Guided By Science, Driven to Action
Sequoia Climate Foundation is building a team of experts committed to preventing the worst effects of climate change.
Guided By Science, Driven to Action
Sequoia Climate Foundation is building a team of experts committed to preventing the worst effects of climate change.
Our team knows the field because they come from it: we are scientists and civil servants, experts and heads of NGOs, helping change the systems that no longer serve us. We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive environment where every team member feels valued and diversity is celebrated. Sequoia is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or legally protected status.
Interested in joining our incredible team? Check out our open positions.
Grants Officer, Systems and Process
Location: Irvine, CA
Type: Hybrid Role (In-person and Remote)
Status: Full Time
Compensation: $106,000 – $159,000 annually
About Us
Sequoia Climate Foundation is a new philanthropy that seeks to decarbonize the world economy at a speed and scale equal to the challenge. We support bold strategies and efforts that will have both near-term impact and the greatest probability of long-term success. We believe that solving climate change requires the adoption of ambitious, evidence-based policy solutions that transform markets, advance clean technology, and lead to large‐scale change. Our focus areas include power, transportation, buildings, industry, land use, agriculture and forestry, finance, communications, and public engagement. Sequoia Climate Foundation is active in major emitting geographies, including China, the United States, India, the European Union, among others. We are dedicated to building the political will and powerful coalitions needed to achieve these bold policy solutions. Our office and staff are based in Irvine, California.
About the Role
We are looking for a Grants Officer, Systems and Process, who works across Sequoia’s program areas to ensure effective and efficient grantmaking and leads various projects to improve processes and systems to support continuous improvement and scalability. They will be responsible for understanding the basics of grant compliance and grantcraft. They will serve as project manager, training lead, and thought partner within the Grantmaking Operations team. The Grants Officer will also serve as the system administrator for the Foundation’s grants management system (GMS) and guide staff towards better data-informed decision-making and grants management practices. This position requires strong problem-solving skills and creativity, attention to detail, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to work independently and with teams across the Foundation. They will report to the Director of Grantmaking Operations, work closely with colleagues in program and operations teams (particularly IT), and engage externally in communities of practice.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and continuously improve the Foundation’s GMS, including related technical platform improvements or integrations, to ensure Sequoia is optimized with the best-in-class systems fit for purpose. Support effective change management related to migration to new GMS, data transfers, integrations, business process creation, testing, and updates.
- Administer the current and future GMS, including managing data hierarchy, data quality, data retrieval, coding taxonomy, and reporting — particularly with respect to stewardship and learning.
- Ensure all staff are aware and knowledgeable of GMS technology, including designing dashboards, training staff formally and informally, and developing training materials and resources. Help set norms around the use of the GMS for relationship management, grant monitoring, and grants stewardship.
- Partner with the Grantmaking Operations Team to update and iterate on best practices for proposal applications and intake, grant review, due diligence, and grantee reporting. Understand the roles and workflows across the full grantmaking process and strive for continuous improvement and optimization of functionality within the GMS.
- Improve the way staff capture, access, and use grantmaking information to enhance programmatic and operational decision-making and support the use of technology to enhance grantee relationships.
- Partner with the Evidence and Learning Team to help develop and manage frameworks for collecting and using data to advance learning, decision-making, and impact assessment.
- Collaborate within the Grantmaking Operations Team on the development of training and resources. Provide backup support to teammates on grant portfolio management/tasks.
- Understand information needs within the organization and maintain and update policies and process documentation.
- Grantmaking: support grant portfolios as needed by ensuring that due diligence is complete, governance processes are followed, and all grants adhere to federal and state legal and tax requirements and international regulations.
- Project management for various grantmaking operations projects across the organization.
- Identifies partners and collaborations to advance grantmaking strategies, including, as appropriate, active participation in collaboratives, conferences, and workshops.
