Program Director

About UndauntedK12

UndauntedK12 is a national nonprofit working to support America's K-12 public schools to make an equitable transition to zero carbon emissions while preparing our youth to build a sustainable future in a rapidly changing climate. Schools represent one of the largest public infrastructure systems in the country and one of our greatest leverage points for improving health, safety, and opportunity. Yet they are too often overlooked as critical sites for protecting human health and building community resilience. UndauntedK12 is advancing a bold but achievable goal: to ensure all students attend a safe, healthy, climate-resilient school. We envision a day when every dollar spent on K-12 infrastructure is aligned with building an equitable, zero-carbon future; when every education leader recognizes and acts upon the threat of rapidly changing climate to their core mission; and when every student is prepared to build a sustainable future.

Our work is grounded in the understanding that climate change is a threat multiplier for students and their communities and that equity must guide all aspects of our work. We work to center the students and communities who bear the greatest impacts of climate change by prioritizing historically marginalized communities in our technical assistance and elevating the leadership of frontline youth.

Role Overview

UndauntedK12 seeks Program Directors to develop and lead state and local strategies that advance healthy, resilient, decarbonized schools across a portfolio of priority states and communities. The Program Director will shape and drive our work in priority states, including our advocacy priorities, programs, partnerships, operations, and support for fundraising. They will represent UndauntedK12 with partners and media, build alliances around K-12 climate action, and develop a deep understanding of local landscapes and opportunities. 

The Program Director will craft and execute targeted strategies to influence state-level policy, budgets, and implementation to realize change in these states. They will also equip state and local leaders with tools and resources to raise awareness about climate action in schools and accelerate change within their ecosystems. 

In addition, the Program Director will collaborate with Undaunted teammates and partners to advance national campaigns, contribute to organizational development, and support the design and implementation of policies and programs that drive climate action in schools nationwide.

As part of a growing start-up organization, a successful candidate will be entrepreneurial in spirit; collaborative and successful at building relationships with individuals at all levels of organizations; and successful at advancing multiple projects at once. Our ideal candidates will have experiences with policymaking, advocacy, school district leadership, state program administration, and/or clean energy and school infrastructure project implementation. They will have shown an ability to work with diverse networks to realize change in the world.

This is a flexible location role with preference to candidates based in the following locations: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

Responsibilities

Shape Undaunted’s strategy in priority states ~20%

• Shape and lead Undaunted’s multi-year strategy across a group of priority states, aligned with national campaigns and organizational impact and equity goals. 
• Lead the development of multi-year, annual, and quarterly state-level goals, centering equity and impact in historically marginalized communities.
• Design and execute campaign strategies and advocacy plans in collaboration with allies and internal teams.

Develop collaborative, impactful relationships to drive K-12 climate action ~20%

• Build and sustain high-impact partnerships with national, state, and local leaders and organizations across the youth, education, environmental justice, health, climate, civil rights, labor, and private sectors.
• Engage and influence state elected officials, agency leaders, and staff to advance transformative policy and programmatic change.

Lead UndauntedK12’s policy advocacy, programs, & engagement in priority states ~30%

• Lead UndauntedK12 team members and partners advancing state and local initiatives, ensuring alignment across workstreams and with broader organizational strategy.
• Oversee a strategic, equity-centered approach to engagement and technical assistance requests from schools, districts, and agencies.
• Serve as a spokesperson and on-the-ground presence for UndauntedK12’s work, including with the media, in public testimony, op-eds, and published reports.
• Represent UndauntedK12 at conferences and industry events to expand awareness, partnerships, and engagement in our tools, resources, and thought leadership.
• Develop and maintain relevant data, insights, and metrics to inform strategy, demonstrate impact, and support advocacy and fundraising.  

