·       Verrans come from diverse locations and backgrounds, and includes carbon market experts, project developers, consultants, climate negotiators, researchers, and auditors.

●        We are committed to driving finance at scale to projects and programs that advance climate action and sustainable development through high-quality standards and programs.

●        Embodies the values Verra has established for itself, and which include Teamwork, Results, Integrity, Balance, and Exploration. 

What we'd like to see.

·       10+ years of proven experience in development with a minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership responsibility, preferably within the non-profit sector.

·       A degree in Non-profit Management, Business, Communications, Environmental Policy or related field.

·       Experience with environmental markets, especially carbon markets, preferred.

·       Comprehensive development expertise with demonstrated success in cultivating philanthropic contributions (including major gifts), high net-worth individuals, grants, corporate partnerships, and donor stewardship.

·       Proven ability to generate leads, identify and cultivate new donor prospects, innovative programs and funding opportunities.

·       Experience managing a donor pipeline and prospect tracking systems. Deep knowledge of orchestrating fundraising events, digital campaigns, and online giving platforms.

·       CRM and systems proficiency with hands-on experience implementing and managing donor management systems (CRM) and leveraging data for strategy. CRM administrator certification preferred.

·       Grant writing and management with a strong track record of securing institutional funding and managing grant compliance and reporting.

·       Strategic leadership with the ability to design and execute multi-channel fundraising strategies aligned with organizational goals. Ability to engage board members, executive leadership team, and internal teams to support fundraising initiatives.

·       Relationship-building skills with an exceptional ability to cultivate and maintain relationships with donors, foundations, and corporate partners.

·       Financial acumen and understanding of negotiating grant terms, budgeting, forecasting, and fundraising performance metrics.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft compelling proposals and presentations.

·       Experience in sustainability, climate action, or environmental non-profits.

·       Familiarity with international donor landscapes and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding.

·       Knowledge of digital fundraising platforms, compliance requirements and emerging trends.

Working at Verra.

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world's most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven non-profit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources across the private and public sectors.

We've created a culture of flexibility + autonomy. You'll be able to work with remote teams from diverse countries and industries. Wherever possible, we aim to find mutually agreeable solutions for international hiring.

The final compensation offered will be contingent upon role, level, and location. Our Talent team can share the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Salary is one component of Verra's total compensation package, which also includes:

·       Health, vision, and dental care, and life insurance

·       Verra's contributions to each employee's retirement plan

·       Verra contributions as required by national labor laws in countries where staff are located

·       Paid Time Off (PTO), comprising 22-30 days of vacation, 7 days of annual sick leave, holidays, sabbatical after five years of service, and other leave allowances

Verra is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all our work, and doing this successfully is crucial for us to embody our established values, including Teamwork, Results, Integrity, Balance, and Exploration. We actively celebrate the diversity of our team members' abilities, sexual orientations, ethnicities, faiths, and genders.

How to Apply:

Please send us a Cover letter (not to exceed one page) and your Resume/CV (not to exceed two pages).

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that a teammate must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. 

·       Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work. 

Work Environment: 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a teammate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. 

·       Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period. 

·       Access to reliable Wi-fi with a distraction-free workspace. 

Verra provides equal opportunities for all job applicants and employees and is committed to maintaining a work environment free from discrimination. As such, we conduct our recruitment and hiring without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.