About Water Foundation and the Water Solutions Fund

The Water Foundation is a nonprofit philanthropy working to support lasting water solutions for communities, economies, and the environment. The Water Foundation established the Water Solutions Fund in response to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), two monumental bills that offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how the nation’s water resources and systems are managed and who they serve, in ways that advance environmental, health, justice, and climate goals. Since 2022, the Water Solutions Fund has helped move philanthropic resources to support the implementation of this legislation for the benefit of people, nature, and resilient communities.

The Water Foundation administers the Water Solutions pooled fund, which is designed to rapidly assess the grantee and political landscape, respond swiftly to influence policies and practices, and position their partners to access funding for projects that incorporate ecological and equity priorities.

The Opportunity

The Water Foundation seeks a self-directed and motivated Senior Program Fellow to help lead the work of the Water Solutions Fund over the next two years. The Senior Program Fellow role presents an exciting opportunity for an experienced grantmaker with water, environmental justice, and/or climate experience to help maximize the ecological and equity impacts of federal resources for water-related infrastructure.

Reporting to the Director of Programs and Strategies, the Senior Fellow will play a key role in strategizing how to leverage philanthropic resources in the field. They will work directly with grantees, consultants, and partners to achieve the Water Solutions Fund’s priority objectives. This is conceived of as a two-year term position.

Qualifications

• Relevant grantmaking experience and/or experience deploying or tracking public funding streams strongly preferred; work inside federal, state, or tribal agencies, organizing, or on policy advocacy campaigns a plus.
• Knowledge of freshwater, drinking water, conservation, or water justice law or policy, federal agency grant or technical assistance programs, land or water management, or related fields is a plus.
• Excellent project management skills, comfort working independently, and proficiency with problem-solving.
• Superb writing and editing skills including the ability to synthesize extensive information into clear, cohesive written products.
• Strong work ethic, initiative, follow-through, and good judgment.
• Collaborative style and excellent people skills.
• High standards for quality, presentation, protocol, and confidentiality.
• Patience, grace, and humor under pressure.

How to Apply

The salary for this role is $140,000. The Water Foundation is fully remote, with required in-person staff retreats up to four times a year. There is a preference for candidates in Pacific or Mountain time zones to facilitate aligned workdays and short travel for in-person gatherings.

The Water Foundation has retained GoodCitizen to lead this search. To learn more and apply, please visit GoodCitizen’s website.