Build capacity and movement infrastructure to drive K-12 climate action ~20%

• Propose, develop, and lead initiatives and programs that strengthen collaboration, leadership development, and partnerships in support of Undaunted’s policy and implementation goals.
• Coordinate and lead initiatives to include and leverage the voices of students and education leaders as advocates for change.
• Collaborate with team to develop tools, policy, research, data, resources, and partnerships that accelerate climate action in schools.
• Lead the planning and delivery of high-impact, action-oriented virtual and in-person convenings to advance Undaunted’s objectives.

Contribute to shaping a healthy, thriving Undaunted ~10%

• Support team growth by participating in staff hiring, mentoring, and managing staff, where applicable.
• Strengthen UndauntedK12’s organizational knowledge base around state-specific strategies and local implementation best practices.
• Lead, manage, and contribute to network communications and funder updates (including content for emails, social media, and our websites). 
• Contribute to organization-wide strategic projects and other initiatives.
• Serve as a leader in building and sustaining Undaunted’s lean, nimble, effective, growth-oriented, joyful team culture.

Requirements

Skills and Mindsets

• Effective strategist. Able to stay focused on the larger vision and goal – but can ruthlessly prioritize against competing workstreams and needs in order to execute effectively, especially when navigating ambiguity. 
• Influencer. Uses a combination of active listening and questioning to engage others in the decision-making process. Seeks to deeply understand and respond to people’s motivations and barriers in order to maximize their potential for impact in this work, and is able to adapt to different motivations and drivers to build a diverse network of champions.
• Effective communicator. Can motivate others to take action through written and verbal communication to build support for UndauntedK12’s work. 
• Problem solver. Brings a solution-orientation to consistently make excellent decisions through a combination of data analysis, judgment, and experience – including the ability to anticipate future consequences and trends and incorporate them into organizational plans.
• Data savvy. Skilled at basic data analysis, drawing out conclusions, and communicating those findings to broader audiences to influence and drive decision-making.
• Learning orientation. Self-reflective leader who seeks to understand previous approaches and evolves in response to changing dynamics. Brings a mindset of humility and inclusion.
• Organized project leader. Strong project management skills and a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities to success in a rapidly changing environment.
• Team builder. Has an exceptional capacity for managing and leading people across multiple functions and the ability to connect, on both an individual level and in large groups, with people from a wide range of backgrounds. Treats teammates and others with care and respect.
• Entrepreneurial. Thrives in environments where there is not an established path. Is not deterred by ambiguity, takes smart risks, and remains motivated and adaptable when responding to evolving circumstances. 
• Aligned to the cause. Passion for UndauntedK12’s mission, issues, and values. 

Education and Experience

• College degree or comparable experience
• Minimum 7 years experience working with a broad set of stakeholders advancing change strategies specific to education or climate 
• Minimum 3 years experience leading a team highly preferred
• Subject-matter expertise in a relevant topic such as climate and education policy, decarbonization, building electrification, climate resilience, environmental justice and/or public health.

Benefits

Location, Benefits, and Salary

• Salary and Benefits: Competitive nonprofit salary between $100,000-$140,000.  Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage for employee, employer-paid life insurance, short-term/long-term disability including paid parental leave, and 401(k) retirement savings plan with company contribution. Paid time off including federal holidays and a winter holiday break. 
• Location and Travel: UndauntedK12 is a national organization with team members across the country. While this is a remote role, ideally we are looking for a teammate with proximity to priority states and communities. Travel expected approximately two times/month.
• Organizational Relationship: Reports to the organization’s CEO.
• Physical Demands: Requires sitting, talking and listening for up to 8 hours per day.

Diversity Statement

We believe that having staff with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and lived experiences makes our work stronger as we seek to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. We encourage candidates who bring diverse perspectives, identities, professional and lived experiences to apply. UndauntedK12 seeks individuals of all backgrounds without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, marital status, genetics, or any other factor that the law protects from employment discrimination to apply for this position.

Application Guidance

Priority will be given to applications received by January 26, 2026. Candidate review and interviews will begin in 2026 and will be conducted throughout the search process. Given limited capacity, we may not be able to respond to all applicants. We appreciate your interest in UndauntedK12.