Position Summary 

The Program Officer will serve as the heartbeat of our grantmaking operations. You will act as the nonprofit’s eyes and ears within the climate movement, serving as a primary representative to the brave activists we support. You will play a critical role in identifying the most impactful funding opportunities and administering our grantmaking program.

Working closely with the Executive Director and the Operations Officer, you will manage all aspects of Climate Emergency Fund’s grantmaking program. This ranges from high-level strategic thinking and meeting with prospective grantees, to reviewing applications, drafting and executing grant agreements, tracking outcomes, and reporting on impacts. You will establish close, supportive relationships with grantees, communicating effectively throughout the life cycle of each grant.  You will also assist the development team in writing about our grantees for potential funders of CEF.  

This is a full-time, fully remote opportunity. Salary will be $80,000 - $90,000 commensurate with experience. We offer a benefits package that includes subsidized health insurance, Paid Holidays, 3 weeks of paid vacation, 2 weeks of sick pay, and work-from-home stipend. Candidates must be based in the U.S. CEF is not able to sponsor work visas.

Responsibilities will include:

Grant making Strategy and Evaluating Applications

• Work with the Executive Director to continually refine our strategic framework for grantmaking, utilizing research into social movement theory and history to identify the most impactful grantee prospects.

• Evaluate prospective grantees  to identify ultra-high impact climate activists and organizations in the U.S. and globally – disruptive groups with the ability to scale quickly and break through media silence on climate. This includes reviewing applications, meeting with prospects, reviewing their social media feeds and websites. 

• Use your birds-eye view and many relationships to help grantees think strategically and meet each other.

• Develop and maintain a strong network of advisers within the movement.

Grant Cycle Management:

• Oversee the full life cycle of grants, managing all aspects including: drafting and executing legally-protective grant agreements, securing and evaluating grant reports. This often involves tight deadlines as we are deploying funds rapidly. 

• Support grantees throughout the grant cycle from different regions of the world, assisting with applications, reports, inquiries, and networking. 

Data, Systems, and Reporting:

• Implement and improve our grant management system, processes, and documentation.

• Learn, utilize, and maintain Zengine (WizeHive), our grants program client relationship management (CRM) system; and Google Sheets.

Supporting Fundraising:

• Coordinate with the Development Team to draft fundraising collateral—such as cases for support, proposals, and reports to funders—using grant-tracking data. This will include highlighting grantee successes.

• Possibly represent nonprofit at activist events, conferences, and other speaking engagements.

Necessary Qualifications:

Required:

• Alignment with Climate Emergency Fund’s mission mandate and strategic approach.

• Familiarity with social movement theory and history, with a strategic perspective on the theory of change.

• Direct experience as an activist in the climate movement (4+ years preferred) 

• A great teammate and collaborator who is helpful, flexible, respectful, and positive under pressure.

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

• Detail-oriented, particularly regarding the execution of grant agreements.

• Able to work well independently, use judgment, and maintain a high level of confidentiality and stewardship.

• Highly organized with the ability to prioritize and balance multiple projects. 

• Tech savviness is a must for this remote position:

• Knowledge of spreadsheets for tracking and evaluating grantees. 

• Ability to master new software quickly; experience with Zengine or similar CRM systems as well as project management software, like Asana, is a strong plus.

Preferred: 

• Experience working either within philanthropic organizations or for nonprofits, especially experience in grants management. 

• Bachelors Degree

Climate Emergency Fund is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. 

Climate Emergency Fund values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

HOW TO APPLY:
Candidates are invited to submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@cefund.org with the subject line Program Officer by Feb. 15, 2026. Please specify in your cover letter why you want to work with Climate Emergency Fund, and what about our mission speaks to you. Applications that do not include this information will not be considered.