Head of Impact

Job Description

Job Description

The Head of Impact is a member of The Biomimicry Institute’s Leadership Team and is responsible for translating organizational strategy into focused, measurable, and well-executed impact across TBI’s program portfolio.

Reporting to the CEO, with a dotted-line relationship to the COO for operations, staffing, budgets, capacity planning, and cross-functional execution, the Head of Impact leads the Impact Team and ensures that TBI’s work advances biomimicry adoption and nature-inspired solutions in climate, biodiversity, and materials.

The role provides strategic portfolio leadership across Inspiration, Community, and Innovation; develops and supports Impact Team leaders; strengthens impact measurement and learning; and represents TBI with partners, funders, and field leaders. The Head of Impact helps position TBI as a trusted leader in biomimicry and nature-inspired innovation while building the structures, relationships, and practices needed for durable organizational impact.

Essential Functions

Percentage allocations represent annual average estimates and may shift based on funding levels, contractual commitments, and organizational priorities.

1. Strategy Execution and Portfolio Impact (40%)

Translate TBI’s organizational strategy into a focused Impact portfolio with clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and adaptive learning practices.

Key responsibilities include:

• Operationalize TBI’s 10-year strategy into staged plans, annual priorities, and measurable impact goals.
• Lead the development and refinement of the Impact portfolio across Inspiration, Community, and Innovation.
• Establish clear goals, outcomes, indicators, and learning loops for Impact Team work.
• Steward TBI’s impact strategy, measurement approach, and annual impact reporting in collaboration with the CEO, COO, Development, and Finance.
• Prioritize programs, projects, and opportunities based on strategy, capacity, funding commitments, and potential for impact.
• Apply biomimicry and systems-change thinking to portfolio design, organizational strategy, partnerships, and decision-making.
• Lead regular portfolio reviews using performance data, field trends, partner feedback, funder commitments, and organizational learning.

2. Team Leadership and Portfolio Delivery  (40%)

Lead and strengthen the Impact Team so that commitments are clearly scoped, well-managed, and delivered with excellence.

Key responsibilities include:

• Directly manage, coach, and develop Impact Team Directors and other direct reports.
• Build clear team structures, role clarity, decision-making practices, and operating rhythms across the Impact portfolio.
• Partner with the CEO, COO, and Leadership Team on organizational design, staffing plans, hiring, performance management, and staff development.
• Oversee Impact Team budgets, staffing, capacity, and resource allocation in partnership with Finance and Operations.
• Ensure funded work is effectively scoped, coordinated, monitored, and delivered in partnership with Development, Finance, and Operations.
• Provide executive-level reporting to the CEO and Leadership Team on portfolio performance, grants, budgets, capacity, risks, and strategic priorities.
• Strengthen cross-functional coordination between Impact, Development, Communications, Finance, Operations, and external partners.
• Foster a team culture of accountability, collaboration, communication, learning, inclusion, and excellence in biomimicry practice.

3. External Leadership, Partnerships, and Field Advancement  (20%)

Strengthen TBI’s influence, organizational sustainability, and leadership in biomimicry and nature-inspired innovation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Serve as an active member of TBI’s Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategy, prioritization, risk management, decision-making, and cross-functional alignment.
• Represent TBI with funders, strategic partners, corporate collaborators, conferences, peer organizations, and field-building networks.
• Partner with the CEO and Head of Development and Communications to cultivate relationships and identify partnership opportunities that advance TBI’s mission and sustainability.
• Support funder and partner engagement by translating Impact Team work into clear strategies, outcomes, narratives, and opportunities.
• Provide biomimicry-informed thought leadership for high-leverage opportunities across climate, biodiversity, materials, and regenerative systems.
• Help build TBI’s visibility, credibility, and influence as a trusted leader in biomimicry and nature-inspired innovation.

QualificationsEducation and Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field.
• 10+ years of progressive senior leadership experience leading complex portfolios, mission-driven programs, organizational initiatives, or impact-focused teams.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into measurable outcomes through planning, execution, performance management, and learning systems.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, developing leaders, managing change, and building strong team culture.
• Experience developing or overseeing strategic plans, impact frameworks, performance measurement systems, portfolio management approaches, or related systems of accountability.
• Experience working with senior leaders, boards, funders, external partners, and cross-functional teams.
• Deep familiarity with biomimicry, nature-inspired innovation, sustainability, climate, biodiversity, regenerative design, systems change, or related fields, with the ability to learn and represent TBI’s biomimicry framework with credibility.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree, certification, graduate study, teaching experience, or professional practice in biomimicry, biology, design, sustainability, environmental science, systems change, organizational leadership, or a related field.
• Recognized expertise in biomimicry, nature-inspired innovation, regenerative design, sustainability, or systems change.
• Experience in nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, field-building, environmental innovation, accelerators, or social-impact organizations.
• Experience managing grant-funded programs and translating funder commitments into workplans, budgets, deliverables, and reports.
• Experience building or scaling programs, communities of practice, learning platforms, innovation portfolios, or field-building initiatives.

Skills and Abilities

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic and systems thinking, with the ability to connect long-term vision to practical execution.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, management, and talent-development skills.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, prioritize competing demands, and make sound organizational decisions.
• Ability to build alignment, trust, and accountability across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, including the ability to translate complex ideas for different audiences.
• Strong portfolio-management skills, including planning, prioritization, capacity management, budgeting, and cross-functional coordination.
• Ability to use data, evidence, feedback, and learning loops to improve strategy and execution.
• High emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and commitment to inclusive and collaborative leadership.
• Facility with remote collaboration tools, including Google Workspace, Asana or similar project-management platforms, data/reporting tools, AI-enabled tools, and CRM or related collaboration systems.

Reporting and Working Relationships

The Head of Impact reports to the CEO and serves as a member of TBI’s Leadership Team.

The role has a dotted-line relationship to the COO for operational alignment, including staffing processes, budgets, capacity planning, role clarity, HR coordination, performance-management process, and cross-functional execution.

The Head of Impact works closely with the Head of Development and Communications, Finance, Operations, program staff, consultants, funders, partners, and external collaborators.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is primarily a remote, computer-based role. The employee is regularly required to communicate with others, exchange information, use a computer, participate in virtual meetings, and remain in a stationary position for periods of time. The role may occasionally require travel and participation in in-person meetings, convenings, or events.

Work Environment

This is a remote role. Employees are expected to maintain a safe and functional remote workspace. The role may require occasional national travel for staff meetings, retreats, funder meetings, conferences, partner meetings, or other organizational events.

Seattle or San Francisco Bay Area location is preferred, but qualified remote candidates will be considered.

 

This is not necessarily an exhaustive or all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, functions, or working conditions associated with the job. This job description is not a contract of employment, or a promise or guarantee of any specific terms or conditions of employment. The Biomimicry Institute may add to, modify, or delete any aspect of this job (or the position itself) at any time as it deems advisable. I have read and understand this job description. My signature acknowledges that I am capable of performing the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation.

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