Chief Program Officer at Rainforest Alliance

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Chief Program Officer (CPO) is a key member of Rainforest Alliance’s global executive team, reporting to the CEO. The CPO will lead the design and delivery of an integrated global program portfolio that drives impact for people and nature by aligning the needs of both philanthropic and market-based partners. This leader ensures our programs are not only fundable and scalable but practically useful and empowering for farmers, forest communities, and local stakeholders, driving long-term, systems-level impact.

The CPO will lead the transformation of the program portfolio, extending our reach from a primarily grant- and philanthropy-driven approach to one that also captures the best of market-based opportunities. This evolution reflects broader trends in the sustainability landscape, where integrated, high-impact solutions that appeal to both public and private actors are increasingly essential to achieve scale and lasting change.

The CPO will lead all aspects of programs that deliver measurable impact at scale, addressing the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality. They will lead a diverse team to deliver scalable, high-impact programs rooted in collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence. We are looking for an enterprise leader who is a team player and brings rigor, practical innovation, and a collaborative approach.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and deliver a program strategy aligned with Rainforest Alliance’s mission, integrating grant-funded and market-based approaches.
• Ensure programs are grounded in the realities of farmers and local communities, co-created with them to deliver meaningful, sustainable value.
• Master landscape and community science-based strategies, including the development of theory of transformational change, project design and implementation.
• Ensure the program portfolio includes solutions aligned to corporate sustainability priorities, which can be integrated with RA’s product offerings.
• Align program design with evolving market, corporate, and donor priorities to increase Return on Impact Investment (ROII), addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty.
• Translate scientific research and field learnings into scalable, practical program innovations.
• Be responsible for the portfolio's P&L to optimize impact and ensure the best use of resources.
• Ensure program outcomes are translated into RA’s impact framework, enabling clear demonstration of our contribution to mission achievement.
• Drive integration between program and product teams to deliver cohesive solutions that meet partner expectations.
• Advance cross-functional collaboration to increase organizational impact.
• Develop and drive long-term strategic partnerships with key corporate clients and institutional partners, in addition to broader stakeholder collaboration.
• Collaborate with fundraising and commercial teams to secure diverse funding streams.
• Represent Rainforest Alliance at major global forums, coalitions, and conferences, advocating for our mission and influencing sector dialogue.
• Build and manage a high-performing, global program team.
• Promote a culture of innovation, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Identify and implement reskilling or upskilling initiatives to align team capabilities with the evolving programmatic approach.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience, including 5+ years at the executive level, in sustainability, conservation, agriculture, international development, or related fields, in leading corporate or non-profit organizations.
• Proven success designing and scaling multi-region programs delivering environmental and social outcomes.
• Experience integrating grant and market-driven approaches into programmatic strategies.
• Proven ability to balance top-down strategy with bottom-up design, ensuring solutions serve local people as much as they satisfy funder and market priorities.
• Strong understanding of sustainability frameworks across agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, and climate.
• Demonstrated ability to form strategic partnerships within and/ or across private, public, and civil society sectors.
• Skilled in leading organizational change and cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong communication, influencing, and external representation skills.
• Experience with monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems for diverse stakeholders.
• Advanced degree in environmental science, agriculture, forestry, international development, business administration, or related disciplines.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 20-30% of the time, nationally and internationally.