Program officer, natural resources and climate justice

The Ford Foundation is seeking a Program Officer for its International Program in Natural Resources and Climate Justice, based in New York, NY. The role involves developing grantmaking strategies focused on community rights in natural resource governance and climate change mitigation, particularly in decarbonization and forest governance. The position requires extensive knowledge in these areas and collaboration with the foundation's international team.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Ford Foundation’s International Program in Natural Resources and Climate Justice (NRCJ-I) seeks a collaborative, strategic, team-oriented Program Officer (PO) to join their team.

The NRCJ-I program’s portfolio of grants is focused on ensuring that natural resource governance serves the public interest and reflects the aspirations of historically disadvantaged communities and land-connected peoples from the Global South–including Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant peoples, and rural communities. NRCJ-I team members are based in Foundation offices in the Andean Region, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Central America, Southern Africa, the USA and West Africa and make grants to partners working primarily in these regions and globally. This position will be based in the New York City office. The NRCJ-I team has recently completed a refresh of its strategy, retaining its focus on enhancing community rights in natural resources but with a particular focus on enhancing these rights in relation to two pathways of climate change mitigation: the governance of forested lands, and the decarbonization of energy systems (for a summary see here). The PO should have extensive knowledge and deep experience in the second of these fields as well as professional familiarity with the former. While their grantmaking will focus primarily on justice in decarbonization pathways, they will also be involved in grants and other activities related to forest governance and will collaborate closely, including in grantmaking, with the other PO in the New York office.

POs at the foundation ensure that grantmaking strategies are developed to support the foundation’s strategic development framework: building strong and impactful institutions, supporting the leadership of people and supporting impactful projects. Reporting to the International Director of NRCJ and as a member of the NRCJ international team working across most of the Foundation’s offices, the PO will hold a variety of responsibilities related to program strategy, grant portfolio development and management, leadership, communications, and people management.

To learn more about responsibilities and requirements, please visit the Ford Foundation's career page.