Our searches

About Quadrature Charitable Foundation

Quadrature Charitable Foundation (QCF) was established in 2019 by the founders of Quadrature Capital, Greg Skinner and Suneil Setiya, recognising that climate change would compound existing poverty, inequality and human suffering, threatening lives, livelihoods and societal stability.

In 2025, QCF expanded its mandate to bring climate funding together with other philanthropic commitments addressing poverty, inequality and human suffering, reflecting its belief that today’s acute human needs and tomorrow’s escalating climate risks are interconnected challenges requiring action on both fronts.

The Foundation focuses on three interconnected challenges:

• Human security: Protecting survival and dignity in the face of conflict, natural disasters and climate shocks.
• Poverty and inequality: Addressing economic exclusion and structural barriers to opportunity.
• Climate risk: Responding to escalating threats to lives and livelihoods while advancing a fast and fair transition.

QCF puts its trust and resources into those closest to the work to Secure Today through urgent poverty and humanitarian responses, and to Transform Tomorrow by enabling a just, low-carbon, and resilient future.

Why Africa 

Africa is a priority geography for QCF. The Foundation recognises that advancing climate resilience, equity and low-carbon development across the continent is essential to global stability and prosperity, while responding to the historical injustices and acute challenges facing its communities.

QCF seeks to support African-led solutions, strengthen regional institutions and coalitions, and ensure the continent plays a central role in shaping a just and resilient global future. 

About the Role

The Programme Director for Africa will lead QCF’s work across five interconnected systems that influence the continent’s transition towards a just, low-carbon and resilient future.

• Energy systems: Expanding affordable, reliable and distributed clean energy, supporting regulatory reform, productive energy use, workforce development and methane reduction.
• Ecosystems: Protecting and restoring forests, land and water through community-led conservation, sustainable agriculture, secure land rights and improved natural resource governance.
• Transition minerals: Advancing responsible, transparent and low-carbon mineral supply chains, community protections, local value creation and stronger accountability.
• Governance and social systems: Strengthening accountable institutions, civic space, African-led research, movements and policy leadership.
• Geopolitical influence: Amplifying African leadership in global climate, trade and economic forums, while strengthening regional cooperation and coalitions.

Across these systems, the Director will combine strategic grantmaking, catalytic capital and QCF’s convening influence to advance systemic change.

Country strategies will reflect local opportunities, political and market conditions, and the strength of existing or emerging partner ecosystems. The portfolio will also support locally rooted organisations responding to urgent poverty, inequality and human security needs, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. 

Purpose of the Role

The Programme Director for Africa will shape and lead QCF’s continental strategy, steward partnerships and deploy philanthropic and catalytic capital to advance climate resilience, equity and human dignity.

The Director will connect country-level opportunities with regional and global priorities, ensuring a coherent, ambitious and partner-led portfolio grounded in African leadership.

Working closely with other Portfolio Directors, the role will coordinate cross-cutting and thematic programmes, strengthen ecosystems and coalitions, and support African institutions and communities in influencing policy, investment, and development outcomes.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the Director will lead a small, high-performing team and oversee a substantial multi-year portfolio, combining long-term commitments with opportunities for innovation and catalytic impact.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key accountabilities (the WHAT) 

1. Set the regional strategy and mandate

• Define and deliver QCF’s Africa strategy in collaboration with the Managing Director, Impact & Insights and other portfolio colleagues, establishing clear priorities, outcomes and investment boundaries.
• Develop country strategies across an indicative group of countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the DRC and Sudan, while remaining responsive to emerging opportunities elsewhere.
• Assess political, economic and institutional dynamics, existing initiatives, funders and gaps to identify where QCF can add distinctive value.
• Review strategic priorities and portfolio boundaries, making evidence-informed decisions about where to invest, adapt or withdraw.
• Prepare strategic recommendations and capital-allocation proposals for Executive and Trustee consideration.

2. Build and actively manage the portfolio

• Develop and steward a multi-year, nine-figure portfolio, predominantly comprising grants alongside selective catalytic investments.
• Take senior accountability for portfolio outcomes, partner selection, grant recommendations, capital allocation and strategic trade-offs.
• Balance long-term institutional and ecosystem investments with experimentation, innovation and calculated risk-taking.
• Establish clear criteria for initiating, continuing, scaling, adapting or ending commitments, ensuring proportionate diligence, oversight and risk management.
• Collaborate with Finance, Legal, Portfolio Operations and investment colleagues to strengthen funding decisions and catalytic capital approaches.

