All jobs We will be reviewing applications and holding interviews on an ongoing basis.
Location: Ideally a London based role with offer of sponsorship for those without the right to work in the UK. Accra, Ghana, or Johannesburg, South Africa also considered.
Location type: Hybrid. Ability to work from home for up to 50% of the time.
Reporting to: CEO
Manages: Breathe Cities Leadership
Annual salary: Competitive
Contract type: Permanent
Working hours: This is a full-time role that will require international travel.
Candidate level: Director
Background
Clean Air Fund is a global philanthropic organisation that brings together governments, campaigners, researchers, funders, and businesses to create a world where everyone breathes clean air. We all need clean air to live, grow and thrive. Yet 9 out of 10 people breathe harmful, dirty air, making air pollution one of our biggest health threats. Globally, over 7 million people die every year because of air pollution — more than twice as many as from malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS combined. The poorest communities, living in the most congested areas, are hit the hardest. Babies, children, and older people suffer most.
In addition to harming our health, air pollution is linked to climate change. It doesn’t have to be this way. Cleaning our air can be a solution to some of society’s greatest challenges, from public health to climate change, children’s development to sustainable economic growth. Find out about our ‘Clean Air for All’ strategy here. Learn more about where we work here.
How we work
From grassroots to government, Clean Air Fund supports partners to accelerate action on clean air. We do this by:
- Funding and partnering with organisations across the globe that promote air quality data, build public demand for clean are and drive action.
- Influencing and supporting decision-makers to act on clean air and to strengthen the air quality cause.
- Working with communities that are disproportionately affected by air pollution.
Cities generate huge carbon emissions and expose millions to deadly air pollution. Cities will house two-thirds of the world’s population by 2050 and their heavy emissions make them where the fight against climate breakdown will be won or lost. But through action on air pollution, cities can lead on climate solutions, radically and equitably improve global health, and help save millions of lives.
To capture this opportunity, Clean Air Fund, together with our partner C40 Cities, and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is delivering Breathe Cities, an ambitious programme to halve health- and climate-harming emissions in some of the world’s most polluted cities.
We have proved the Breathe concept successfully in London, launched further Breathe cities in Warsaw and Sofia and will work in a further 10 major cities while developing the tools and the learnings to be able to deploy this at scale. The project is funded by an initial $1.5M from CIFF and $30M funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
We are establishing the structures, processes, and partners for the project, and continuing to seek additional investment to scale to our ultimate goal of halving air pollution and climate emissions in 100 Breathe cities worldwide by 2030, and with a focus on growing our footprint in the global South. We will work largely through local partners and local staff teams.
Purpose of role
The Executive Director will be responsible for the successful global roll-out, growth, and impact of the Breathe Cities project. Working closely with key partners and funders, the Executive Director will run Breathe Cities as a multi-stakeholder project, ensuring it is well set-up, with a strong management team, effective governance, a clear strategy and robust on the ground delivery.
This role will report directly to CAF’s CEO and will be able to leverage CAF’s existing governance, back office teams and expertise in grant-making. They will line manage a core team while benefitting from dotted line management to finance, HR, and programmatic staff across our geographical programmes. They will work closely with the Strategic Partnerships director, who oversees fundraising, and the Executive Director for Programmes, who manages CAF’s geographical programmes (currently in Europe, the UK, India, Ghana and South Africa). They will also work closely with Breathe Cities partners, C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies as well as the Breathe Cities advisory group.
Primary responsibilities
The post-holder will:
- Have overall responsibility for rolling out Breathe Cities globally, overseeing strategic planning, international recruitment, partner selection and grant-making to deliver the core components of the Breathe programme.
- Supervise the processes of policy goal setting, resource allocation, and impact reporting that are critical to effective Breathe Cities delivery.
- Lead relationships with senior stakeholders, including Bloomberg Philanthropies and other funders and prospective funders, founder partners, major external partners, Breathe Cities advisory group members and CAF Trustees to ensure the project runs effectively to meet its air quality and climate goals.
- Engage mayors and other senior leaders in programme cities to reinforce buy-in and encourage commitment to and implementation of ambitious air pollution and climate goals.
- Engage key partners to ensure Breathe Cities is deeply rooted in the global south and authentically addresses the interests and concerns of communities affected by air pollution.
- Position Breathe Cities for growth, working closely with CAF and C40 fundraisers to raise significant funds to build the programme and extend its lifespan beyond its initial three years.
- Act as an ambassador and global spokesperson for the programme and its achievements, showcasing success at key venues as a way to sustain the project and further its aims.
Key working relationships:
- CAF and C40 leadership.
- Focal points at Bloomberg Philanthropies and other Breathe Cities funders.
- Breathe Cities advisory group members and those involved in CAF governance.
- Partner leaders and key partner staff.
- Breathe Cities management team, key contractors, and consultants.
Further accountabilities
Strategy, insights and oversight (35%)
- Implement a clear strategy to deliver the Breathe Cities theory of change through the three pillars of enhanced data, citizen engagement and ambitious city policies.
- Building off the clear delivery strategy agreed with funders, set the direction for the project that ensures it is cohesive while adapting programming, partnering and grant-making decisions to local realities.
- Capture, codify, and share insights from implementation to ensure the project is as effective as possible and to support new cities and partners to adopt best practices for reducing emissions.
