Director of Operations & Impact - Super Pollutant Action Alliance

About the Super Pollutant Action Alliance

Super pollutants are responsible for half of today’s climate change, but they receive much less than half of global climate funding and attention. Reducing super pollutants–including methane, tropospheric ozone, and black carbon– is the fastest way to limit dangerous near-term temperatures, which is all the more important in a rapidly warming world. In addition, reducing super pollutants improves air and water quality, bolstering food production and potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives per year.

The Super Pollutant Action Alliance (SPAA) is a philanthropic collaborative backed by some of the world’s leading climate foundations. Our mission is to enable and expand highly-effective super pollutant reduction efforts to reduce global temperatures as much and as soon as possible, and to save lives from reduced heat and pollution. With dedicated resources, SPAA serves as a backbone organization for the field, working closely with experts, civil society, and policymakers to develop the thought leadership, targeted interventions, and convenings that increase the impact of the field as a whole.

Position Summary

In close partnership with the Executive Director, the Director of Operations and Impact is responsible for building and maintaining the operational backbone of a fast-growing philanthropic organization. The Director of Operations and Impact will provide operational leadership across several critical functions, including organization building, operations, and grants and impact management.

Across these core functions, the Director of Operations and Impact will lead the design, implementation, and evaluation of processes and systems to (1) increase operational effectiveness and efficiency of this fiscally sponsored, multimillion-dollar philanthropic initiative, (2) work with the Executive Director and the fiscal sponsor to build the team and establish the team culture, and (3) work with the growing team to define and track programmatic outcomes and metrics across our strategic pillars to enable adaptive management, continued learning and a comprehensive understanding of our impact.

This is a unique opportunity to come in at ground-zero of a well funded philanthropic collaborative and build a culture and set of systems to maximize its impact on the world.

Key Responsibilities

Organization Strategy & Team Development

• Partner closely with the Executive Director to build and shape SPAA as a mission-driven, high-impact organization, balancing strategic vision, operational infrastructure, and organizational culture.
• Manage employee recruitment, onboarding, communication, and policy development that supports retention, career advancement, satisfaction, performance, and community (alongside fiscal sponsor).
• Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing improvement of organizational policies to ensure they remain relevant, effective, and aligned with SPAA’s values and goals.
• Design and facilitate team meetings, retreats, and help build a well-structured, collaborative, and values-aligned team environment.
• Work closely with the Executive Director to ensure the Steering Committee is engaged and well-supported, coordinating meeting preparation, materials, and follow-up, and advising on governance processes and best practices
• Lead efforts to create a strong internal communications strategy, including by building and maintaining a culture of clear communication, frequent feedback, and collaboration.

Operations Leadership

• Build and maintain effective organizational systems to support SPAA’s evolving needs, ensuring operational excellence across all functions.
• Serve as the primary contact and coordinator to manage SPAA’s relationship and various work streams with its fiscal sponsor, including finance and grants management, contracts, payroll, HR, and legal operations.
• Work closely with our fiscal sponsor to oversee financial reporting and ensure the Executive Director, Steering Committee, funders and other key stakeholders receive clear, timely, and actionable financial information.
• Lead risk management and monitoring processes both for SPAA operations (in partnership with our fiscal sponsor) and for SPAA programs.
• Partner with our fiscal sponsor to utilize core operational systems (e.g., finance, HR, vendor and grant management), and design additional internal systems and processes to support SPAA’s knowledge sharing and project management.
• Work seamlessly between strategy and tactical execution, expertly managing third-party partners to cover the full breadth of operational needs.

Grants and Impact Management

• Oversee SPAA’s grants management process, working closely with SPAA’s program team and SPAA’s fiscal sponsor.
• Work with incoming programmatic leads, fiscal sponsor and outside consultants (where necessary) to design effective systems and processes for defining and measuring impact across the organization.
• Design reporting systems, in collaboration with our fiscal sponsor to provide timely impact updates to the Steering Committee and other stakeholders.

The Ideal Candidate

You are self-reflective and aware of your own limitations with an attitude of continuous improvement. You are open to receiving and giving feedback and are focused on both self-improvement and helping those around you do their best work. You are highly organized and skilled at strategic forward planning and prioritization. You enjoy getting into the details and have strong, demonstrated project management skills. At the same time, you're a big-picture thinker who brings a strategic and visionary lens to your work and is able to connect day-to-day tasks to long-term goals, anticipate challenges, and chart a path forward. You are relationship-minded and able to forge authentic and respectful relationships with your teammates and across organizations. You have excellent written and verbal communication skills and can adapt your communication style to very different audiences. You are comfortable with ambiguity and are able to work through options and solutions even when there is no obvious path forward.

Qualifications

The Director of Operations and Impact need not possess all of the following qualifications, but should have a majority and be interested in developing the remainder.

• Significant experience in operations, ideally in a leadership role, and preferably in philanthropy or development fields.
• Experience building teams and setting strategy for early-stage organizations.
• Extensive experience within change-making endeavors, whether in the private or public sectors, preferably on climate-related efforts. Experience in philanthropy and with fiscal sponsorship preferred.
• Experience managing funder collaboratives and start-ups, for-profit or NGO organizations with diverse stakeholders and/or other philanthropy-funded efforts is ideal.
• Experience in impact monitoring and management, preferably in a philanthropy or not-for-profit.
• Experience developing operational policies, processes, and systems.
• Experience working in the global south is preferred.

Additional Information

• This will be a full-time (40 hours/week) role and will require some flexibility in order to collaborate with stakeholders across multiple time zones.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically or internationally ~25% time.
• Please note that the successful candidate will undergo reference checks prior to starting employment.

Workplace, Compensation & Application

• Workplace: This position is based in our Washington D.C. office (2 days per week in person). A hybrid option is possible in a time zone with at least a 4 hour overlap with 9am-5pm EST and 4 working days per month in our Washington D.C. office.
• Compensation: SPAA and Multiplier provide a comprehensive compensation package, including competitive salary ($160,000-$180,000 annual salary, representing the low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on experience), excellent medical and dental benefits, retirement savings, and generous vacation and sick leave policy.
• How to Apply: To apply, please visit our Applicant Portal. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Priority will be given to applications received on or before July 15, 2025. Please include:
  • Your resume
  • A ½ page cover letter explaining your interest in the role

We respectfully request no follow-up calls or emails.

SPAA is an independent operating project of Multiplier, a nationally recognized nonprofit that accelerates impact for sustainability-focused initiatives.

About Multiplier

Multiplier accelerates impact for innovative projects focused on protecting and fostering a healthy, sustainable, resilient and equitable world. At Multiplier, program teams can turn game-changing ideas into planet-saving impact, and they can do it faster and better than they otherwise could.

Multiplier celebrates diversity and is committed to building teams and partnerships that represent a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Multiplier is also committed to providing an environment of mutual respect that is free from discrimination and harassment. Multiplier prohibits discrimination in its governance, programs, and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, marital status, amnesty, status as a covered veteran, because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from public assistance, or for any other factor that is not based on merit.