The Role
Lead and scale Nura's operations by building systems, teams, governance and culture. Oversee finance, HR, IT, legal and MEL integration; drive operational planning, grantmaking capability, partner engagement, and organisational change while supporting strategic leadership and global growth.
Summary Generated by Built In
Nura is a new philanthropic fund with an urgent challenge: to help reimagine and rebuild the architecture of the global information economy in ways which better serve the public interest, thereby making space for climate engagement and action more possible. We combine pooled funding, align strategy development, and provide technical support to supercharge the climate movement’s ability to pursue innovative, scaled, measurable, and impactful strategic communications.
Our key strategies include:
- leveraging cultural industries’ unique influence to increase support for climate policy and depolarize climate action;
- challenging the fossil fuel industry’s political and cultural power through investigative work that exposes political interference, corruption, and greenwashing; and through creative comms strategies that build the social licence of clean energy;
- building capacity in critical yet under-resourced geographies to shift national-level politics and power in favour of climate action;
- supporting media and technology experiments that build the power and reach of climate narratives in a global information economy swiftly being disrupted by AI.
We are based at the Meliore Foundation: a leading organisation for philanthropy focused on funding global strategic communications. Meliore is a network that works with partners around the world to support programmes focused on informing fact-based awareness and debate. Our shared goal is to increase public understanding and encourage well-considered action in response to pressing global and local issues.
Our vision is for a world where facts, science and the objective truth help guide the public debate. We put just, inclusive and equitable solutions to global issues at the core of the world’s political, social, environmental and economic discourse.
About the role: Managing Director
As we enter a period of rapid growth, Nura is seeking a highly experienced and creative Managing Director to work alongside the Executive Director and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, in order to build, shape and lead our team.
The Managing Director will build and lead our operation so that we can scale, innovate and deliver on our mission with excellence. This will involve: building systems and capabilities that enable Nura to make rapid grants, deliver convenings and contract service providers across the world, appropriately calibrated for a fast-evolving risk and opportunity environment; working with the Executive Director and Nura team to design and recruit a talented global team; and building a dynamic and inclusive team culture that rewards ambition, collaboration and learning; as well as working in close partnership with the relevant teams across the Meliore Foundation, including Grants & Contracts, IT, Finance, MEL, Legal and People & Organisational Development, to ensure that all our operational functions are joined-up, efficient, and delivering programmatic impact.
The ideal candidate will be a mission-driven, pragmatic leader with strong experience building teams and systems in dynamic, fast-paced environments. The successful candidate will bring a deep commitment to fostering a healthy, empowered, and accountable culture. The Managing Director must thrive in complexity, lead with both strategic vision and operational rigor, and act as a true partner to the Executive Director and senior leadership team in driving Nura’s growth and impact.
How you'll contribute
Operational leadership and integration
- Lead the design and implementation of systems, processes, and culture that power Nura’s strategic growth and day-to-day effectiveness.
- Work with Meliore operational functions and teams to achieve collective delivery excellence, fostering alignment, collaboration, and efficiency.
- Build and lead a team with a focus on pragmatic execution, getting the right things done, quickly and well.
- Partner with the Executive Director, as part of the senior leadership team, on strategic and operational planning, ensuring that strategy, budgeting, and performance are deeply aligned.
- Hold operational accountability for financial oversight of Nura’s budget, financial reporting and financial view on strategy setting.
- Serve as a forward-thinking architect of Nura’s operational infrastructure, building capacities that enable global network expansion and agility.
- Rethink and reinvent systems and ways of working to meet the evolving needs of Nura and the global environment in which it operates.
- Lead the team through growth and change, fostering a culture that is resilient, adaptable, and continuously learning.
- Work with the Executive Director and Meliore leadership team to redesign and grow Nura’s governance mechanisms, including by sourcing and managing advisers with the full range of skills to match and enhance our strategy.
- Work with the Director of Partnerships to develop and maintain excellent funder engagement and reporting mechanisms.
- Collaborate with our Director of MEL to implement systems for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, providing insights that drive continual improvement.
- Support the Movement/Ecosystem Director and wider Nura team to build a best-in-class community of learning and practice, aimed at sharing knowledge, upskilling and also sourcing the best ideas and insights from the global strategic communications ecosystem.
- Foster a healthy, inclusive, and empowered team culture that balances accountability with trust, safety, and innovation.
- Break down silos and outdated ways of working, encouraging collaboration and high performance across the team and wider Meliore network.
- Champion a culture of accountability and excellence across all levels of the organisation.
