Global Director, WRI Polsky Energy Center (Washington)

Global Director, WRI Polsky Energy Center

To be considered, please apply directly to Perrett Laver, who is managing this search for WRI: Global Director, WRI Polsky Energy Center . Applications submitted on the WRI career page will not be considered.

WRI is a global research organization working to improve people’s lives, protect nature, and halt climate change. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise, and global reach to influence policy and catalyze change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations. Founded in 1982, WRI brings over 40 years of experience turning evidence into action.

Launched in 2025 with a $75 million, 10-year gift from the Polsky Foundation, the WRI Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition harnesses analytical power, convening ability, and global expertise to help orchestrate a transition to a clean, abundant, affordable, and reliable energy future. As global energy demand surges due to advances in AI, electrification, and economic transformation, the nonpartisan Center combines WRI’s renowned experts, a world-class Advisory Group, and a diverse network of partners to deliver scalable solutions. These solutions address systemic challenges such as modernizing and expanding energy grids, scaling financing, responsibly sourcing energy minerals, fostering new technologies, and preparing a future-ready workforce and entrepreneurs.

WRI seeks a founding, visionary Global Director to lead the new WRI Polsky Energy Center. The first-of-its-kind Center represents a step-change in WRI’s strategy, ambition, and financial resources to influence the energy transition. This new position will be responsible for developing and executing on that ambition, and it will be responsible for promoting and building the future success of the Center. In this exciting new role, the Global Director will be responsible for the Center’s overall strategy, fundraising, public engagement, and management. The position will lead a globally distributed team, with staff in the United States, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The Global Director will be a member of WRI’s Management Team and will report to WRI’s Executive Vice President & Managing Director of Programs.

The successful candidate will be a dynamic, bold, and solutions-oriented leader who can drive to fruition the WRI Polsky Energy Center’s vision of a clean, abundant, affordable, and reliable energy future. They will inspire the team and external stakeholders around this vision. They will be an excellent communicator with a combination of strategic vision, partnership development, people management, fundraising, and media relations skills. They will have a firm commitment to WRI’s values of impact, integrity, independence, partnership, and care. They will also ensure that the Center works and partners with organizations in the public and private sectors to test solutions on the ground, focusing relentlessly on impact.

WRI has a diverse workforce of people who share common values and goals, have a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the issues on which the organization works, and a keen appreciation of the political and cultural contexts that determine how decisions are made. In each of WRI’s programs and in all the countries where it works, WRI’s people forge partnerships with diverse stakeholders to advance shared goals.

The World Resources Institute is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI's policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, welcomes all applicants to apply including women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people.

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