Program Director — Environment

Program Director — Environment

Launched 40 years ago, the Mott Foundation's Environment program has long supported programs around the world that protect communities and the ecosystems upon which they depend. This work has demonstrated that such grantmaking must seek practical ways to build strong economic, social and environmental conditions for all people — in a word, sustainability. In 2025, the Environment program awarded 93 grants totaling more than $20 million.

This is an exciting time to join the Environment team as they begin to implement in 2026 a new 10-year program plan. Based on the lessons learned from their long-term engagement in the field, the team will pursue three initiatives:

• One Water, which will promote clean, affordable and accessible water for all from source to tap, both in the Great Lakes region and across the United States.
• Finance for Sustainability, which aims to influence international finance to drive the transition to low-carbon energy, protect ecosystems and uphold the rights of local communities.
• Land, Water and People of the Amazon Basin, which will work to advance land rights, ecological stewardship and sustainable livelihoods in the Amazon basin.

The Mott Foundation is seeking a program director to lead its Environment program at an important moment in its evolution. With a new 10-year plan underway and an anticipated investment of $200 million across its three initiatives, the incoming director will help translate an ambitious strategy into meaningful, durable results.

At its core, the role requires understanding the breadth of the Environment program well enough to provide sound oversight, communicate the work clearly to Foundation leadership and trustees, and create the conditions for talented program officers to deploy resources effectively. The program director will lead primarily through judgment, coaching, inquiry and influence, while also ensuring that the program's grantmaking and internal processes are executed with consistency and excellence.

One Water represents the Foundation's largest environmental investment and an important through line for the program. At the same time, the combination of domestic and international work is a defining feature of this opportunity. The incoming program director will be expected to value and steward all three initiatives, developing sufficient knowledge of areas outside their existing expertise to support program staff, engage grantees and partners, and translate the work for others.

The program is at the beginning of its 10-year strategy. The initial opportunity is therefore to learn the organization and portfolio deeply, support strong implementation and build on what is working. Over time, the program director will help the Foundation assess progress, learn from implementation, and make thoughtful adjustments as conditions and opportunities evolve.

This is both a leadership role and an opportunity to remain meaningfully engaged in grantmaking. In addition to coaching staff and providing program-wide oversight, the program director will personally manage a portfolio of grants, maintaining direct relationships with grantees and staying close to the substance of the work. The program director also will ensure the quality and timeliness of the team's work, strengthen relationships across the field and represent Mott externally when appropriate.

• Lead implementation and stewardship of the Environment program's 10-year plan across One Water, Finance for Sustainability, and Land, Water and People of the Amazon Basin, helping the team translate established goals into clear priorities and measurable progress.
• Maintain a view across the full portfolio, monitor relevant external developments, and lead periodic reviews that inform thoughtful adjustments based on learning and changing conditions.
• Serve as the primary bridge between the Environment team and Foundation leadership, understanding complex program work well enough to translate it clearly for decision-makers and other audiences.
• Keep the vice president of Programs and the president and chief executive officer appropriately informed of major…