About the role
ECF plays an important role as a thought leader and ecosystem support in the climate philanthropy and civil society communities. ECF’s Strategic Foresight function, established in November 2022, is an important contributor to this role. Strategic foresight looks across long, medium, and short-term time horizons to identify critical questions facing the climate community, develops pathways and scenarios around preferable and plausible futures, and tests strategies against scenarios. It works across the organization and programme teams to identify critical issues and scan the horizon for major trends and weak signals to prepare for. The strategic foresight team is constantly looking at geopolitical scenarios and how they could affect the organization. It also works closely with the CEO office and the Strategic Planning function. The role will require some travel within Europe.
The strategic foresight manager will work closely with the Executive Director for Strategic Foresight, along with the Strategic Planning function and other programme teams, to develop the next phase of the work.
Key responsibilities
•Strategic foresight and scenario planning processes: supported by the Executive Director, identify, design and execute relevant strategic foresight and scenario planning processes for ECF and its ecosystem of partners. This can include:
oIdentification of strategically relevant topics
oDirect drafting of geopolitical scenarios
oIdentification and management of strategic foresight consultants when necessary
oFacilitation of scenario workshops and exercises
•Grantmaking strategy and management:
oIn support of the overarching strategic foresight priorities, identify partners for grantmaking and oversee grants.
oOversee the Strategic Foresight budget and represent the budget line in relevant internal budget processes
•Ecosystem development and partnerships: together with the ED, identify and maintain relationships with key strategic partners for ECF to collaborate with or provide strategic foresight services
•Fundraising and business development:
oWorking with Strategic Partnerships, support the Executive Director in fundraising for strategic foresight and for ECF more generally, including preparing written materials and joining meetings with funder partners
oHelp develop the model of strategic foresight as a more specific set of tools and initiatives for ECF’s ecosystem
oDevelop communications materials on strategic foresight activities
•ECF processes: represent strategic foresight in ECF internal processes, such as strategic planning, and work with relevant stakeholders to integrate strategic foresight in the organization.