Role: Environmental Program Officer, Climate & Agriculture
Team: Environmental Activism
Scope: Individual Contributor, P5
Years of Experience: 4+
Location: Ventura, CA (Hybrid)
Target Hiring Range: $122,000 - $137,000
The Environmental Program Officer serves as Patagonia's lead subject matter expert and senior strategic advisor on Climate and Agriculture issues. They will help shape company direction, environmental impact priorities, and long-term systems-change strategies that are rooted in on-the-ground relationships with nonprofit partners. This role brings deep issue expertise across environmental advocacy, philanthropy, policy, partnerships, campaigns, and movement-building to advance Patagonia's purpose and environmental mission.
As a senior strategic leader, this position influences and informs decision-making across the company, working closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to identify emerging opportunities, risks, and priorities for Patagonia’s impact related to Climate & Agriculture. The role develops and advances issue strategies, cultivates high-impact partnerships and coalitions, and drives initiatives that strengthen Patagonia's environmental leadership and contribute to measurable impact, including leading and guiding funding programs for Climate & Agriculture as one tool within a broader portfolio of strategic influence and impact.
The Program Officer is a trusted internal authority who provides guidance and thought leadership across Patagonia's environmental work, helping align organizational resources, partnerships, campaigns, and investments with company priorities and environmental objectives. Their expertise and strategic leadership directly steer issue strategies in North America while contributing to the evolution of Patagonia's environmental impact efforts globally.
What You’ll Do
Environmental Strategy & Thought Leadership
- Develops, refines, and executes Patagonia's Climate & Agriculture strategies, setting priorities and identifying opportunities to advance company impact, environmental objectives, and funding programs.
- Serves as Patagonia's recognized subject matter expert on Climate & Agriculture, guiding and influencing decisions across business functions and leadership levels.
- Advises leadership on emerging environmental trends, policy developments, movement opportunities, organizational risks, and strategic responses.
- Partners with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to translate environmental priorities into actionable strategies, measurable objectives, and coordinated plans.
- Maintains deep expertise in Climate & Agriculture, environmental policy, philanthropy, advocacy, and related disciplines to inform company impact initiatives and positions.
- Represents Patagonia with thought leaders, coalitions, funders, nonprofit leaders, and other external stakeholders to strengthen the company's influence and credibility on priority issues.
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Leadership
- Builds and leads strategic relationships with environmental organizations, movement leaders, funders, practitioners, policymakers, and other partners advancing Patagonia's climate and agricultural transformation priorities.
- In alignment with leadership and company priorities, serves as a liaison and convener across sectors, connecting grantees, funders, partners, and thought leaders to share information, ideas, and strategies and to accelerate collaboration and collective action on key environmental challenges.
- Shapes partnership and investment strategies, including coalitions, funding partnerships, collaborative initiatives, and shared campaigns, that strengthen environmental movements and leverage Patagonia's resources and influence to amplify impact.
Philanthropic Strategy & Impact
- Guides Patagonia's Climate & Agriculture philanthropic strategy and oversees related grantmaking portfolios and decisions, applying issue expertise and systems-level analysis to align grantmaking with long-term strategies and organizational priorities and maximize impact.
- Advises internal stakeholders and funding partners on emerging opportunities, grantmaking priorities, and effective approaches to advancing environmental objectives.
- Helps leverage Patagonia's funding by engaging other foundations and potential donors on relevant issues and opportunities.
- As needed, contributes input and content to company impact reporting and communications on issue expertise, strategic grantmaking, and environmental progress and outcomes.
- Advises or collaborates on Holdfast grantmaking as opportunities and needs arise.
- Supports grantee effectiveness and development by helping grantees access capacity-building resources, in-house and through external networks, including Patagonia's Capacity Building Programs and Patagonia Action Works.
Environmental Campaigns & Cross-Functional Influence
- Partners with department leadership and colleagues across Brand Impact, Communications, Employee Engagement, and other functions to set strategic direction and coordinate action on critical environmental issues.
- Identifies and leads strategic campaigns, rapid-response initiatives, advocacy efforts, and partnership opportunities that strengthen Patagonia's environmental leadership and impact on Climate & Agriculture.
- Guides cross-functional teams and external partners with issue expertise, strategic recommendations, partnership leadership, and campaign direction, aligning efforts around shared goals and measurable outcomes.
- Helps develop and implement integrated strategies that connect advocacy, storytelling, philanthropy, employee engagement, and external partnerships to achieve shared goals.
- Advises company leaders and stakeholders on ways to deepen organizational engagement and accelerate progress on Climate & Agriculture priorities.
Who You Are
- Proven ability to influence senior leaders, build alignment across diverse stakeholders, and drive outcomes in collaborative, matrixed environments.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to articulate Patagonia's purpose and areas of interest to diverse audiences.
- Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines consistently and accurately, work independently within a team, and handle pressure with ease and humor.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate complex and controversial issues and to identify and mitigate brand and program risk.
- All employees are expected to: perform with high standards of integrity; demonstrate maturity; listen actively; value self-understanding; exhibit deep commitment; use good humor; and communicate effectively.
- Must be able to travel domestically utilizing various transportation methods.
Experience You Bring
- Bachelor's degree in a related field preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum 4 years of experience with foundations and grants, preferably from a grantmaker's perspective, and demonstrated expertise in Climate & Agriculture.
- Deep knowledge of Climate & Agriculture, environmental policy, philanthropy, advocacy, and related disciplines, with the ability to synthesize complex issues into actionable strategies.
- Demonstrated success shaping organizational, campaign, policy, philanthropic, or movement-building strategies that produce meaningful environmental impact.
- Extensive experience developing and managing high-impact partnerships, coalitions, and cross-sector collaborations.
- Basic understanding of key nonprofit capacities, such as fundraising, governance, planning, and evaluation.
- Proficiency in Windows and Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel; experience with grants management software a plus.
In support of pay range transparency, we share both the target hiring range and the full pay range for this position. Final compensation for this recruiting process is expected to fall within the target hiring range and will be based on the selected candidate's skills, experience, and qualifications. The full pay range is provided to offer visibility into the role's broader compensation structure and potential pay growth over time upon time, performance in role, and relevant business considerations.
Target Hiring range: $122,000 - $137,000 USD Annual
Full Pay Range: $115,000 - $173,000 USD Annual
Employee Conduct
It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.
