Greenpeace UK - Programme Director

Message from the Executive Directors

We are so excited you are interested in the role of Programme Director at Greenpeace UK!

We started as co-EDs in October 2022 with a lot of energy and excitement to build on Greenpeace’s 50 year legacy of making change through taking action. We joined at a time critical for the future of the planet and its residents. There are no two ways about it – this job is a challenging one, but it is also the most important challenge, should you choose to take it on!

It’s a time when the tide on this era defining issue could be turning. The climate movement is now more mainstream than ever, with more public support for halting climate and biodiversity breakdown and ever more people willing to take action. The solutions we need to resolve these crises are at our fingertips – and so our movement is powerful.

In the coming years, we need to make this movement stronger and lean into Greenpeace’s strengths. We want to work at the intersection of social justice and climate

to drive progressive change and we want to do this in the most inclusive and diverse ways possible. Greenpeace knows what the world we want looks like–and this is where you come in–to help us make it real.

In this role, you will work with some of the most talented campaigners, communicators and mobilisers. You will decide on the organisation’s priority campaigns, oversee their strategies and communications and ensure that they are well resourced. You will manage deputies and create a ‘can do’ culture which encourages smart risk taking and makes Greenpeace a vital part of the larger movement. Just as important, no matter what your role in Greenpeace, there are always plenty of opportunities to get stuck in as an activist.

Thanks again for your interest!

About Greenpeace UK

Greenpeace is a movement of people who are passionate about defending the natural world from destruction.

Our vision is a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come. We’re independent. We don’t accept any funding from governments, corporations or political parties – our work is funded by ordinary people. That means we’re free to confront governments and corporations responsible for the destruction of the natural world and push for real change.

We do this by investigating, documenting and exposing the causes of environmental destruction. We work to bring about change by lobbying, consumer pressure and mobilising members of the general public. And we take peaceful direct action to protect our Earth and promote solutions for a green and peaceful future.

around the world. Our movement is growing every day and our commitment to realising our vision is as strong as ever.

We find ourselves at a pivotal point in human history. Climate change and biodiversity loss are both rapidly accelerating, and we’re seeing and feeling the effects of it ever more – in the changes to our air, sea levels and more extreme weather events, and in the daily warnings of ecological collapse. The need to act to protect our planet has never been so urgent, yet governments and corporations are still dragging their feet.

Our mission is to promote radical changes and new solutions to the ways we live on this planet so that we can all call it home for generations to come.

Greenpeace was founded in 1971 by a small group of concerned individuals, who set sail to Amchitka Island off the coast of Alaska to try and stop a US nuclear weapons test. Their old fishing boat was called “The Greenpeace”. Today, Greenpeace is present in over 40 countries

• Find out more on our website.

• Read our Impact Report 2020.

• Watch our video celebrating 50 years of Greenpeace.

• Employee stories from our website.

The Role

Role: Programme Director Salary: £79,000 - £84,000 depending on experience

Location: London UK

Direct Reports: Deputy Programme Directors, Campaigns (x2), Deputy Programme Director, Investigations and News, Programme Planning Coordinator, Team Leader (Ocean Sanctuaries), Digital Review Project Lead

Benefits:

• Annual leave is 25 days per year for full-time staff and additional leave is accrued according to length of service up to a maximum of 32 days. Annual leave is applied pro-rata for part-time staff. The office is normally closed between Christmas and new year and

staff don’t have to use annual leave to cover this period.

• Greenpeace UK offer a generous salary sacrifice pension scheme held with Aviva. Greenpeace contributes 8.5% of basic salary, provided you contribute at least 3%.

• To assist with meeting the costs of travel to work, you can take advantage of an interest free season ticket loan or a taxefficient bicycle loan.

• We offer a life assurance scheme paying four times your annual salary in the unfortunate event of death during employment.

• Along with all employees, you have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provided by Health Assured.

Travel:

There will be some international meetings as part of this role (approx. 2–3 times per year for up to a week each time).

Job Summary

The Programme Director is responsible for all communications and campaigns at Greenpeace UK, which aim to halt climate and biodiversity breakdown and promote a just transition. The role will report to the co-EDs and be part of the senior management team of seven directors as well as the international Greenpeace Community.

This is a critical role both within the organisation and externally, with significant opportunity to influence the environmental agenda and forge alliances with other movement partners. People pay attention to what Greenpeace says and does, and in this role, you’ll play a crucial role in shaping what that is and making it happen. Your leadership will contribute towards national and global change in the service of a fair, green, peaceful future.