Who You Are
- A Strategic Thinker. You’re a strong conceptual thinker who can easily grasp and navigate a range of abstract concepts, relate them to one another, and translate those concepts into strategies and practical actions.
- A Details Person. Your favorite part of reading a research paper is deciding which of the citations in the bibliography to read next. You want to understand not just what someone says but what assumptions they used to get there.
- An Analog and Digital Synthesizer. Once you have collected all the details, you can wrap them up in a concise written form and contribute to an engaging conversation, whether face-to-face, on the phone, or on Twitter.
- An Effective Collaborator. You have worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team, and you have the ability to operate in complex situations. You can quickly gain trust from colleagues and are known for being supportive.
- A Flexible Worker. You are not afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You are comfortable with shifting schedules and don’t expect every day to go “as planned.” You are happy to challenge someone’s assumptions and to have your assumptions challenged in return.
- A Humble Teammate. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects or large strategic goals. You know what you know and what you don’t know, and don’t shy away from questions.
- Mission-oriented. You believe in the mission of Sequoia Climate Foundation and are passionate about climate change and creating a more sustainable world.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree is required.
- A minimum of eight years of professional experience working in a similar position.
- A minimum of five years of experience working in a government, non-profit, advocacy, or philanthropic organization is required.
- Experience with grants management systems is required; experience with migrations is preferred.
- Experience in effective project management is required.
- Experience in international grantmaking is preferred.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and one additional language that is spoken in China, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or another Southeast Asian country preferred.
Compensation & Location
Sequoia Climate Foundation offers a generous benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience. We provide competitive wages, health insurance, paid time off, and other perks to promote work/life harmony. We operate in a hybrid model, which means both workdays from home and in the office for our Irvine, California location. The expectation is this role will be in our office at least three days a week (though never five, lots of opportunities to still work remotely a few days a week). We can be flexible on relocation timelines and offer a small amount of relocation assistance.
NOTE: At this time, our preference is that applicants have the authorization to work in the United States.
Covid-19 Hiring Update
Sequoia Climate Foundation encourages its employees to be fully vaccinated and up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
To Apply
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume here.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Sequoia Climate Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.
Impact Evaluation Manager
Location: Irvine, CA
Type: Hybrid Role (In-person and Remote)
Status: Full Time
Compensation: $164,000 – $246,000 annually
About Us
About The Role
Key Responsibilities
- Co-design and implement a novel framework for the use of impact evaluation in philanthropic decision-making that aligns with Sequoia’s broader Evidence and Learning agenda.
- Lead quantitative and mixed methods approach to evaluate the systems-wide impact of climate mitigation actions, with a focus on the speed, scale, likelihood of success, and cost of emissions reductions.
- Supports the development and execution of Sequoia’s strategies, goals, policies, and initiatives.
- Engages with the Evidence and Learning Community of aligned donors and practitioners working to advance the goals of Sequoia.
- Identifies partners and collaborations to advance grantmaking/evidence and learning strategies, including, as appropriate, active participation in collaboratives, conferences, and workshops.
- Foster a culture of iterative experimentation and learning among Sequoia staff and our partner by providing technical support, guidance, and thought leadership on novel uses of impact evaluation to inform decision-making.
- Informed by targeted impact evaluations and portfolio-wide Bayesian-probability models and monitoring, lead the development & implementation of Sequoia’s impact reporting.
- Coordinate evaluation processes across Sequoia Climate Foundation’s program teams.
- Perform other duties as required.
Qualifications
- Advanced Degree in science, economics, or mathematics required.
- A minimum of seven years working in climate change or a similarly complex field (e.g., international development, biodiversity conservation, humanitarian aid) is required.
- Experience with applying analytical frameworks to support casual inference is required. This may include econometrics or Bayesian approaches to inference.
- Experience in systems thinking and systems change approaches to evaluation is highly preferred.
- Experience embedding research or evaluative practices into implementation teams is highly preferred.
