Senior Director, Climate and Rights (12-month position)

ABOUT GREENPEACE

Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest, creative communication and people power to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Our work spans more than 50 years of fights and successes.

As an independent campaigning organization, Greenpeace does not accept funds from any corporations or government entities. The global Greenpeace network is headquartered in the Netherlands, with offices around the world in over fifty countries. Greenpeace USA is headquartered in Washington, DC.

POSITION SUMMARY

Greenpeace USA seeks a dynamic, strategic, and values-driven leader to serve as Senior Director, Climate & Rights - a senior role responsible for leading and integrating our climate and democracy campaign portfolios as a unified, coordinated body of work. This role recognizes a core truth of our time: a livable climate depends on a functioning democracy, protected civic space, and the right to dissent.

The Senior Director, Climate & Rights is a highly visible leadership role within the Programs Department and reports to the Chief Program Officer. The Director manages the Climate Campaign Director and Democracy Campaign Director, and works in close partnership with the Senior Director of Oceans and other senior program leaders.

The Senior Director, Climate & Rights is a 12-month contract full-time, exempt, benefits-eligible, hybrid position, preferably based in Washington D.C. Candidates in other GPUS-authorized locations (CA, NY, NJ, MA) will be considered.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Integration
- Provide senior leadership and strategic direction for Greenpeace USA's integrated Climate & Rights portfolio
- Ensure that climate and democracy strategies are aligned, coordinated, and mutually reinforcing
- Translate organizational strategy, risk appetite, and capacity constraints into focused, executable campaign direction
- Identify opportunities where democracy and rights strategies strengthen climate outcomes and vice versa
- Provide leadership for work to defend speech and peaceful protest against SLAPP lawsuits
- Partner with Development and senior leadership to support fundraising efforts

Management of Senior Campaign Leaders
- Directly manage and support the Climate Campaign Director and Democracy Campaign Director
- Ensure Directors and their teams are aligned on strategy, timelines, resourcing, and ways of working
- Support Directors in navigating complexity, tradeoffs, and decision-making
- Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and shared ownership
- Ensure best practices are applied to budget management, reporting requirements and other internal processes

Campaign Cohesion & Organizational Alignment
- Ensure campaign strategies are developed with strong integration across legal, communications, engagement, fundraising, and operations
- Partner closely with the Senior Director of Oceans to ensure alignment across program priorities
- Work with program leadership to assess tradeoffs, sequencing, and resourcing across issue areas
- Support consistent evaluation, learning, and iteration across campaigns

People-Centered Leadership and Culture
- Model and reinforce Greenpeace USA's values of justice, nonviolence, and people-powered change
- Support healthy, sustainable workloads and clear decision-making structures
- Foster transparent, consistent, and fair management practices
- Champion inclusive leadership and equitable outcomes

External Representation & Movement Leadership
- Represent Greenpeace USA externally with partners, allies, funders, and movement leaders
- Serve as a key connector to program and campaign leaders across the global Greenpeace network
- Maintain awareness of political, legal, and movement trends related to climate, democracy, civic space, and rights
- Support Directors in cultivating strong relationships with allies, coalitions, and funders

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Knowledge and Experience:
- 10+ years of senior leadership experience in climate, democracy, human rights, or movement-based organizations
- Demonstrated experience managing senior leaders or directors and leading complex, multi-issue portfolios
- Experience working across functions (campaigns, legal, communications, engagement, development)
- Proven ability to lead collaboratively, manage risk, and operate effectively amid uncertainty
- In-depth knowledge of US politics and culture, social movements and socio-economic environment
- Experience developing and managing campaign budgets and high priority projects and campaigns
- Strong strategic campaigning experience using varied approaches, including a strong commitment to non-violent direct action
- Proven track record in public/supporter engagement, mobilization and organizing
- Experience integrating climate and democracy or rights-based strategies, preferred
- Familiarity with nonprofit governance, unionized workplaces, and global federated organizations, preferred
- Experience working in coalition with grassroots, frontline, and movement partners, preferred

Skills/Attributes/Competencies:
- Strategic integration and systems thinking
- Strong strategic judgment with the ability to prioritize and make tradeoffs
- Senior-level people management and coaching
- Clear decision-making and prioritization
- Strong communication skills, including serving as an external spokesperson
- Political judgment and risk awareness
- Collaborative leadership and influence
- Commitment to equity, justice, and people power
- Deep commitment to social, racial, and environmental justice

Other:
- Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as needed
- Ability and willingness to work across time zones and frequently outside of normal business hours as needed

COMPENSATION

Greenpeace offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental and vision coverage with low contributions from staff. Options for pre-tax flexible spending accounts for medical and dependent care costs. Generous 401K matching and time-off for vacation, sick, personal, and parental leave. After five years, staff are eligible for a paid sabbatical. Subsidies for staff who choose to bike or ride mass transit to work.

This role is graded at a level 6, with a starting salary within the range of $144,000 to $165,600.

Greenpeace is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family/marital status, religion or other protected classes. We strongly encourage applications from marginalized communities.