About McKnight Foundation

The McKnight Foundation (McKnight, Foundation) is seeking nominations and applications for the position of Senior Program Officer within the Midwest Climate & Energy (MC&E) program. The MC&E program is building incredible momentum in advancing bold climate solutions across the region and beyond. This includes new and expanded leadership (including the Program Director, a new Director of Strategic Climate Initiatives role, and a leaderful team), exciting grantmaking portfolios, partnerships that will move the needle on climate in the years ahead, and an increased institutional commitment to achieving the highest expression of McKnight’s mission at the intersection of climate action and racial equity. The team is committed to innovative, systems change approaches to grantmaking that leverage partnerships and values-based practices in order to support bold action and measurable impact in the climate crisis.

The new Senior Program officer will both oversee a grantmaking portfolio in clean energy and building decarbonization with place-based focus in Michigan and Minnesota and will support strategic partnerships and aligned impact goals across the climate team.  The ideal candidate will be a seasoned strategist and field leader with relevant networks and experience who thrives in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment. They will bring leadership and technical expertise in clean energy and building decarbonization at both local and systems levels. They will demonstrate successful and collaborative approaches to working across sectors and with multiple stakeholders internally and externally and will bring humility and curiosity to the work. The successful candidate will share McKnight’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and will demonstrate effective approaches for centering and improving conditions for communities disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis.

To Apply

More information about The McKnight Foundation may be found at: www.mcknight.org

This search is being conducted with assistance from Katherine Jacobs, Sharon Gerstman, and Ashley Jones of NPAG. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible with a priority deadline of November 1, 2024. Download the full position profile here. Please apply at mcknight.org/careers. For more information, please email ashley@npag.com. All communications will remain confidential.

The McKnight Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. As an employer, McKnight has the opportunity and responsibility to embed equity across its policies and practices-in how teams are hired, trained, developed, and supported, and in how the organization crafts its culture.

President Tonya Allen heads a majority women, majority people-of-color senior leadership team. In addition, McKnight has increased diversity at every level and in every department across the Foundation. This didn't happen by chance. It required actively recruiting candidates from a variety of backgrounds and valuing their skills and lived experiences in addition to specific academic degrees or other formal credentials. McKnight's team has a wealth of diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and lived experiences to advance the Foundation's mission.