Compensation & Location
Sequoia Climate Foundation offers a generous benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience. We provide competitive wages, health insurance, paid time off, and other perks to promote work/life harmony. We operate in a hybrid model, which means both workdays from home and in the office for our Irvine, California location. The expectation is this role will be our beautiful office at least three days a week (though never five, lots of opportunities to still work remotely a few days a week). We can be flexible on relocation timelines and offer a small amount of relocation assistance.
COVID-19 Vaccination
Sequoia Climate Foundation encourages its employees to be fully vaccinated and up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
Work Authorization
At this time, the preference is that candidates have the authorization to work in the United States.
To learn more about this opportunity
Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of interest to Tory Clark or Stefanie Lukasko.
| Tory Clark Russell Reynolds Associates 999 Peachtree St NE, Suite 2700 Atlanta, GA 30309–4521 Direct: +1–404–880–5184 [email protected] |
Stefanie Lukasko Russell Reynolds Associates 1700 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006–5208 Direct: +1–202–654–7814 [email protected] |
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please inform Russell Reynolds Associates.
Program Manager, Southeast Asia and China
Location: Irvine, CA (Preferred Location) or Singapore
Type: Hybrid Role (In-person and Remote)
Status: Full Time
Compensation: $149,000 – $186,000 annually
About Us
Sequoia Climate Foundation is a new philanthropy that seeks to decarbonize the world economy at a speed and scale equal to the challenge. We support bold strategies and efforts that will have both near-term impact and the greatest probability of long-term success. We believe that solving climate change requires the adoption of ambitious, evidence-based policy solutions that transform markets, advance clean technology, and lead to large‐scale change. Our focus areas include power, transportation, buildings, industry, land use, agriculture and forestry, finance, communications, and public engagement. Sequoia Climate Foundation is active in major emitting geographies, including China, the United States, India, the European Union, among others. We are dedicated to building the political will and powerful coalitions needed to achieve these bold policy solutions. Our office and staff are based in Irvine, California.
About the Role
We actively seek a collaborative, bold, and innovative thinker who can help us identify and evaluate ambitious climate strategies capable of driving transformative change in the world. The Program Manager, Southeast Asia and China, will report to and work closely with the Southeast Asia and China Program Director and collaborate with Sequoia Climate Foundation leadership to manage grantmaking portfolios and will manage productive relationships with grantees, communicating openly and engaging directly with them. The Program Manager works with leadership to both develop and execute strategies and plans aligned with the organizational mission and vision. They will develop, support, and execute strategies as needed, compile the research and evidence necessary to assess their potential impact and chances for success, and identify the organizations best positioned to execute them. They will support in leading a team and work with peer networks, government officials, thought leaders and key stakeholders to assess emerging needs, gaps, and opportunities in the field.
Key Responsibilities
- Support all aspects of strategy execution and strategic priorities, and set operational plans by conducting research and analysis on specific programs and climate sector trends.
- Support grantmaking portfolios, including initial screening of potential grantees, analyzing background information, soliciting, developing funding proposals, conducting site visits, managing grantee relationships, determining appropriate funding levels, preparing docket materials, monitoring active grants, and preparing grant recommendations. Presents proposed grantees for funding to Program Directors and Executive Team.
- Works with the Program Directors to undertake or commission sector-relevant research and analysis to inform the effective development, delivery, and evaluation of programs and initiatives.
- Engage peer networks, funders, government officials, opinion-formers within the climate change and sector-specific community, and other stakeholders to help develop strategies and identify organizations best positioned to execute those strategies.
- Identifies appropriate partners and collaborations to advance grant-making strategies, including, as appropriate, active participation in collaboratives, conferences, and workshops.
- Monitor developments in the field to identify emerging needs, gaps, and opportunities for driving ambitious climate action.
- Support the forecasting of grant payments and serve as a compliance checkpoint to ensure grantmaking stays within yearly budgets. Supports the maintenance of annual administrative budgets for programmatic expenses.
