Director, Corporate Performance

Global Canopy is a data‑driven not for profit delivering real transparency and accountability for market impacts on nature and people. Our special focus is on ending deforestation – an essential step in achieving urgent global goals on climate, nature and human rights. We work globally, with a focus on both forested regions (particularly across Latin America and South East Asia), and major consumer and financial markets (with a focus on Europe, the US, Singapore and China). We have a distributed team of around 70 people worldwide, with a main office in Oxford (UK). We work via close and deep partnerships, including with institutions like the Stockholm Environment Institute, the UN Climate Change High‑Level Champions, UNEP Finance Initiative, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the Zoological Society of London and many others.

About Corporate Performance: A growing number of companies and financial institutions are seeking to mitigate their impacts on nature. But many have made commitments that are not being met, and others are failing to take any action at all. We hold the most exposed companies and financial institutions to account through our Forest 500 project, by assessing their policies and performance. With our suite of Deforestation‑free Finance Guidance and a forthcoming new tool, DEFT Pathway, we provide tools and data for financial institutions and investors to support effective engagement with high‑risk companies. We support the finance sector, policy makers and other stakeholders by providing market‑leading data on deforestation and ESG metrics through Forest IQ.

About the Role: This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and deeply knowledgeable Programme Director. It is an opportunity to become part of an accomplished and proactive team at the heart of the fight against market‑driven deforestation and nature loss. You will be a strong technical leader who excels at programmatic management and delivery. With a drive and passion for effective delivery, technical quality and rigour, and ensuring teams are well organised and properly resourced to meet their individual and collective objectives on time and on budget. You will lead the management and mentoring of the team and its development to ensure it is equipped and motivated to deliver on and scale‑up its day‑to‑day work, while also continuing to innovate. You will participate in strategy development and external representation, helping to ensure we stay at the leading edge of global efforts to transition to deforestation‑free supply chains and portfolios. You will ensure that our external partnerships are well managed, and that we are continuing to secure the resources and relationships needed to effectively deliver on our strategy in this fast‑moving space.

The programme is structured as three workstreams, which work across our projects and products. The workstreams leads are responsible for delivery, so a key part of your role will be in supporting and enabling them and their teams to effectively deliver on their goals:

• Research, Methodologies and Innovation
• Data and Product Uptake (Communications and Engagement)

The workstreams all work across Forest 500, Forest 500 – Finance, Floresta 250 – Cattle, Deforestation‑free Finance Sector Guidance, Forest IQ, and DEFT Pathway. You will also hold overall budget and fundraising responsibilities for the team and be supported by a dedicated Finance Business Partner and our Development Team. You will ensure that we are making the most of the technical expertise, data and other synergies across Global Canopy as a whole, leveraging the time and skills of regional and cross‑cutting programmes, such as the Brazil‑based team and Human Rights and Learning & Development functions.

Responsibilities:

• Programme Leadership: Lead the effective implementation of the Corporate Performance strategy and workplan through the oversight and management of delivery of the Corporate Performance portfolio of projects. Ensure effective and impactful delivery, building and maintaining strong relationships with partners and strong programme management and leadership. Oversee all major programme management tasks and deliverables including ensuring delivery against budgets, risks and opportunity management and escalation, donor reporting and deliverables. Day‑to‑day management of workstreams will be with the respective workstream leads. Guide and direct the Corporate Performance team, ensuring technical excellence and high‑quality outputs. Support their growth and development as individuals and in sharing learning opportunities across the team. This includes line management of Corporate Performance leads and matrix working across Global Canopy teams.
• Team and People Management: Develop multi‑year plans and design processes to ensure staff ownership and clarity of roles and responsibilities. Empower, support and line manage staff including technical coaching, career development and progression planning as well as identification of key team capabilities to be developed.
• Strategy, Fundraising and External Representation: Stay abreast of external developments affecting our strategy. This includes engaging with NGO peers and our target audiences of companies, financial institutions and policymakers. Manage partnerships and identify new strategic partnerships to further drive forward the Corporate Performance work of Global Canopy and partners. Work with other senior colleagues in Corporate Performance and Global Canopy to develop the strategy and future opportunities via consultative processes. Collaborate with the Development team to cultivate and sustain strong relationships with both new and existing donors, while developing tailored fundraising proposals as needed to sustain and grow the programme. Engage in public speaking at conferences, on webinars and more to engage stakeholders and inspire action on deforestation by companies, financial institutions and other key players.

Requirements:

To be successful in this role:

• Strong programmatic and people management skills, with a proven track record in successfully delivering on complex, cross‑sector projects.
• Deep technical knowledge and leadership on deforestation, climate and nature frameworks and policies, and the latest developments in this fast‑evolving space.

Essential behavioural competencies:

• Strong leadership presence, modelling and championing leadership behaviours and organisational values.
• Positive outlook, high emotional intelligence and a coaching and mentoring‑based approach to line management.

Skills and Experience:

• Significant experience of project/programme management, working with and leading a large team.
• Experience of all stages of project development and delivery e.g. project design, fundraising, as well as project implementation and delivering results.
• Ability to oversee partnership projects with a variety of stakeholders and competing interests and priorities.
• Ability to identify potential fundraising opportunities and design concepts in collaboration with Global Canopy's Development team.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Specific expertise in at least one combination of Global Canopy's focal areas of forests and land use, and supply chain and financial transparency.

Benefits:

• Salary: £70,000 full‑time equivalent (This role sits within Band B on Global Canopy's remuneration framework.)
• Nature of contract: Full‑ or part‑time (0.8 FTE), fixed term (24 months).
• Base: Our office is in Oxford, with flexible home‑working arrangements in place. Ability to attend the office fortnightly at minimum would be desirable. We can support UK visa sponsorship for the successful candidate.
• Holidays: 36 days (including bank/public holidays) for discretionary use across the annual leave year. Option to purchase up to an additional 5 days or equivalent of one week’s leave.
• Pension: Employer pension contribution of 8%.
• Healthcare cashback plan: Covering dental fees, eye‑care, wellbeing, physiotherapy, chiropody and much more – for you and any children.
• Group Life Assurance: Paying a lump sum of 3 times annual salary.
• Group Income Protection: Paying 75% of annual salary for up to 2 years (for long‑term sickness).
• Employee Assistance Programme: Which provides free, confidential advice on personal and legal matters.
• Other: Huge range of discounts and cashback deals at gyms, restaurants, holidays, and much more.