- Ensure the programme delivers real reductions in air pollution in the initial 10 cities whilst developing the tools and the learnings to be able to deploy this at scale.
- Lead engagement with Breathe Cities’ advisory committee and Clean Air Fund’s governance to secure approval for country strategies and grant-making plans, report on progress and seek advice on overcoming major challenges.
- Ensure that the needs of those most affected by air pollution are addressed and their voices heard in decision making, so that the vision of clean air for all can be realised.
- Build strong relationships with key funder focal points and partner leads to ensure all parties continue to share the same vision for the project and how it is delivered, managing concerns and resolving differences.
- Engage mayors and senior city figures as needed, hand-in-hand with our country leads, to problem solve, to encourage cities to deliver against ambition, and to gather insights and data that will support the successful roll out of the programme to other cities.
- Select and initiate framework agreements with key grantee partners to deliver critical components of the theory of change.
- Diplomatically balance the interests of different stakeholders while ensuring the right decisions are taken to ensure the Breathe Cities vision can be realized.
- Ensure Breathe Cities is well known, leveraging the project’s communications capability, funder networks and partner platforms to showcase policy advances and other progress.
- Working with the fundraising teams, ensure funders and prospective funders are well briefed on Breathe Cities and contribute to efforts to raise further funding.
- Ensure the smooth running of complex administrative processes around recruitment, partner selection, grant management and operations in at least 10 different geographies, allowing for cultural, legislative and organizational differences between them.
- Work closely with senior leaders in CAF to deliver Breathe Cities harmoniously, leading through influence where necessary, and leveraging capabilities that sit in other teams.
- Recruit and manage a talented, diverse, and effective team comprising central staff and country leads to deliver Breathe Cities programming.
- Supervise key decisions on future choice of operating cities and the management of engagement with city leaders, citizens groups and civil society, as well as service providers delivering research, data streams, data analysis and campaigns.
- Ensure the effective contracting and management of advisors, consultants and grantees who are delivering global components of the Breathe Cities programme and supervise central teams handling budget management and impact reporting against Breathe Cities targets.
We value diversity. Air pollution is a universal concern, and we need people from all backgrounds and walks of life to help create clean air for all. Clean Air Fund’s team is collaborative, dynamic and evidence informed. We have high standards and are results focused. We are deliberate about the kind of team and culture that we are building, seeking team members who are not only strong in their own aptitudes but are inclusive and care about supporting each other's growth.
Essential competencies
- Significant experience overseeing strategic programme design and delivery in multi-stakeholder environments. Experience working with partners, grantees and allies to achieve results.
- Experience monitoring programmes and changing course, if necessary, and evaluating programmatic impact and of scaling successful approaches.
- Proven track record of influencing, negotiating with and building effective strategic partnerships with a range of stakeholders, and maintaining relationships and partnerships long term.
- Ability to speak and write articulately in English, and to gain credibility with a variety of audiences.
- Experience working internationally including in politically sensitive environments.
- Outstanding people management, mentoring and leadership skills. Strong ability to prioritize and to support others to do the same. Experience driving for results over both the short and long-term. Track record of recruiting and managing high performing teams and influencing and leading team members who report to others.
- Comfortable making resource allocation decisions regularly, including both financial and human resources. Reasonable level of financial literacy. Ability to manage organizational issues related to different international operating environments and maintain high standards while working at pace.
- A background in air quality, climate or environment.
- Experience working with city governments and/or on policy.
- Knowledge of landscape of philanthropic funders.
- Demonstrable alignment with CAF’s mission of clean air for all.
- Clear fit with Clean Air Fund’s values:
- Dynamic - results-focused, able to work at pace and balance responding to new opportunities with the delivery of existing objectives. Decisive, with a pragmatic and problem-solving approach. Resilient and able to manage periods of high work intensity. Flexible and able to respond to rapidly changing external environments.
- Evidence-informed – analytical, inquisitive, and able to think critically and objectively.
- Collaborative - strong interpersonal skills, quick to build relationships. Trustworthy and able to act with discretion and diplomacy.
- High standards, motivated by delivering quality and impact.
- Shares own views, regularly seeks and gives clear and constructive feedback to others, and is willing to take calculated risks.
- Inclusive and supportive, recognises the value that different perspectives bring, relates well with people of different backgrounds and supports others.
- Supremely organised with great attention to detail.
What Clean Air Fund offers
We are a growing organisation that is clear about what we offer and what we expect from everyone in the team. We offer the opportunity to be at the heart of efforts to drive the
We provide a competitive reward package, flexible working, and a commitment to supporting your learning and professional development. As a relatively new organisation, we are intentional about building trusting relationships and, to facilitate a strong culture across the team, everyone comes into the office for 50% of their time.
Everyone who works with us shares our values — collaborative, dynamic and evidence-informed — and a commitment to our mission. We are growing rapidly, so comfort with change and the ability to work at pace is vital, as is a desire to learn, improve and develop with the organisation. Find out here about our values, offices, benefits, salary and commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality.
To apply for the post
To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV/resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements set out in the job announcement by clicking on the following link:
If you have any questions about the role or organisation, please reach out to Zoe Oldham at zoeoldham@darylupsall.com. An applicant’s pack is also available upon request at the same email.
We will be reviewing applications and holding interviews on an ongoing basis.