Position

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a senior leader responsible for designing and executing Global Energy Monitor’s comprehensive fundraising strategy, with a primary focus on cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual and foundation gifts. Reporting to the Executive Director, the CDO will partner closely with the executive leadership team and the Board of Directors to grow and diversify GEM’s revenue base, ensuring long-term sustainability and impact.

This role is externally facing, relationship-driven, and highly strategic centered on building deep partnerships with philanthropists, foundations, and aligned institutions that share GEM’s commitment to open data and data-driven accountability in the global energy transition.

Applicants for the Chief Development Officer role must be United States residents, either U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Preference will be given to California residents.

The Challenge

According to the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), we have less than a decade to make massive and unprecedented changes in the global economy to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. To meet that challenge,

Global Energy Monitor is creating trackers and other tools to provide detailed information on energy facilities, sponsors, and financing. 

About Global Energy Monitor

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) is a network of researchers developing information for the worldwide climate and clean energy movement. Since the organization’s founding in 2007, GEM’s research has become an essential tool for activists, journalists, policymakers, and scientists. GEM’s data and reports are used and cited by organizations ranging from Greenpeace to The Wall Street Journal.

GEM’s information is used by Bloomberg Terminals, the International Energy Agency, the IPCC, Climate Analytics, Carbon Tracker Initiative, and hundreds of others.

Location

GEM is a remote-first organization and does not maintain a central office. We work with employees to create suitable home office setups aligned with the needs of their role.

This role is open to candidates based in the United States. Preference will be given to candidates based in California.

The CDO must be willing and able to travel up to approximately 25% of the time—domestically and internationally.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The CDO will manage GEM’s development team. 

Responsibilities and Duties

Organizational & Revenue Strategy

1. Partner with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to develop and implement GEM’s long-term fundraising and revenue diversification strategy, with a strong emphasis on major gifts.
2. Set annual and multi-year fundraising targets and lead strategies to achieve them across individual, foundation, and institutional funding streams.
3. Position GEM as a trusted, high-impact organization for philanthropic investment in energy transparency, open data, climate accountability, and public-interest data.

Major Gifts & Relationship Management

1. Build, manage, and grow a robust major gifts pipeline and portfolio, cultivating relationships with high-net-worth individuals, philanthropists, family foundations, and donor-advised funds.
2. Partner with the Executive Director and personally lead on several efforts to cultivate and solicit new donors and stewardship efforts, including preparing customized engagement strategies and solicitation plans.
3. Strategically support and prepare the Executive Director and Board members to serve as effective ambassadors and fundraisers.
4. Deepen relationships with existing funders while identifying and cultivating new domestic and international major gift prospects.
5. Oversee institutional fundraising strategy, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, and select public funding opportunities.

Board Engagement

1. Partner with the Board of Directors to strengthen board-level fundraising engagement and accountability.
2. Support board members in donor outreach, cultivation meetings, and strategic introductions.
3. Provide regular updates on fundraising progress, pipeline health, and revenue risks/opportunities.

External Engagement & Visibility

1. Collaborate with GEM’s communications team to align fundraising, messaging, and public positioning.
2. Represent GEM in high-level donor meetings, briefings, and virtual site visits.
3. Ensure consistent, compelling storytelling that translates GEM’s data and research into clear philanthropic value propositions.

Systems, Operations & Accountability

1. Guide proposal development team and reporting processes to ensure alignment with funder priorities, strategic positioning, and timely compliance.
2. Support Development Manager in building out GEM’s CRM systems and fundraising infrastructure (e.g., Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Bloomerang).
3. Ensure best practice systems are in place to track donor engagement, proposal activity, revenue forecasts, and performance metrics.
4. Ensure compliance systems are robust and aligned with all grant and gift requirements and best practices.
5. Ensure high-quality narrative and financial reporting that reinforces donor confidence and long-term partnership.

Required Qualifications

Applicants who tailor their resume and cover letter to these requirements will be prioritized. Applications at GEM are carefully reviewed by our team. We take the time to consider each candidate individually.

The following experience and skills are required for this position:

1. Bachelor’s degree required. 
2. 10+ years of demonstrated fundraising leadership experience, with a strong emphasis on major gifts.
3. 2+ years of experience supervising and mentoring staff.
4. Fluency in English.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Demonstrated success securing seven-figure gifts from individual and institutional donors.
2. Experience partnering with executive leadership and boards on high-level fundraising.
3. Deep understanding of philanthropic strategy, donor psychology, and relationship-based fundraising.
4. Strong alignment with GEM’s mission and commitment to environmental and social justice.
5. Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
6. Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline.
7. High degree of flexibility and agility, with the ability to adapt fundraising strategies in response to evolving organizational priorities, external conditions, and funding landscapes.
8. Persuasive communicator with the ability to translate complex research and data into compelling donor narratives.
9. High degree of professionalism, discretion, and emotional intelligence.
10. Comfortable engaging with senior philanthropists, board members, and global leaders.
11. Proficiency with CRM systems and financial tracking tools.
12. Self-directed and entrepreneurial leader with a demonstrated ability to build, scale, and continuously improve fundraising systems in a growing organization.
13. Track record of working to advance a diverse, inclusive, s...