Chief Operating Officer

About Climate Interactive

Climate Interactive envisions a thriving world, where greenhouse gas emissions are falling rapidly. Our mission is to create and share tools that drive effective and equitable climate action. Our tools and interactive experiences simulate the global and local effects and impacts of policies and technologies on climate change, which we–along with our global network of experts who we train and support–use to engage decision makers worldwide and motivate them to take effective action on climate change. 

Climate Interactive’s tools are used by over 1.5M people worldwide. To date, collaborating with MIT Sloan in our shared Climate Pathways Project, we and our network of trained Climate Ambassadors have engaged 18, 230+ leaders in government, business, and finance around effective and equitable climate solutions. 

Climate Interactive is a fiscally sponsored project of New Venture Fund (“NVF”), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. 

Position Summary

The Chief Operating Officer (“COO”) serves as a key member of Climate Interactive's senior leadership team, leading operations, financial management, organizational effectiveness, and the systems and functions that support fundraising. Reporting to the Executive Director, the COO will serve as a close thought partner and the primary leader responsible for translating organizational strategy into effective plans, budgets, staffing, systems, and results. 

Climate Interactive is entering a period of focused growth as it implements a new strategic plan and expands its work with key audiences and partners. This role will help ensure the organization has the capacity and infrastructure to execute that growth effectively.

Responsibilities

Strategy and Organizational Execution

• Lead the operationalization of Climate Interactive’s strategic plan, translating organizational priorities into clear workplans, resource requirements, staffing approaches, decision points, and measures of progress, in close partnership with the Executive Director, Director of Programs, and other members of the leadership team.
• Partner with the Executive Director on annual organizational planning, goal setting, and performance management processes, including developing and monitoring organizational goals and KPIs.
• Partner with the Executive Director and other organizational leaders to assess emerging opportunities and organizational priorities, weighing mission impact, financial implications, staffing capacity, risk, and operational feasibility.
• Serve as the primary integrator across organizational functions, ensuring alignment among programmatic priorities, fundraising objectives, staffing, financial resources, and operational capacity, and identifying and resolving barriers to effective execution.

Operations & Business Management

• Lead Climate Interactive’s financial management and planning, including annual budgeting, multi-year forecasting, scenario planning, monitoring actuals against budget, and performing financial analysis to inform strategic and operational decisions. 

• Partner closely with NVF on accounting, financial reporting, compliance, and other financial processes, ensuring Climate Interactive has timely and accurate financial information for organizational decision-making.

• Serve as relationship lead with New Venture Fund, lead annual charter scoping, and ensure Climate Interactive remains in compliance with NVF policies and procedures.

• Lead the development and implementation of operational functions, including billing and invoicing, contract review, and IT/resource management.     

• Lead risk management for Climate Interactive, including identifying organizational risks and partnering with NVF on legal compliance, insurance, and risk mitigation.

• Develop and implement policies, procedures, and operating practices within the NVF framework that reflect Climate Interactive’s organizational values and support mission and business objectives.

Fundraising & Business Development

• Partner with the Executive Director and Associate Director of Fundraising to develop annual fundraising plans, revenue forecasts, and operational priorities aligned with organizational strategy and resource needs.

• Support the Executive Director in advancing fee-for-service, licensing, and advisory-service opportunities and oversee associated operational activities including budgeting, contracting, invoicing, and compliance.

Organizational Oversight & People Management

• Lead Climate Interactive’s internal people operations and culture-building practices, serving as the primary point of contact for staff and coordinating with NVF HR on employment policies, compliance, benefits, and administrative processes.

• Partner with the Executive Director and people managers on staff assessment and performance management, including ongoing feedback, professional development, and formal reviews, ensuring consistent practices aligned with Climate Interactive’s standards and values. 

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in organizational leadership, operations, finance, or related roles within nonprofit, mission-driven, or similarly complex organizations, including senior-level leadership responsibility.

• Demonstrated ability to translate organizational strategy into effective operational plans, systems and processes.

• Strong financial management experience, including organizational budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and using financial information to inform strategic decisions.

• Strong organizational and business judgement, including the ability to assess opportunities, weigh competing priorities, and make sound decisions about resources, capacity, and risk.

• Experience leading people operations, including performance management, organizational culture, and HR practices.

• High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, navigate sensitive dynamics, communicate candidly, and support effective working relationships across the organization.

• Experience identifying and managing organizational risk and working effectively with legal, finance, HR, or other external specialists.

• Demonstrated ability to work as a thought partner to senior leadership while independently leading areas of responsibility.

Preferred

• Experience working within a fiscally sponsored organization or another structure involving shared or outsourced finance, HR, legal, or administrative functions.

• History of leading organizational change, growth, or operational transformation, including scaling an operations function for long-term sustainability.

• Success building and leading high-performing, mission-driven teams.

• Background in climate, environment, and/or sustainability fields.

Location

Fully remote within the United States, with the ability to coordinate with the Eastern time zone. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

Compensation

Climate Interactive offers a generous compensation package for this role, including:

• Starting salary between $155, 000-175, 000, based on skills and experience.

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurances, including premiums and deductibles.

• 3% automatic employer-paid retirement contribution (401K) plus up to an additional 3% match on employee contributions.

• Short- and long-term disability and life insurances.

• Cell phone, internet, and fitness expense benefits.

• 200 hours of vacation, 80 hours of health leave, 13 paid holidays, 2 days of casual leave, and 20 hours of volunteer leave.

• 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave after 90 days of employment.

Overtime Status

Exempt; full-time. 

How to Apply

CEA Recruiting is assisting Climate Interactive with this search. To be considered for the position, please use our career portal (Chief Operating Officer Job | Job #501 | California Environmental Associates) to submit a resume, thoughtful cover letter and salary expectations. Priority will be given to applications received before September 11, 2026. The position will remain posted until filled.

Each application is personally reviewed by our hiring team. We find that applications written without the assistance of AI tend to be more compelling. We typically reach out to candidates selected to advance in our process within three to four weeks from when the application is submitted. Only candidates selected to advance will be contacted prior to the successful completion of this search. All candidates will be notified when the search has closed.

We anticipate the interview process will include: 
Resume review
Initial Video Interview with CEA
Interviews with the Climate Interactive hiring team (video + in-person)
Candidate Exercise
Reference + Background Checks

For questions about completing the application form or technical concerns, you may contact tamara@ceaconsulting.com. We regret that due to the high volume of applications we typically receive, we are not able to provide individual responses on the status of your application or feedback to candidates who do not advance to interviews. To ensure your application is reviewed and you receive notifications about the process, please use only the career portal to submit your application materials.

Hiring Statement 

Climate Interactive is a project of New Venture Fund (NVF), a 501(c)(3) public charity that incubates new and innovative public-interest projects and grant-making programs. NVF is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional people, and to creating a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential. NVF's work environment is safe and open to all employees and partners, respecting the full spectrum of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, political affiliation, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and all other classifications protected by law in the locality and/or state in which you are working.

E-Verify 

NVF participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employees’ Form I-9 information to confirm authorization to work in the United States. Job candidates and employees authorized to work may not be discriminated against on the basis of national origin or citizenship status. 

CEA Recruiting works with leading environmental nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to recruit top talent and design effective organizational staffing strategies. For more information, visit www.cearecruiting.com.