Position Overview
The Rockefeller Foundation (RF) advances its clean energy impact primarily through the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), a cornerstone partnership designed to accelerate energy access and achieve universal energy abundance. Through GEAPP and aligned efforts, RF supports countries in implementing proven pathways to modernize power systems, scale distributed renewable energy, strengthen grid reliability, and expand baseload capacity from renewable sources—driving sustainable economic growth and improved livelihoods. RF’s role is focused on reinforcing delivery against this established strategy, ensuring focus, consistency, and measurable results across priority markets.
The Senior Vice President, Power reports to the EVP of Programs and is accountable for advancing the Foundation's clean energy strategy through the effective stewardship, execution, and continuous evolution of its energy portfolio. With a particular emphasis on maximizing the impact of the Foundation's partnership with GEAPP, this role ensures strong alignment, performance, and value realization across RF's energy investments while identifying opportunities to strengthen strategy, partnerships, and long-term impact as market conditions and sector needs evolve.
Work Schedule: This role follows a hybrid schedule and is required to be on-site Monday through Thursday in New York City.
Hiring Range: $475,000 - $525,000. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s hiring range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities
- Serve as the Foundation’s senior relationship leader with GEAPP, ensuring a high-impact, trusted, and strategically aligned partnership.
- Collaborate internally and externally to support GEAPP’s ability to advance shared goals on energy access and climate.
- Oversee the performance and strategic impact of the Foundation’s anchor investment in GEAPP by monitoring progress against strategic priorities, recommending adjustments as conditions evolve, and ensuring disciplined execution, learning, and continuous improvement.
- Help mobilize and support GEAPP’s fundraising strategy, including engaging donors, partners, and co-investors in partnership with GEAPP’s fundraising team.
- Leverage the Foundation’s network and convening power to unlock additional capital and partnerships in support of GEAPP’s mission.
- Rigorously monitor GEAPP’s performance against the results framework, leverage targets, and return on impact as aligned with the Foundation’s existing energy priorities.
- Guide the Foundation’s participation in GEAPP governance, ensuring strong representation and influence by shaping governance practices, decision-making frameworks, and organizational effectiveness within GEAPP.
- Serve as the primary liaison between Foundation leadership and GEAPP executives.
- Drive tight alignment between GEAPP’s strategy, program execution, and the Foundation’s broader energy and climate agenda, while identifying opportunities to strengthen the Foundation's approach based on emerging trends, partner insights, and performance outcomes.
- Represent the Foundation in key external forums related to GEAPP and other global energy initiatives.
- Elevate the partnership as a model for public-private-philanthropic collaboration in achieving universal energy abundance.
- Drive RF’s additional priority energy portfolios, including oversight of the Foundation’s engagement with the Mission 300 Accelerator, continued evolution of the Power Remade (coal-to-clean), advancement of work on frontier technology, and global south capacity development.
- Represent the Foundation as a credible thought leader on universal energy abundance with senior partners, funders, policymakers, and peer institutions, helping shape sector dialogue, influence institutional behavior, and strengthen accountability for results.
- Guide and oversee the Foundation’s relationship to key sector platforms and institutions, including helping build high-performing, durable, and increasingly independent partner organizations capable of achieving compelling outcomes beyond the Foundation’s eventual reduced role.
- Provide strategic, operational, and people leadership of the RF Power Team to ensure alignment and performance across regions.
- Ability to travel internationally up to 30%.
Education, Experience, And Skills
- Generally expected to have 18+ years of experience in global energy, climate, international development, philanthropy, development finance, impact investing, or a related sector.
- Demonstrated success in shaping and leading high-impact institutional partnerships with multilateral organizations, philanthropies, governments, investors, and private-sector actors.
- Significant experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives and translating strategic priorities into measurable outcomes
- Ability to align organizational objectives, partnerships, investments, and external influence toward shared goals while adapting approaches to evolving conditions and opportunities.
- Proven ability to oversee large-scale strategic investments or portfolio initiatives, including setting performance expectations, monitoring progress, assessing impact, and driving accountability and course correction where needed.
- Deep familiarity with governance structures and board-level engagement, with experience influencing decision-making, organizational effectiveness, and strategic direction in partner institutions, coalitions, or affiliated entities.
- Strong track record of resource mobilization, fundraising, and partnership development, including engaging donors, co-investors, policymakers, and other senior stakeholders to unlock capital and advance institutional objectives. Including demonstrated experience mobilizing sovereign, DFI, and blended/catalytic capital.
- Demonstrated credibility serving as a senior external representative in high-profile forums and with executive-level audiences, with the presence and judgment to influence sector dialogue and build trusted relationships across diverse constituencies.
- Experience leading initiatives related to energy access, energy transition, climate, infrastructure, or sustainable development, with a strong understanding of the policy, financing, and implementation dynamics that shape outcomes in these fields.
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and inspire high-performing teams, including providing strategic direction, coaching senior talent, and driving alignment and execution across regions and functions.
- Exceptional strategic thinking, problem-solving, and organizational leadership skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and manage complexity, with a bias towards outcomes.
- Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex issues clearly and persuasively for internal and external audiences.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred in public policy, business, international affairs, engineering, economics, environmental studies, or related field.
Competencies
- Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
- Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
- Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
- Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.
- Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.
About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation .
The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.
As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
The Rockefeller 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. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.
The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
