Location: Asia, Europe or North America. An eligible candidate must be legally authorized to work in the country from which they are applying. The Sunrise Project will not sponsor applicants for employment visas.

Remuneration: Depending on experience (including unpaid and other experiences) and capacity to take on responsibility. If the successful candidate is outside of the countries listed, the salary will be adjusted based on local market equivalencies and local currency. 

• Euro 91,000-96,000 if hired in the Netherlands

• GBP 79,000-91,000 if hired in the UK

• USD 129,000-141,000 if hired in the US

About us

Driven by a passion to solve the climate crisis, The Sunrise Project is a team of experienced change-makers with a mission to scale social movements to drive the global transition beyond fossil fuels. With programs and staff in Australia, and affiliated programs and staff in Europe, and the US, we have developed a unique model of grant making and campaigning that supports networks of organisations to drive powerful change towards our mission. Our Global Finance Program aims to drive a rapid shift of capital out of fossil fuels in order to hasten the transition to clean energy.

We have a dynamic and nimble organisational culture. We’re serious about supporting our people to thrive as we tackle the urgent climate challenge.

We believe that a diversity of experiences and perspectives will help us build stronger strategies, teams and movements. We take the broadest possible view of diversity and encourage Indigenous people, people of colour, people living with disabilities, neurodiverse, and LGBTQIA+ people to apply. We are continually working on becoming a better workplace for everyone. You can read our commitment to this work here. 

About the role

The Program Director is responsible for managing the inception, design and delivery of major program strategies to shift the global finance system from fossil fuels to clean, and actively contributes to the overall strategic direction and vibrant organisational culture of the Sunrise Project. 

The focus of this position is on the insurance sector as a critical pillar of the fossil fuel industry, but it may also oversee other programs and opportunities within the Sunrise Project’s Global Finance Program. It is part of a team of program directors working closely together with the Director of our Global Finance Program.

Program Directors are highly experienced leaders with a canny grasp of strategy, politics and policy, with strong analytical, facilitation, management, and campaign skills. The role of the Program Director is to take responsibility for developing strong program strategies that support movement partners in creating effective campaigns and initiatives that create real world change towards our shared goals, while also ensuring that the movement is more than the sum of its parts.  

About you

You’re a creative big picture thinker with a hunger to solve the climate crisis. You’ve got a track record of leading effective campaigns that win real world outcomes and are passionate about driving the shift of finance out of fossil fuels. You have a knack for understanding complex systems and a deep understanding of how social movements work, including how research, policy and grassroots organising combine to achieve change. 

You’re a great facilitator and a skilled collaborator and are able to work effectively with people from all walks of life – from community activists through to business leaders and regulators. You’re a great listener but you don’t take No for an answer. If you’re not already an expert in global finance, you’ve got the ability to rapidly master complex policy, regulatory and political dynamics. Most importantly you are a leader people believe in, you’re generous and caring, provide wise counsel and can have sensitive and difficult conversations which leave your relationships stronger.

Key responsibilities

• Develops, implements, tracks and evaluates programmatic strategy and goals to ensure that insurance companies accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy by adopting fossil fuel exclusion policies and 1.5C aligned climate action plans. 

• Leads, mentors and manages a team of campaign staff to develop, implement and evaluate impactful campaigns.

• Manages budgets, leads on grantmaking within relevant program areas and engages with funders to collaboratively build out approaches and plans. 

• Actively contributes to the overall strategic direction of The Sunrise Project: develops and incubates new strategies; identifies and leverages opportunities for synergies across programmatic areas; adapts to and leads on change particularly in relation to scaling up, to ensure we have the biggest collective impact possible. 

• Builds and maintains high level relationships with civil society and business leaders and represents the organization in public fora as required. 

• Leads on high performance, collaborative and sustainable teamworking by fostering Sunrise’s culture and hiring, managing and developing talented individuals with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Provides reports, data, evaluations to support funding proposals and reporting as required.

• Manages risk and meets compliance obligations associated with the program.

• Aligns programmatic strategies and Objectives and Key Results with Sunrise’s values and mission. 

Required skills, knowledge and experience

• Significant senior-level managerial level experience designing and delivering high impact campaigns that win real world outcomes including significant experience running campaigns to shift corporate behaviour.

• A sophisticated understanding of corporate power in relation to climate action (and inaction).

• A strong ability to develop and clearly articulate strategies across diverse audiences, and drive and implement campaign strategies across complex systems.

• A collaborative mindset with a track record of onboarding new stakeholders, working effectively in alliance with diverse needs and viewpoints, and ultimately building the strength of the movement.

• Excellent interpersonal communication, networking, influencing, negotiation and group facilitation skills. 

• A global mindset and an understanding of political and corporate cultures in different world regions.

• Demonstrated experience in people, performance, and culture leadership, with management experience including hiring, nurturing and enabling talented people from a diverse background.

• A flexible, adaptable leadership approach, being open to new ideas, embracing change, providing and seeking feedback, and working collaboratively to solve problems.

• A demonstrated passion for climate action and a deep commitment to social justice. 

Desirable skills:

• An understanding of financial markets, the insurance industry and corporate power.

• Proficiency in more than one language..

How Sunrise supports its staff

The Sunrise Project is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. We have the following in place to help us achieve that, noting that benefits listed may vary in accordance with the Professional Employment Office (PEO) we engage with for this role.

• Statutory benefits and entitlements of the country/province in which you are employed.

• Sunrise may provide additional benefits, where in-country entitlements are less than our standard package, where applicable including:

  • Birthday leave (if it’s your birthday, you get a day off)

  • Solidarity and community leave up to 1 week p.a.

  • Floating public holidays (cultural leave)

  • Gifted leave (over Christmas and New Year)

  • Flexible work policy

  • Employee Assistance Program

Additionally, our offering includes:

• A commitment to your professional development (up to $2000 (equiv) p.a.)

• Coaching and management support with regular 1:1 meetings

• Performance reviews and feedback to support you and the team to reflect and grow

• A co-developed initial 3 month work plan to set goals and provide clarity on your role and responsibilities

How to apply for this job

We recognize that racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, classism and other forms of discrimination creates structural barriers that impact opportunities to formal education and experience. When assessing candidates we look at more than the jobs you've been paid to do but the range of ways you've picked up skills and knowledge throughout your life. This is why we assess candidates on how well they respond to application questions. Please do not write a cover letter.