Senior Program Associate, Cement & Building Materials

About the Role

The global cement sector is responsible for around 8% of global CO2 emissions and our team is dedicated to decarbonizing this sector. The Senior Program Associate will join the Cement and Building Materials Team in guiding, growing, and administering Global Industry Hub’s (GIH) grantmaking portfolio. GIH is fiscally sponsored by the ClimateWorks Foundation. 

The Senior Associate will spend their time on program administration activities, grantmaking, communication with grantees, reporting and tracking of grants, refining our decarbonization strategy, and organizing convenings for our global grantees and leading industry experts. The Senior Program Associate will increasingly act as a subject matter expert representing the Global Industry Hub and be a key point of contact for work related to cement and concrete.

This role requires skills in program management, communication, collaboration, and independent research. The program associate will be expected to show resourcefulness, good judgment, punctuality, and a commitment to excellence and integrity. Knowledge of the cement and concrete industries and the construction industry in general is desired.

About the Global Industry Hub

Based at ClimateWorks, the Global Industry Hub (Hub) accelerates the decarbonization of heavy industry by mobilizing philanthropic and catalytic capital toward high-impact opportunities in steel, cement, and chemicals. The Hub operates as a neutral, creative, and catalytic systems platform, connecting funders, governments, industry, CSOs, innovators, and development institutions. It turns complex, capital-intensive transitions into investable, competitive, and climate-aligned industrial paths. Its work bridges policy innovation, economic design, financial alignment, and institutional strengthening, enabling the early projects and long-term reforms needed to rebuild global industrial systems for a net-zero economy. By combining systems thinking, technical insights, and convening power, the Global Industry Hub helps partners achieve far greater leverage and shift industrial ecosystems toward resilient, inclusive, and sustainable futures.

How you will contribute

The Senior Program Associate will:

Grantmaking and Program Oversight (50%)

• Ensure the smooth and effective passage of grants through the multi-stage process of assessment, disbursement, and evaluation.  This can require adhering to tight timelines.  
• Manage relationships with grantees, including understanding their needs and circumstances, ensuring the effective two-way flow of information, and receiving regular reports.   
• Collaborate with peers and other teams at CWF to support effective grantmaking and action on cross-cutting strategies

Knowledge Exchange and Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

• Lead the organization of stakeholder engagement groups, including organizing virtual and in-person meetings, including our annual Global Cement Decarbonization Convening.  This includes preparation of the agenda, meeting organization, coordinating speakers, and recording notes and outcomes.
• Ensure knowledge is broadly shared through written communications and online and in-person events.

Strategy Development & Execution (20%)

• Support research and analysis informing the development of program strategy.
• Prepare documents, briefings, budgets, communications materials, and other work products for sharing outside the organization.  
• Increasingly act as a subject matter expert, point of contact, and representative of GIH in cement and building materials ecosystem.

Other Duties As Assigned (10%)

• Other duties as assigned

Required qualifications

• Passion for solving climate change, demonstrated over years.  
• Strong project and program management skills based on 5+ years’ experience in a relevant role. 
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, including environmental science, public policy, or engineering.  
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.  Ability to work successfully with a wide range of different types of people and cultures.  
• Ability to initiate and manage projects, and to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision
• Excellent research skills, applied with doggedness and creativity.  Ability to synthesize information on a wide variety of topics.  
• Ability to use common business software like Salesforce, Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  
• Availability for international travel: two trips per year minimum, possibly more if desired.  
• Ability to work across global time zones, including frequent calls with the core team in California, and regular calls with India, Africa, and Asia.
• Commitment, caring, and a generous attitude toward colleagues, grantees, and partners, and a commitment to supporting people to build careers and institutions.  
• Commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment and to the mission and values of the Global Industry Hub.

Desired Qualifications:

• Understanding or experience with the cement and building materials sectors, and the broader design and construction industry.
• Masters degree in engineering, policy, or another relevant field is preferred. 
• Experience managing grants or working with non-profits.

Location

ClimateWorks Foundation is based in the San Francisco Financial District. This position is based in BST (British Standard Time) or CET (Central European Time), or areas with the same time as BST or CET.

Compensation

International salary range to be determined based on the location and local cost of labor.

We recognize that compensation and benefits can vary across countries and understand that this can raise important questions. Our goal is to ensure fairness, equity, and competitiveness within each local context. To achieve this, we align our compensation structure with the economic conditions, labor market dynamics, and social benefit systems of the regions where we operate.

Salaries are determined based on country specific labor markets, allowing us to offer pay that is competitive within each region and consistent with other international organizations. Compensation is intentionally structured to be above leading local market averages and appropriate to the regional cost of labor. This approach supports our commitment to equity across our global workforce while enabling us to attract and retain top talent in diverse locations.

Culture

ClimateWorks’ culture is rooted in our core values: collaboration, humility, curiosity, learning, and risk-taking. We come together around shared goals, draw strength from diverse perspectives, and face challenges with an open mind. We grow through experience and boldly experiment to drive meaningful impact in climate philanthropy. Together, we turn ambition into action—spotting big opportunities, convening people, and helping scale bold solutions.

As a globally distributed organization, ClimateWorks offers multiple opportunities each year for staff to meet in person, foster relationships, and enhance collaboration. Staff are expected to attend an in-town week in San Francisco, an all-staff retreat, and a department retreat annually.

About ClimateWorks Foundation

ClimateWorks Foundation is a catalyst for accelerating climate progress, driving bold solutions that benefit people and the planet. We connect funders and implementing organizations worldwide to identify and scale transformative solutions across sectors and geographies, achieving faster, greater impact together. Since 2008, ClimateWorks has granted over $2 billion to more than 850 grantees across 50 countries, working with over 80 funders.

ClimateWorks Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer

ClimateWorks Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. We make decisions about all aspects of our employment practices, without regard to race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, sex (including childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), pregnancy, uniform service member and veteran status, citizenship status, disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. 

As part of our commitment to centering diverse people and perspectives and providing equal opportunities, we ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please note that in your application. 

How to apply

Follow the link below to apply for this position. Please note that ClimateWorks will never request applicants’ credit card or financial information during the interview process. Should you receive a message requesting this information, please report it to ClimateWorks. All current job openings are listed on our careers page: www.climateworks.org/careers.