Our ideal candidate has
To succeed in this role, you will have all the below qualities:
Leadership and experience
Leadership and experience
- Senior leadership experience, with significant operational understanding across finance, HR, IT, legal and other operations-related key functions in mission-driven or complex global organisations.
- Track record in scaling operations, notably in terms of systems design and development, leading change, and building high-performing, distributed teams.
- Experience managing complex global networks and driving operational alignment across diverse teams and functions.
Skills and capabilities
- Master integrator with excellent judgment, decisiveness, and the ability to pivot as needed.
- Exceptional communicator and relationship builder, with the ability to inspire trust and alignment across diverse stakeholders.
- Strategic thinker with a builder’s mindset, with a willingness to roll up sleeves when needed.
- Calm, clear-headed, and solutions-oriented in the face of complexity and change.
- Fluency in written and spoken English, our working language;
Values and alignment
- Deep commitment to climate action, social justice, democratic values, and systemic change.
- Embodies a collaborative, empowering leadership style, while balancing vision with pragmatism.
Nice to haves:
- Experience in building fund and grantmaking systems and programs is a plus.
- Additional languages are an asset.
Why join us?
- Be part of a remote-first, international network of professionals working on climate, energy and nature and work with a bunch of dynamic, culturally diverse individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work.
- 6 offline days (with no calls or meetings) per year to focus on your work
- Reduced working time on Fridays during the Dry Season (summer)
- Access to our employee assistance program to support your mental health and personal development
- Supplementary paid business closure for end-of-year holidays
- Parental leave matched to 20 weeks for countries where regulation allows less than that
- Enjoy regular opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the world
- A full-time position with an employment or consultant contract, subject to location, for 12 months, with possible renewal after one year.
Location: flexibly remote.
Some international travel will be required. We may be able to provide co-working spaces in some locations. Only candidates with the right to work in their location will be considered.
Contract and Benefits disclaimer: Contract type and some benefits may vary by jurisdiction. We will confirm eligibility and the applicable terms during the hiring process.
Contract and Benefits disclaimer: Contract type and some benefits may vary by jurisdiction. We will confirm eligibility and the applicable terms during the hiring process.
Salary / Fee: Meliore sets compensation levels through a systematic alignment with local market data, taking into account the responsibility level of each role or the expected level of services and the skills and experience of the selected candidate. We apply a consistent, equitable, compensation policy, and provide data on our calculations and pay or fee ranges, in all locations where we operate. Our compensation practices reflect our commitment to fairness, inclusion, and accountability, and are regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with evolving market standards and organisational values.
About
At The Meliore Foundation, our vision is for a world where facts and science help guide the public debate and inform better decision-making on vital issues facing our planet.Our aim is simple – we want to help create real and lasting change in the world. We work with global philanthropic funding partners to support strategic communications programmes which educate and encourage fact-based discourse at community, societal, commercial and policy-making levels. Across our global communities, serious challenges abound. Yet every threat is also an opportunity to create a brighter future. With innovation, connection and insight, we break down barriers and prove that positive outcomes can be achieved, differently and better.Ultimately, The Meliore Foundation strives to empower our people, instil trust with our partners and deliver impactful strategic communications. We’re here to debunk misinformation and set the record straight as we inform the public and bring people together for the greater good. The Meliore Foundation is the project host for various programmes including:The Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), an international, collaborative network of communications professionals in the field of climate, energy and nature, aims to inform and strengthen media debate and public discourse.Field Intelligence for Strategic Communications (FISC) provides insights on strategic communications gaps and needs in the climate and energy field.Strategic Perspectives is a pan-European think tank founded in 2022 that works in a collaborative way with like-minded actors to ensure effective climate action is the solution to a multitude of crises the EU is facing.
Skills Required
- Senior leadership experience with operational oversight across finance, HR, IT, legal and related functions in mission-driven or complex global organisations
- Track record in scaling operations, systems design, change management, and building distributed high-performing teams
- Experience managing complex global networks and aligning diverse teams and functions
- Strong judgment, decisiveness, pragmatic execution and ability to integrate strategy with operations (master integrator)
- Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills with diverse stakeholders
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Deep commitment to climate action, social justice, democratic values and systemic change
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally as required
- Right to work in the candidate's location (no visa sponsorship)
- Experience in building fund and grantmaking systems and programs
- Additional languages
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The Company
What We Do
Meliore Foundation is a philanthropic organization funding global strategic communications. It aims to promote fact-based awareness and debate on global issues, including climate change, sustainability, and UN SDGs, to influence policy and public discourse for a better future. Constituted in Belgium, it operates globally as both an operating and grant-making foundation.
