[Hiring] Senior Director, Complex Systems @Clean Air Task Force

Role Description

CATF's Complex Systems portfolio brings together its work across Land, Transportation, and Industry, three programs with distinct missions that are central to addressing major sources of climate pollution. This role exists to set a cohesive portfolio strategy while preserving and strengthening each program's mission, leadership, and subject-matter expertise. Reporting to the Chief of Programs & Advocacy and serving on CATF's Impact Leaders Group, the Senior Director will help direct resources, strengthen program effectiveness, and expand CATF's influence across regions. The role's overall purpose is to translate systems-level strategy into stronger stewardship, greater program impact, and durable climate solutions across Land, Transportation, and Industry.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise & Portfolio Leadership: Shape enterprise priorities and lead the Complex Systems portfolio with clear direction, sound judgment, and accountability, while ensuring the individual missions of Land, Transportation, and Industry remain central to portfolio decisions.
• Systems Strategy: Develop and advance a cohesive strategy that connects technical expertise, policy, infrastructure, finance, innovation, and markets while identifying opportunities for greater impact across programs, portfolios, disciplines, and regions.
• Program Effectiveness: Strengthen impact, stewardship, and people leadership across the portfolio by supporting program leaders, clarifying outcomes, monitoring progress, building leadership and technical capacity, and helping teams navigate trade-offs and barriers to their missions.
• Policy & Advocacy Leadership: Guide globally relevant policy and advocacy priorities grounded in technical, economic, political, and market realities, partnering with regional advocacy teams to adapt strategies to local contexts and influence policy outcomes.
• Resource Stewardship & Operational Excellence: Direct portfolio planning, budgeting, prioritization, and shared investments so resources are aligned with the highest-impact opportunities and teams have the structure, information, and support needed to deliver.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build alignment across programs, solution portfolios, regions, and organizational functions while respecting program ownership and subject-matter expertise and creating practical ways to collaborate.
• External Influence & Thought Leadership: Serve as a senior external representative, shape a clear narrative for systems-level climate solutions, guide policy positions and thought leadership, and build trusted relationships across government, industry, finance, academia, media, philanthropy, and civil society.
• Fundraising & Partnership Development: Partner with Development, Communications, and senior leadership to set fundraising strategy, cultivate and steward funder relationships, pursue aligned opportunities, and secure resources that advance portfolio and program priorities.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in climate, energy, environmental, or related policy fields, including senior leadership responsibility for complex programs, portfolios, departments, or multidisciplinary teams.
• A demonstrated record of shaping strategy and influencing policy outcomes in complex climate, energy, environmental, government, industry, advocacy, research, or related settings.
• Experience leading senior leaders and strengthening leadership capacity, team effectiveness, accountability, and succession readiness.
• Deep understanding of systems-level climate challenges and the barriers to transforming land, transportation, and industrial systems.
• Experience building and executing strategies that connect technical, policy, financial, market, organizational, and regional considerations.
• Ability to lead across functions, disciplines, and geographies in a matrixed organization while respecting program missions and subject-matter expertise.
• Experience representing an organization and building trusted relationships with senior external stakeholders, such as policymakers, funders, industry leaders, and strategic partners.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in a field relevant to the role.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with fundraising, donor engagement, or philanthropic partnerships.
• Experience working across the U.S., Europe, and other regional contexts in a global or cross-regional organization.
• Familiarity with one or more relevant areas, including hard-to-abate sectors, land systems, transportation, industrial decarbonization, carbon management, fuels, or related climate solutions.
• Experience contributing to organizational strategy, portfolio design, or operating model change.
• Familiarity with nonprofit, policy, advocacy, technical, research, philanthropic, or mission-driven environments.

Benefits

• This is an opportunity to shape a portfolio addressing some of the hardest climate challenges while helping three mission-critical programs achieve greater impact.
• A mission-driven role supporting practical, durable climate solutions across Land, Transportation, and Industry.
• Exposure to cross-functional collaboration with program, regional advocacy, Development, Communications, and senior leadership teams, as well as external partners and funders.
• A collaborative and intellectually curious culture where diverse perspectives are valued and bold, practical solutions to climate change are encouraged.
• A flexible, remote working environment within the U.S. or Europe.
• An excellent benefits package and a competitive salary based on experience and location.
• Benefits aligned to your country of employment.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Clean Air Task Force is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.