Chief of Staff [Maternity Cover]

Climate Policy Radar is an independent non-profit building open, credible data infrastructure and AI-powered tools for climate, nature, and development action.

Our data and tools help governments, researchers, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to understand and advance effective climate policies and deploy climate finance. Harnessing data science and AI – including pioneering applications of natural language processing in this field – we make previously unstructured, siloed data easier to find, understand, and act on.

We are a team of policy experts, engineers, data scientists, product thinkers, communicators, and operators. We care deeply about how we work – our values, culture, and ways of collaborating – as well as what we build. As part of that, we have embraced a flexible, hybrid approach to work, including a four-day workweek.

We are hiring a Chief of Staff (maternity cover) to work directly with the CEO during a critical period of organisational growth and increasing external engagement.

This role exists to maximise the CEO’s leverage, judgement, and effectiveness across fundraising, board governance, and external positioning. You will operate as a high-trust integrator between the CEO, the senior leadership team, the board, and key external partners, helping translate complex internal and external signals into clear priorities and decisions. 

While this role is initially offered as maternity cover, there may be opportunities for longer-term or even permanent involvement for the right candidate.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic support to the CEO: Synthesise internal and external information to support CEO decision-making, prepare the CEO for high-stakes engagements (board, funders, partners) and act as a strategic sounding board on organisational priorities and external positioning.

• Board engagement: Coordinate board engagement and support preparation and follow-through for board meetings with the CEO and Chair.

• Funder relationships: Support stewardship of CEO-held funder relationships, ensuring continuity, insight on relationship health, and timely follow-up.

• External narrative and positioning: Help articulate and maintain Climate Policy Radar’s external narrative across funders, partners, and public platforms, ensuring the CEO’s communications consistently advance organisational strategy and fundraising priorities.

• Senior leadership alignment: Translate external signals, organisational priorities, and emerging issues into clear synthesis and decision support for the CEO and senior leadership team. 

• CEO leverage and operational flow: Help maximise the CEO’s leverage by structuring information flow, clarifying priorities, and managing escalation, in close coordination with the Executive Assistant.

• Experience operating in close partnership with a CEO, founder, or senior executive (e.g. Chief of Staff or Strategic Advisor), with responsibility for synthesis, prioritisation, and strategic coordination.

• Demonstrated experience working in the climate sector.

• Strong strategic judgement and the ability to synthesise complex information quickly into clear options, insights, and decision support..

• Data and analytical fluency (using AI enabled tools as appropriate) to surface insights and aid decision making.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for different audiences including funders, board members, and senior partners.

• Experience operating in highly collaborative, cross-functional environments and influencing senior stakeholders.

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, identifying emerging priorities and translating them into structured action.

• High levels of discretion, integrity, and trust when working closely with executive leadership.

We are looking for candidates with significant experience in highly collaborative cross-functional teams, excitement about working in a startup/scaleup environment and all that brings. 

We are a mission driven organisation, and work best with people who have strong alignment with our values. We care about them deeply.

We actively encourage applicants from diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds. 

• Salary between £80k-100k depending on experience

• A deep commitment to employee wellbeing, including policies such as 4 day workweek (same pay, Fridays off) and generous leave

• A vibrant, collaborative, empathetic work culture that thrives on innovation and the impact of our work

• Hybrid work environment (2 days a week) in London, at TechSpace in Goswell Road

We know that applying for a new job can be full of uncertainties - and we aim to reduce those by communicating clearly. Our process is made of several stages (see below). After each stage, we’ll contact you as soon as we can and no later than 2 working days, to let you know if you will be progressing to the next stage.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the process of application and selection, please let us know.

Process:

1. CV and screening questions

2. 40-minute conversation with CEO

3. At-home task

4. 30min task discussion + questions with cross-section of team; 60min interview with CEO, COO and Chief of Staff

5. Reference checks and offer 

At Climate Policy Radar, We are committed to fostering a workplace that is inclusive and equitable. Climate Policy Radar welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and does not tolerate discrimination in any aspect of employment. We actively work to ensure equal opportunities for all, regardless of heritage, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, relationship choices, or criminal history, in line with legal requirements. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, in line with legal requirements.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation in the process of application and selection, please let us know.