About Bezos Earth Fund

Founded in 2020 by Jeff Bezos with a $10 billion philanthropic commitment, thelargest philanthropic commitment ever made to fight climate change and protect nature, the Earth Fund will deploy the full $10 billion by the end of this critical decade and aims to have the greatest impact possible with its resources.

The Earth Fund was established to fight climate change and protect nature in an equitable manner. The Earth Fund’s work is based on an understanding that the challenges we face are complex and require transformational change. Reaching net-zero emissions and shifting to nature-positive development while also focusing on reducing poverty and protecting vulnerable communities will require changes across entire systems. The Earth Fund is committed to advancing the field inenvironmental and climate justice through bold actions. The ten core principles that inform the Earth Fund’s decision-making can be found here: https://www.bezosearthfund.org/how-we-work

To do this effectively, the Earth Fund works with a range of allied partners including community-based organizations, governments at all scales, philanthropy,and the private sector. In particular, the Earth Fund puts equity and justice at the center of its work, focusing on vulnerable and marginalized communities, those most severely affected by climate change and the loss of nature. Their voices, ideas,and leadership—and ultimately their wellbeing—are crucial to success.

To date, the Earth Fund has given over $350 million in environmental and climate justice across the following programs: Conserving & Restoring Nature; Future of Food; Decarbonizing Energy & Industry; Economics, Finance & Markets; Next Technologies; and, Monitoring, Data & Accountability.

At only three years old, the Earth Fund has more than 30 employees and is growing rapidly, aiming to double in size soon. There are numerous new initiatives under development, and it is an exciting time to join this dynamic, fast-paced team.

Position Responsibilities

The Bezos Earth Fund is seeking an Initiative Manager, Greening America’s Cities tojoin the Climate and Environmental Justice team and lead delivery of the GreeningAmerica’s Cities initiative —the biggest philanthropic initiative in urban greening forunderserved US communities to date.

On July 17, 2023, the Bezos Earth Fund launched Greening America’s Cities, a new, multi-year, $400M initiative to invest in underserved communities through 2030. In2023, $50M has been granted to 24 urban greening organizations and 6 national partners providing technical expertise and support in five cities around the US, including Chicago, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Wilmington, Delaware. In every city, BEF will have a Community Fellow to serve as a resource to BEF-funded grantees in the community and to collaborate across other cities in the initiative. The Initiative Manager will guide the work of those Fellows. In addition, the Initiative Manager will guide intergovernmental liaisons, who will collaborate with community organizations and local governmental agencies to ensure coordination and alignment across the five cities.

More specifically, the Initiative Manager, Greening America’s Cities will be responsible for:

- Developing delivery strategy and overseeing the implementation of theGreening America’s Cities initiative, including identifying opportunities forcollaborative delivery across funded organizations in each city, structures toconnect an annually changing portfolio, and collecting lessons learned toinform future focus areas and funding priorities

- Leading a team of individuals based in each city where BEF will be investingto manage grantee relationships and support coordinated initiative delivery

- Providing guidance, mentorship, and support to ensure initiative success

- Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including grantees, community leaders, elected officials and other stakeholders in each city where the Greening Americas Cities initiative is active

- Managing the grantmaking process, including current and future grantees.

- Providing input into recommendations for annual funding decisions for new investments and grantees to expand the initiative

- Developing and overseeing multi-year evaluation approach to monitor initiative performance and capture impact and outcomes

- Preparing regular reports and presentations on initiative activities and impact for internal and external audiences

- Representing the Greening Americas Cities Initiative at conferences, events and other public forums

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Profile of the Successful Candidate

The Initiative Manager, Greening America’s Cities will have significant experience working directly with communities, particularly those that are impacted by climate change. The successful candidate will be a seasoned leader and manager with excellent leadership, strategy development, facilitation, and project management skills. The successful candidate will advance overall project priorities, including building relationships and strategic partnerships with external stakeholders andcommunities.

The Initiative Manager will have keen problem-solving skills combined with acollaborative, facilitative style that can be equally effective across multiple contexts: managerial, collegial, and convening. The Earth Fund will appreciate aInitiative Manager who knows how to think across the organization broadly,consistently tying this specific project to the overall organizational strategy. Finally, the successful candidate will have a strong work ethic with high personal and professional standards of transparency, accountability, and respect.

More specifically, the Bezos Earth Fund seeks a professional who has:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field or equivalent level of direct experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in program management with a preference for roles including grantmaking and partnership management

• At least 5 years of experience in a field relevant to the work of the Greening Americas Cities Initiative

• Strong, collaborative leadership skills and experience managing teams and collaborating with senior leadership

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to build relationships and engage with a wide range of stakeholders

• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans, manage budgets and monitor program performance

• Passion for the mission and values of the Bezos Earth Fund

• An understanding of the differences among communities and a strong interest in including voices of those often left out

• Demonstrated track record as a fast-paced, effective leader with vision and excellent judgment, who will respect the Earth Fund’s entrepreneurial and collaborative culture

• Super b networking, teamwork, relationship management, interpersonal and diplomacy skills, with a track record of gaining the confidence of others

• Ability to craft pathways to action in a rapidly changing environment, with an appreciation for how future developments may affect present decision making

• Ability to both collaborate with a team and work independently effectively

• Ability to travel domestically

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Compensation

This position offers a competitive salary with a range of $150,000 to $175,000 and includes a comprehensive benefits package. We actively welcome all candidates from a wide range of backgrounds who have the skills to fulfill this role – regardless of compensation history.

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Location

Washington, DC

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Diversity

At The 360 Group, we know that a richly diverse mix of professionals makesorganizations more effective. Using that principle as our “North Star,” we makediversity a hallmark of our firm, and all of our search engagements.