- Works with the Evidence and Learning team to build and implement robust evidence and learning agenda in our grantmaking.
- Ensures adherence to internal grantmaking processes via appropriate documentation, grant budgeting, and reporting.
- Monitors developments in the field to identify emerging needs, gaps, and opportunities.
- Represents Sequoia Climate Foundation at conferences and meetings with NGOs, funders, experts, and consultants, ensuring follow-up as needed.
- Supports project and program management and handles simultaneous deadlines and assigned work.
- Works integrally with staff in accomplishing tasks and manages junior staff.
Who You Are
- A Strategic Thinker. You’re a strong conceptual thinker who can easily grasp and navigate a range of abstract concepts, relate them to one another, and translate those concepts into strategies and practical actions.
- A Details Person. Your favorite part of reading a research paper is deciding which of the citations in the bibliography to read next. You want to understand not just what someone says but what assumptions they used to get there.
- An Analog and Digital Synthesizer. Once you have collected all the details, you can wrap them up in a concise written form and contribute to an engaging conversation, whether face-to-face, on the phone, or on Twitter.
- An Effective Collaborator. You have worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team, and you have the ability to operate in complex situations. You can quickly gain trust from colleagues and are known for being supportive.
- A Flexible Worker. You are not afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You are comfortable with shifting schedules and don’t expect every day to go “as planned.” You are happy to challenge someone’s assumptions and to have your assumptions challenged in return.
- A Humble Teammate. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects or large strategic goals. You know what you know and what you don’t know, and don’t shy away from questions.
- Mission-oriented. You believe in the mission of Sequoia Climate Foundation and are passionate about climate change and creating a more sustainable world.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree preferred.
- A minimum of eight years of professional experience working in the climate or energy sector (public or private), climate change, or a related field.
- Experience working in China or Southeast Asia is required.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and one additional language that is spoken in China, Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or another Southeast Asian country preferred.
- Experience working in government, non-profit, advocacy, or for a philanthropic organization is preferred.
Compensation & Location
Sequoia Climate Foundation offers a generous benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience. We provide competitive wages, health insurance, paid time off, and other perks to promote work/life harmony. We operate in a hybrid model, which means both workdays from home and in the office for our Irvine, California, location or Singapore. The expectation is this role will be in our office at least three days a week (though never five, lots of opportunities to still work a few days a week remotely). We can be flexible on relocation timelines and offer a small amount of relocation assistance.
NOTE: At this time, our preference is that applicants have the authorization to work in the United States.
To Apply
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume here.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email [email protected]. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
Sequoia Climate Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.
Research Officer, Energy Systems Modeling
Location: Irvine, CA
Type: Hybrid Role (In-person and Remote)
Status: Full Time
Compensation: $118,000 – $148,000 annually
About Us
Sequoia Climate Foundation is a new philanthropy that seeks to decarbonize the world economy at a speed and scale equal to the challenge. We support bold strategies and efforts that will have both near-term impact and the greatest probability of long-term success. We believe that solving climate change requires the adoption of ambitious, evidence-based policy solutions that transform markets, advance clean technology, and lead to large‐scale change. Our focus areas include power, transportation, buildings, industry, land use, agriculture and forestry, finance, communications, and public engagement. Sequoia Climate Foundation is active in major emitting geographies, including China, the United States, India, the European Union, among others. We are dedicated to building the political will and powerful coalitions needed to achieve these bold policy solutions. Our office and staff are based in Irvine, California.
About the Role
We actively seek a collaborative, bold, and innovative thinker who can help us identify and evaluate ambitious climate strategies capable of driving transformative change in the world. The Research Officer, Energy Systems Modeling will conduct cutting-edge, timely policy research and quantitative analyses on the potential and realized impacts of climate mitigation strategies (across major greenhouse gas emitters), with a focus on decarbonizing the global energy system. This role will support Sequoia’s Program teams to develop cutting-edge, impactful strategies for the transformation of climate action, based on quantitative analysis. The Research Officer will design and analyze policy scenarios in Sequoia’s in-house tool, as well as other external tools (including, for example, Energy Policy Simulator, PyPSA, OSeMOSYS, NEMS and where appropriate, integrated assessment models). The Research Officer will report to the Data and Modeling Manager and collaborate closely with Sequoia’s Evidence and Learning team.
