Overview

Catastrophic sea-level rise from the potential collapse of marine ice sheets presents one of humanity’s greatest climate challenges, threatening to displace millions of people and cause trillions of dollars in economic damage. Current forecasts indicate a possible sea-level rise of 1 meter or more this century, driven in part by the collapse of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. However, major uncertainty exists about the timeline and extent of glacier-induced catastrophic sea-level rise, creating major barriers to preparation and intervention.

Arête Glacier Initiative is a new, ambitious, mission-driven nonprofit established to provide humanity with the options to manage and reduce the risks of catastrophic sea-level rise. We aim to better understand the risk of catastrophic sea-level rise and assess the feasibility of novel and potentially transformative interventions to stabilize ice sheets. Our goal is to fund, coordinate, and accelerate research to enable informed decisions regarding these interventions. We achieve this by advancing and funding an ambitious scientific agenda; fostering collaboration among glaciologists, philanthropists, and policymakers; and driving a forward-looking policy agenda that includes renewed government investments in the Antarctic.

Arête’s co-founders are Dr. Brent Minchew, MIT glaciology professor and former US Marine, and Dr. Colin Meyer, glaciology professor at Dartmouth. Dr. Brent Minchew is Arête’s acting Executive Director but will be stepping down from this position to focus on furthering Arête’s scientific agenda as Chief Scientist. The broader Arête team represents experience in fundraising, program management, and policy. We continue to build a distinguished advisory team that includes leading Antarctic and sea-level rise scientists, experienced nonprofit executives, and visionary philanthropic leaders.

Arête is a fiscally sponsored organization of the Digital Harbor Foundation. Our work is generously supported by Outlier Projects, the Grantham Foundation, the Kissick Family Foundation, and other pioneering funders.

We are seeking an Executive Director (ED) to lead and be a public face of Arête. Working closely with the Chief Scientist and other senior staff, the ED will be responsible for setting strategic priorities and developing programs to achieve them, building and overseeing Arête’s team, spearheading fundraising efforts, and overseeing day-to-day operations. This is a remote, US-based, full-time position with a focus on advancing our mission through effective leadership, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable organizational growth. For the right candidate this is a rare and compelling opportunity to take the helm of an early-stage climate nonprofit with transformative impact potential, a stellar early team, and a strong foundation in fundraising and partnership development.

We are in the early stages of building our programs and team. The science behind sea-level projections has been around for decades but needs significant investments in data collection and monitoring to accelerate the development of projections. Glacier interventions are a relatively new concept that have unique and dynamic scientific, policy, and fundraising challenges. This ED role requires a high degree of flexibility, adaptability, creativity, and a willingness to take on diverse tasks as we develop and grow the organization and the broader field of sea-level risk forecasting and management.

Digital Harbor Foundation is dedicated to fostering learning, creativity, productivity, and community through education with a vision of digital equity for everyone. Driven by our sincere belief that access to opportunity is a basic right, we take bold yet practical actions to support making a better future now. Through a portfolio of projects focused on developing leadership within communities, we support those closest to challenges to take deliberate actions based in design thinking approach, backed by data analysis, grounded in a practice of collective impact, and driven by a commitment to racial equity.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Knowledge or interest in climate science, glaciology, or related environmental fields.

• Experience in technology or science research and development.

• Proven ability to build and catalyze the growth of new, emerging fields.

• Experience in policy advocacy, particularly related to federal funding and research initiatives.

Required Education and Experience

• Proven track record of exceptional performance as a team leader in a high-expectations environment, ideally at the executive level or in a comparable leadership role.

• Experience and success in building a new organization or major initiative.

• Extensive experience in people management, including mentoring and growing high-performing teams.

• Experience leading in a manner that centers collaboration, empathy, and equity.

• Excellent writing, communication and public speaking skills, with the capacity to represent the organization compellingly in public forums, with policymakers, and with donors.

• Proven success in building trust-based relationships and working collaboratively with external stakeholders to achieve meaningful outcomes.

• Robust experience in fundraising, with a track record of securing significant funding from diverse sources.

