Senior Programs Director (Exempt)

Position Overview

The Senior Programs Director is responsible for overseeing the holistic and strategic design of CJA’s programs, (Political Education, Member Engagement, and Assessment and Evaluation) in partnership with Program Team Directors and staff. Senior Directors at CJA serve as key organizational leaders responsible for strategic alignment in their work areas, and supporting cross-functional collaboration. The Senior Programs Director will work as part of the Programs Team and will report to the Executive Director. Our ideal candidate will have depthful political analysis and knowledge of the Climate and Environmental Justice sector; a keen understanding of grassroots organizing, research and assessment, and political education and the ability to translate this knowledge into strategy; and skill and passion for providing management support to director-level leaders. 

Location: Remote, within the United States

About Climate Justice Alliance
Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) was formed in 2013 to create a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. Our translocal organizing strategy and mobilizing capacity is building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies. We believe that the process of transition must place race, gender and class at the center of the solutions equation in order to make it a truly Just Transition.

We are a unique alliance of community, frontline, and environmental justice organizations; movement networks; and support organizations at the forefront of climate change. Our members are multicultural, intergenerational, and prioritize leadership among women, gender-oppressed, and persons of color. They come from traditionally underrepresented constituencies, including Indigenous Peoples, African American, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and low-income white communities, often often located near toxic, polluting industries such as oil refineries, fracking wells, coal mines, power plants, and pipelines; rails, ports, and other major transportation corridors; landfills and incinerators; and industrial agriculture.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Program Alignment and Integration

• Develop and maintain a cohesive framework that connects Political Education, Member Engagement, and Assessment and Evaluation into a unified program ecosystem
• Identify and articulate how each program area reinforces and builds upon the others to maximize impact on climate and environmental justice outcomes
• Create clear pathways and touchpoints where member journeys flow across program areas (e.g., how political education informs member engagement strategies, how assessment data shapes political education content)
• Translate CJA's overarching climate and environmental justice analysis into concrete program strategies that are operationalized across all three areas

Cross-Functional Program Design

• Facilitate regular strategy sessions with Program Team Directors to weave existing workplans, and to ensure programs are designed with intentional interdependencies rather than operating in silos
• In partnership with key staff, establish shared metrics and evaluation frameworks that measure program effectiveness and the synergistic impact of integrated programming
• Design regular program cycles and timelines that allow for strategic sequencing and layering of activities across all three program areas
• Create feedback loops where insights from one program area (such as member engagement data or assessment findings) directly inform strategy refinement in other areas

Political Analysis Application

• Apply deep sector expertise and political analysis to identify emerging opportunities and threats that shape the strategic direction of all programs as a part of CJA’s strategic planning process
• Ensure that program strategies remain grounded in current climate and environmental justice movement dynamics, policy landscapes, and grassroots organizing trends
• Anticipate shifts in the political or organizing landscape and adjust program strategy accordingly to maintain relevance and impact

Director Support

• Provide strategic coaching to Program Team Directors around individual program design with integration in mind
• Support directors in identifying opportunities for collaboration, and potential friction points in inter-program coordination
• Build shared language and frameworks across the Programs Team to facilitate clear communication about integrated strategy
• Model systems thinking and support directors’ understanding around how their work area contributes to and depends on the broader program ecosystem
• Manage relevant financial responsibilities in a timely manner, including: full-team budget review and development; fulfillment of credit/debit card holder obligations and responsibilities, approval of applicable employee reimbursements and travel requests; and management of consultant contracts
• Manage director-level hiring processes, PTO and leave requests for direct reports in coordination with CJA’s HR policies and practices.

Strategy and Work Plan Implementation

• Participate in each phase (development, implementation, and evaluation) of CJA’s strategic planning process as assigned
• Ensure work plan accountability and completed progress reporting for your team throughout the year
• Lead meetings in areas of functional expertise or specific projects laid out in our work plan, and organize cross-departmental collaboration around deliverables to reduce silos and ensure successful implementation of our plan(s)
• Participate in director meetings by focus area to support strategic alignment, work plan check-ins, culture building, and co-working in real-time around emergent topics
• Advise Senior Leadership within your area of functional expertise to support maximally strategic organizational positions, campaigns, or statements as assigned.  

Build Healthy & Sustainable Organizational Work Culture and Other Responsibilities (

• Along with all other staff, this position contributes to CJA’s culture of innovation, teamwork, and continuous learning. They work diligently to collaborate and support each other within and across teams and excel in an environment where every member takes care of their own basic administrative needs.

These tasks represent baseline responsibilities for this position. As CJA grows, there will be possibilities (and sometimes the need to) move into new accountabilities and areas of work.

Supervisory Responsibility

The Senior Programs Director will supervise three Program Team Directors.

Expected hours of work

Standard days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m in your time zone. Daily schedule is flexible within the proximity of this time frame, and will be decided in consultation with the supervisor.

Travel

Moderate domestic travel (2-4 times per quarter  for all-staff gatherings) would be required for this position. 

Physical duties of this role: Ability to work at a computer and participate in video conferencing, speaking and typing for extended periods of time. 

Occasional physical duties: Responsible for logistics during travel which includes lifting items (not in excess of 25 lbs.), coordinating meals/catering, and driving.

(CJA is willing and able to make reasonable accommodations for candidates who may not be able to fulfill these tasks). 

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Deep understanding and analysis of grassroots organizing, political landscape, and strategies for organizing locally to inform national organizing strategy.
• 5+ years of experience with curriculum development and critical pedagogy.
• 5+ years of successful supervisory experience and comparable organizing experience.
• Ability to develop creative and interactive learning spaces, and popular education tools.
• Commitment to environmental, social, racial, and economic justice and CJA’s mission.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage with diverse audiences.
• Familiarity with climate policy, environmental justice and social justice issues, as well as concepts pertaining to self-determination, liberation, decolonization, and the political & social conditions of oppression.
• A sense of flexibility, with a solutions-oriented approach to our collective work and relationships.
• Strong ability to give and receive feedback.
• Ability to work remotely, manage multiple work tasks, maintain attention to detail and accuracy, and meet the pressure of deadlines in a fast-paced, collaborative work environment.
• Strong internet/computer fluency.

 Position Type and Compensation

• 100% FTE, exempt position 
• CJA’s 100% FTE benefits package includes:
  • 20 days vacation leave per year;
  • 15 standard holidays per year;
  • 12 sick days per year;
  • 1 month of paid parental leave during first year; eligible for an additional 2 months of paid parental leave in the second year of employment, up to 3 months;
  • 3 month sabbatical leave after 5 years of continuous Full-Time employment 
  • Medical, vision, dental for employees and dependents (requires 30 day waiting period);
  • 100% employer sponsored basic life, short-term and long-term disability insurance coverage;
  • Access to FSA Benefits;
  • Employer-funded HRA;
  • Employer-sponsored 401k.

Climate Justice Alliance is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. BIPOC and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.