Key Responsibilities
- Co-designs and implements scenarios in energy models to maximize the impact of Sequoia’s grantmaking strategies.
- Leads collaborative scenario development and model-building sessions for Sequoia staff and external partners, facilitating quantitative discussions about theories of change and the credibility of specific parameters/assumptions.
- Supports Sequoia’s Data and Modeling Manager on the development and implementation of additional, cutting-edge functionality to our in-house models (in Python, R, VenSim).
- Supports the ongoing iteration of mitigation scenarios based on emerging evidence to inform Sequoia’s understanding of progress toward climate impact.
- Synthesizes scenarios and modeled outputs clearly to both modelers and non-modelers, supporting the development of products that support interpretation.
- Builds and maintains an external network to remain up to date on advances in energy policy and climate change modeling.
- Fosters a culture of iterative experimentation and learning among Sequoia staff and our partner organizations.
- Represents Sequoia Climate Fund at conferences and meetings with NGOs, funders, experts, and consultants, ensuring follow-up as needed.
- Performs other duties as required.
Who You Are
- A Strategic Thinker. You’re a strong conceptual thinker who can easily grasp and navigate a range of abstract concepts, relate them to one another, and translate those concepts into strategies and practical actions.
- A Details Person. Your favorite part of reading a research paper is deciding which of the citations in the bibliography to read next. You want to understand not just what someone says but what assumptions they used to get there.
- An Analog and Digital Synthesizer. Once you have collected all the details, you can wrap them up in a concise written form and contribute to an engaging conversation, whether face-to-face, on the phone, or on Twitter.
- An Effective Collaborator. You have worked across cultural lines on a dispersed team, and you have the ability to operate in complex situations. You can quickly gain trust from colleagues and are known for being supportive.
- A Flexible Worker. You are not afraid to step outside your job description or comfort zone to help the team reach its goals. You are comfortable with shifting schedules and don’t expect every day to go “as planned.” You are happy to challenge someone’s assumptions and to have your assumptions challenged in return.
- A Humble Teammate. Nothing is beneath or above you. You are quick to always lend a hand or two! You are able to earn influence without authority and naturally seek to support both small projects or large strategic goals. You know what you know and what you don’t know, and don’t shy away from questions.
- Mission-oriented. You believe in the mission of Sequoia Climate Foundation and are passionate about climate change and creating a more sustainable world.
Required Qualifications
- Graduate degree in science, engineering, or mathematics is required.
- A minimum of three years working in energy or climate policy modeling or a related field is required.
- Experience with one or more open-source energy modeling frameworks is required.
- Demonstrated experience developing and implementing models in VenSim, Python, or R required.
- Experience with integrated assessment modeling frameworks (e.g., MESSAGEix) preferred.
- Experience with collaborative model building preferred.
- Experience working on energy systems issues in major greenhouse gas emitter or emerging emitters preferred.
Compensation & Location
Sequoia Climate Foundation offers a generous benefits package and a competitive salary commensurate with experience. We provide competitive wages, health insurance, paid time off, and other perks to promote work/life harmony. We operate in a hybrid model, which means both workdays from home and in the office for our Irvine, California location. The expectation is this role will be in our office at least three days a week (though never five, lots of opportunities to still work a few days a week remotely). We can be flexible on relocation timelines and offer a small amount of relocation assistance.
NOTE: At this time, our preference is that applicants have the authorization to work in the United States.
To Apply
Please visit this job posting to apply for the role: Apply to Sequoia Climate Foundation.
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please reach out to the HR Team at [email protected].