Greenpeace UK Organisational Chart

Key Responsibilities

Campaigns and Communications:

• This position will oversee the direction, prioritisation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all Greenpeace UK’s campaigns.

• You will bring creativity and flair to develop Greenpeace UK’s communication strategies, to deliver campaigns and supporter development messaging. This includes consideration for different communications vehicles and technologies (on and offline).

• The role will also be responsible for ensuring that our investigation unit works in tandem with other parts of the programme and drives the longer term programme goals and priorities. When deputising for the EDs, you represent Greenpeace to external audiences in the UK and internationally, including media, political, business and donor audiences at the highest levels, in order to raise the profile and influence of Greenpeace and its campaigns.

• The Programme Director at Greenpeace UK will participate constructively in the international community of Greenpeace Programme Leaders and represent the UK office. In this role, you will proactively identify and form jointly owned campaigns with other Greenpeace offices and maintain positive relationships.

Team and Organisational Leadership:

• In this role you will lead the Programme Leadership Team who run the organisation’s largest department of more than 70 people As a leader, you will prioritise, promote and nurture a creative and healthy organisational culture that values open and honest communication.

• You will ensure that Greenpeace UK lives by its values and embodies justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in the way we operate, providing consistent and motivating leadership to the whole organisation and modelling and promoting effective, internationally focused and ways of working.

• You will oversee the annual budget setting process for the department in consultation with the Head of Finance, allocating and monitoring budgets for projects and campaign activities in collaboration with your Deputy Directors.

• With the People & Culture Director you will craft the learning, development and training needs of the department.

• You will actively plan and oversee staff recruitment, development and succession to meet future programme requirements.

• The Programme Director will work closely with the Executive Directors and other members of the senior management team to ensure integration of all the functions of Greenpeace, creating a clear and coherent organisational plan, and collectively overseeing its implementation. You will contribute to organisational decision making and report to the Board on progress and plans.

Person Specification

• You will have worked in a global campaigning role, with evidenced success, ideally from some part of the broad environmental or social justice sector. This will include experience of inspiring, leading and mobilising change through political lobbying, media, corporate engagement or a combination of all. You will bring experience of building partnerships and coalitions.

• You will have significant communications experience, and be excellent at telling a clear, compelling story that furthers campaigns, builds alliances and brings people along with us.

• You will have evidenced commitment to tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis with a deep understanding of climate justice and the intersection across these areas.

• You have experience of working with the media, including public speaking and media interviews.

• You will be an excellent team player, with a collaborative approach and an

empowering manager who understands the challenges of sustaining efforts in this sector and in the face of adversity.

• You have experience of leading large, complex teams and motivating people to work towards common goals.

• You have experience of working effectively within an intersectional framework, promoting justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, commitment to anti-racism and the communication skills to take part fully in cross-cultural programmes.

• You can demonstrate how you have been creative and imaginative in your career to generate change through campaigns and communications.

• You are motivated to work in a complex international organisation where diplomacy and negotiation skills will be required.

• You have experience of, or a commitment to, using direct action as a means of effecting social, behavioural and political change, including a willingness to join Greenpeace actions, and be arrested, if necessary.

How to Apply

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR.

Get in Touch

If you would like to have an informal discussion, have any queries, or need additional information please email at programme-director-greenpeaceuk@oxfordhr.com in the first instance. We welcome with anyone who is interested in the position but may not meet all of the criteria above.

Greenpeace UK and Oxford HR are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone regardless of their background. We acknowledge that people from certain backgrounds are underrepresented in environmental and campaigning organisations and we’re committed to doing what we can to correct this. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of colour; people with disabilities; people who identify as being LGBTQIA; people who are neurodiverse; and people who identify as working class now or in the past.

How to Apply

To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page. Here you will be asked to complete our online application form and submit your CV and cover letter in two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process.

The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and should explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and

experience make you a good fit. The documents should be saved in MS Word in the following format: Your First NameYour Last NameDocument Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Malika-CookeCV-0123- Greenpeace or Malika-CookeCoverLetter0123-Greenpeace.

Applicant Privacy Policy

Any personal data we collect from you as part of a recruitment process will be processed in accordance with the GDPR; please see our Applicant Privacy Policy here.

Timeline

Closing Date: 27th January 2023

First online interviews with Oxford HR: From 14th February 2023. References will be gathered at this stage.

Second interviews with Greenpeace UK: From 28th February 2023.

Next Steps

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

About Oxford HR

Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development, environment and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.