Program Associate, Cement & Building Materials

About the Role

The global cement sector is responsible for around 8% of global CO2 emissions and our team is dedicated to decarbonizing this sector. The Program Associate will join the Cement and Building Materials Team in guiding, growing, and administering Global Industry Hub’s (GIH) grantmaking portfolio.

The ideal candidate will be proactive and detail-oriented, with administrative, project coordination, and event planning skills and experience. This person will enjoy supporting team operations, will naturally “connect the dots” in projects with multiple moving parts, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

The Program Associate will spend their time on program administration activities, communication with grantees, reporting and tracking of grants, including managing grants in a Salesforce-based grants management system, and organizing regular convenings for our global grantees and leading industry experts. In addition, they will be responsible for supporting the execution of multi-faceted domestic and international meetings and for supporting varied projects. This role will report to the Program Manager, Cement & Building Materials.

Department Summary

About the Global Industry Hub

Based at ClimateWorks, the Global Industry Hub (Hub) accelerates the decarbonization of heavy industry by mobilizing philanthropic and catalytic capital toward high-impact opportunities in steel, cement, and chemicals. The Hub operates as a neutral, creative, and catalytic systems platform, connecting funders, governments, industry, CSOs, innovators, and development institutions. It turns complex, capital-intensive transitions into investable, competitive, and climate-aligned industrial paths.

Its work bridges policy innovation, economic design, financial alignment, and institutional strengthening, enabling the early projects and long-term reforms needed to rebuild global industrial systems for a net-zero economy. By combining systems thinking, technical insights, and convening power, the Global Industry Hub helps partners achieve far greater leverage and shift industrial ecosystems toward resilient, inclusive, and sustainable futures.

How you will contribute

Grantmaking and Program Oversight (70%)

Lead the operations of Team Cement’s grantmaking, ensuring the smooth and effective passage of grants through the multi-stage process of assessment, disbursement, and evaluation. This requires adhering to tight timelines, Manage relationships with grantees, including understanding their needs and circumstances, ensuring the effective two-way flow of information, and receiving regular reports.

Maintain and monitor the Portfolio’s grantmaking budget and support the annual planning process.

Develop and update team policies and procedures for quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the program & its grantmaking, and support improving GIH and CWF processes.

Collaborate with peers and other teams at CWF to support effective grantmaking operations.

Knowledge Exchange and Stakeholder Engagement (20%)

Lead the organization of stakeholder engagement groups, including organizing virtual and in-person internal and domestic meetings, including our annual Global Cement Decarbonization Convening. This includes logistics and meeting organization, coordinating speakers, and recording notes and outcomes.

Prepare documents, briefings, budgets, communications materials, and other work products for sharing outside the organization.

Ensure knowledge is broadly shared through written communications and online and in-person events.

Other Duties As Assigned (10%)

Support the Cement + Building Materials Director and Program Manager in their responsibilities

Participate in GIH program team, GIH team and ClimateWorks meetings and retreats.

Other duties as assigned

Required qualifications

Strong project management skills based on 2-4 years’ experience in a relevant role.

Detail-oriented with strong analytical skills.

Ability to use common business software like Salesforce, Google Suite, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Signal

Experience building and maintaining flexible systems and plans for projects and events (e.g., timelines, plans, and tracking systems for project elements such as core planning, outreach efforts, materials development, and expenses).

Experience managing grants or working with non-profits, foundations, or multilateral initiatives.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Ability to work successfully with a wide range of different types of people and cultures across global time zones.

Ability to initiate and manage projects, and to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision

Availability for international travel: ~three trips per year.

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Strong understanding of climate change and passion for addressing the challenge, demonstrated over years.

Commitment, caring, and a generous attitude toward colleagues, grantees, and partners, and a commitment to supporting people to build careers and institutions.

Commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment and to the mission and values of the Global Industry Hub.

Desired Qualifications:

Understanding or experience with the cement and building materials sectors, and the broader design and construction industry.

Excellent research skills, applied with doggedness and creativity. Ability to synthesize information on a wide variety of topics.

Location

ClimateWorks Foundation is based in the San Francisco Financial District. This position is classified as US Flexible. If US Flexible: Exceptional candidates can work from the SF office or from other locations, geographic differential applied to compensation based on local cost of labor.

About ClimateWorks Foundation

ClimateWorks Foundation is a catalyst for accelerating climate progress, driving bold solutions that benefit people and the planet. We connect funders and implementing organizations worldwide to identify and scale transformative solutions across sectors and geographies, achieving faster, greater impact together. Since 2008, ClimateWorks has granted over $2 billion to more than 850 grantees across 50 countries, working with over 80 funders.

ClimateWorks Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. We make decisions about all aspects of our employment practices, without regard to race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, sex (including childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), pregnancy, uniform service member and veteran

status, citizenship status, disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.

As part of our commitment to centering diverse people and perspectives and providing equal opportunities, we ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please note that in your application.

How to apply

Follow the link below to apply for this position. Please note that ClimateWorks will never request applicants’ credit card or financial information during the interview process. Should you receive a message requesting this information, please report it to ClimateWorks. All current job openings are listed on our careers page: www.climateworks.org/careers.