• A humble and collaborative mindset, committed to valuing diverse perspectives and prioritizing team and organizational success over individual recognition.

• Self-driven and proactive, with the determination and focus to advance ambitious goals.

• Genuine curiosity about glacier stabilization and climate interventions, paired with an openness to explore all possible solutions for stabilizing marine ice sheets.

Additional Notes

This position is fully remote with occasional in-person meetings at the Digital Harbor Foundation office as needed to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategy Leadership

• Develop and execute on a multi-year strategic vision for Arête, identifying and setting key goals for hiring, fundraising, partnerships, establishing a science agenda, and more.

• Collaborate with the senior science team and Scientific Advisory board to develop and implement a multi-year scientific agenda for Arête. This includes identifying and setting specific strategic science goals, identifying the sequencing of scientific activities and funding, and tracking progress.

• Report regularly to Arête’s Advisory Board on strategy evolution, progress, challenges, and opportunities.

Team Building & Organizational Development

• Identify and oversee key hiring needs to ensure alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

• Manage a lean, dynamic team of mid-to-senior level staff, guiding their work, delivering actionable feedback, and fostering opportunities for career growth.

• Develop and implement strategies to cultivate an outstanding and inclusive work environment.

Fundraising

• Lead fundraising efforts, including identifying and securing funding from diverse sources such as private donors, grants, corporate sponsorships, and government funding.

• Oversee the development and execution of fundraising campaigns and initiatives aimed at raising >$15M in the next two years.

External Relationships & Partnership Building

• Represent Arête externally, serving as a primary ambassador in key engagements and public appearances.

• Build, steward, and grow productive relationships within the glaciology, philanthropic, and broader climate communities.

• Help identify and develop partnerships and collaborations with other organizations with complementary missions. These include groups working in the Global South and with indigenous populations and organizations working in other areas of climate intervention, such as solar radiation management and marine carbon dioxide removal.

• Catalyze the growth of the emerging fields of catastrophic sea-level rise and glacial interventions.

• Serve as a key representative in policy discussions, advocating for research funding and initiatives aligned with our mission.

• Collaborate with grantees as a trusted thought partner, providing strategic guidance and support to advance their goals and maximize impact.

Other Duties

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

We encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications. The top candidates will bring their own unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds from a variety of industries along with many but not necessarily all the skills listed above. Neither prior experience in research management nor knowledge of glaciology is needed to be a strong candidate.

Compensation

Compensation for this full-time position is $220,000 - $270,000 per year, commensurate with experience.

Arête Glacier Initiative & Digital Harbor provides a best-in-class comprehensive set of benefits to support the team. All regular, full-time employees are eligible to receive:

Health Benefits & Insurance

• Carefirst Blue Cross Blue Shield - Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance (100% of the premium paid for employees and 85% of dependents)

• Pre-Tax Health Savings Account (HSA) (with $275 monthly employer contributions)

• Pre-Tax Flexible Savings Account (FSA)

• Paid Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance

• Paid Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance

• Paid Basic Life Insurance

• Supplemental Voluntary Life Insurance (Employee, Spouse & Dependent Children)

• Total Pet Plan and Supplemental Wishbone Pet Insurance

• Employee Opportunity Program (EAP) - Health and Wellness

• Wellness Reimbursement Program

Retirement

• 401k Retirement Plan (with 6% matching)

Paid Time Off

• 15 Days Paid Time Off Per Year

• 20 Days Paid Time Off Per Year (after 3rd Anniversary)

• 25 Days Paid Time Off Per Year (after 6th Anniversary)

• 16 Paid Holidays (14 common plus 2 flexible holidays, including Dec 25 - Jan 1)

• Paid Bereavement Leave

• Paid Parental Leave for Moms and Dads (two weeks after first year)

If our mission and vision align with your personal values, please apply!

A cover letter outlining your qualifications for the position along with your resume is required. Interviews will be conducted virtually.

Digital Harbor and Arête Glacier Initiative are equal opportunity employers.