VP, Climate Finance Programs

Title: VP, Climate Finance

Reports to: Chief Strategy Officer

Location: Oakland, CA or Washington, D.C. preferred. Remote may be considered near a major airport or in a priority community.

Salary Range: $165,000-$190,000 (Depending on Experience and Location; this salary is based on California, New York and Washington DC only)

Organization Overview

Dream.Org closes prison doors and opens doors of opportunity. We bring people together across racial, social, and partisan lines to create a future with freedom and dignity for all. We are working to build a future wherein "we the people" means all of us.

Purpose

Dream.Org is seeking a leader to ensure that communities most impacted by climate change are included in climate solutions. The VP of Climate Finance leads the Funding & Finance Impact Team at Dream.Org, whose focus is to ensure at least 40% of federal climate dollars reach low-income disadvantaged communities. The team currently provides programs and services focusing on pre-development and market building activities to help low-income disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) and minority-owned businesses compete for climate financing of local infrastructure projects.

The VP is responsible for developing the impact team’s annual plan, fostering high level strategic partnerships, coordinating our work with key external stakeholders, partnering internally with other departments who support the work, and most importantly, driving team results. The VP’s oversight responsibilities include evaluating and improving upon new strategies as well as Dream.Org’s existing programs and services.

The VP will center beneficiaries in program and product design, create and maintain relationships with trusted leaders in the climate and finance industries for capital deployment, and create feedback loops with Dream.Org’s beneficiaries, to both listen and iterate on solutions based on shared learning.

The successful candidate will have experience with both public funding and private financing programs, creating public-private partnerships, and supporting local infrastructure project development from conception to completion. They will also be a strong leader with the ability to adapt to an ever changing landscape and to guide others as the strategy evolves to remain responsive and effective.

Please note, Dream.Org is not a financial institution itself. Rather, its work is focused on assisting underserved communities and minority-owned businesses to identify and compete for public and private funding and financing of climate infrastructure projects, as well as making connections and referrals to support their success.

Duties and Responsibilities:

50% Strategy & Management

• Develop and lead strategy to draw down public and private funding
• Delegate to, manage and coach leaders to deliver results
• Partner with cross-departmental leaders and problem-solve challenges to foster a coordinated response to deliver impact (including Government Affairs, Tech Innovation, Communications and Marketing teams, etc.)
• Lead day-to-day coordination of Dream.Org’s internal teams to drive progress on its climate finance goal of delivering at least 40% of federal climate investments into low income disadvantaged communities
• Regularly evaluate the work, foster a culture of data-driven innovation, and report on our impact.
• Serve on the leadership team and executive team of Dream.Org an prioritize alignment across all areas of work

50% Partnership Development, External Affairs, & Thought Leadership

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders and strategic partnerships that maximize our effectiveness and scale our impact
• Cultivate and manage, or participate in coalitions that strengthen our impact and contribution to the field
• Partner with external stakeholders to problem-solve challenges and achieve success as a field, when there are common problems
• Be available for media requests, speaking engagements and other external presentations that help drive our mission and message
• Stay abreast of new developments, trends, threats and opportunities in the field and be able to help guide/navigate the team through them
• Work closely with the Development Team to craft fundraising strategies and contribute to funding pitches, grant proposals, and reports to secure resources to sustain the work.

Preferred Education/Skills/Experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in finance, urban planning, public policy, environmental design or related field or equivalent work experience
• 7+ years of professional experience in a related field of work
• Practical knowledge and familiarity with the challenges and opportunities associated with financing infrastructure projects in low-income disadvantaged communities
• Direct experience working in, or strong command of, commercial real estate finance, energy, environmental, and/or building infrastructure sectors preferred
• Proven experience advancing solutions to financing challenges for low-income disadvantaged communities and/or minority-owned businesses
• Proven track record in the strategic development of programs, change management, and project management
• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income communities and communities of color
• Ability to synthesize and summarize complex information and effectively communicate with a variety of audiences from financial institutions to community partners
• Ability to succeed in a dynamic environment, to adapt and remain responsible, and to bring others along as pivots are needed
• Must be able and willing to travel as needed (estimated 25-30%), including to the annual in-person staff retreat

Employee Benefits:

All full-time employees receive Medical, Dental & Vision coverage. Dream.Org pays 100% of premiums for employee, spouse and dependents. Part-time employees receive 50% coverage. After a 6 month waiting period, employees can contribute to our retirement plan. Currently, Dream.Org offers up to a 5% match. We also offer a flexible spending, pre-tax program for medical expenses, dependent care expenses, transit expenses and parking expenses. All full-time Dream.Org employees accrue 4 weeks of vacation time off and 12 days of sick time off over the first year of employment. Part-time employees accrue time off on a prorated basis. In addition to 10 paid holidays, Dream.Org also provides paid time off from December 24th through January 1st each year.

Dream.Org is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, sex, gender identity, age, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or record of arrest or conviction. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strive for a workforce that reflects the populations that we serve. Additionally, upon job offer, each candidate is required to provide evidence of your eligibility to work in the United States.