3. Steward ecosystems, partnerships and African leadership

• Build trusted, equitable relationships with African civil society, movements, research institutions, governments, philanthropic partners and other stakeholders.
• Strengthen coalitions, networks and institutional capacity to advance climate justice, development and resilience.
• Invest in African thought leadership, locally generated evidence and organisations capable of sustaining long-term systemic change.
• Collaborate with other funders to identify complementary opportunities, avoid duplication and reinforce existing African-led initiatives.
• Ensure QCF acts as an enabler and partner, respecting local ownership and recognising the power dynamics associated with philanthropic capital.

4. Advance policy, institutional and finance-system change

• Support policy, institutional and regulatory reforms that enable societal resilience, equitable development and a fair transition.
• Strengthen African regional institutions and regional economic governance structures.
• Work with the Global Finance, Trade & Diplomacy portfolio and other colleagues to influence finance, trade, diplomacy and investment systems.
• Advance African participation and influence in multilateral processes and support coalitions capable of delivering structural change.
• Represent QCF in strategic networks and dialogues, amplifying African partner voices and leadership.

5. Make evidence and learning integral to strategy

• Lead a portfolio learning agenda informed by research, partner insights, practical experience and emerging evidence.
• Integrate learning and feedback into strategy, funding decisions and programme adaptation.
• Work across QCF to strengthen shared evidence, knowledge exchange and organisational learning.
• Use regular portfolio reviews and quarterly reflections to test assumptions, assess outcomes and adjust priorities and capital allocation.

6. Lead the team and contribute to QCF as a whole

• Lead, coach, and develop a small, high-performing team, establishing clear priorities, accountability, and a supportive work environment.
• Collaborate across thematic and regional portfolios, sharing expertise, relationships and resources to advance Foundation-wide objectives.
• Contribute as a senior organisational leader to strategic decisions, institutional effectiveness and a culture of trust, agility, performance and care.
• Ensure appropriate compliance, risk management and responsible charitable funding practices, including boundaries around political activity.

Ways of working (the HOW) 

• Judgement under uncertainty: Demonstrates sound strategic and political judgement in complex and evolving environments, including fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Understands power, incentives, institutional constraints and geopolitical dynamics, making clear trade-offs and adapting decisions as circumstances change.
• Learning agility:  Connects research, evidence, partner knowledge and foresight to strategic decision-making. Works effectively across policy, advocacy, movements, research and finance, remaining open to challenge and new perspectives.
• Humility and a partner mindset: Build trusted relationships across diverse cultural, political, and institutional contexts. Recognises the influence associated with philanthropic capital and works with humility, respect and awareness of power dynamics, strengthening rather than displacing partner leadership.
• Delivery discipline and ownership: Translates strategy into practical funding, partnership and policy decisions. Balances ambition with effective execution, maintaining oversight of resources, risks, commitments and outcomes while empowering colleagues to deliver.
• Clarity, synthesis and communication: Communicates complex strategic, political and financial issues clearly to partners, colleagues, executives and Trustees. Produces persuasive, evidence-based recommendations and represents QCF credibly at senior levels.
• Organisation-first mindset: Works collaboratively across portfolios, sharing knowledge, relationships and resources. Contributes to an adaptive, accountable and learning-oriented organisation, placing collective impact above individual or portfolio interests.

Skills and Experience: What you will bring

• Strategic leadership: Significant senior leadership experience, at Director level or equivalent, in climate resilience, international development, philanthropy or related fields, with substantial lived and professional experience of Africa.
• Strategic grantmaking and portfolio management: Demonstrated experience designing and managing significant grantmaking portfolios, deploying philanthropic or catalytic capital and making sound funding and investment decisions.
• Systems thinking and field-building: Proven ability to develop strategies across policy, advocacy, research, movements and finance, strengthening ecosystems, institutions and coalitions to deliver lasting change.
• African networks and credibility: Established relationships and credibility across African civil society, philanthropy, government, research institutions and regional organisations, alongside a strong understanding of the continent’s political and development landscape.
• Political and strategic judgement: Ability to navigate complex institutional, regulatory and geopolitical environments, including fragile and conflict-affected contexts, while identifying opportunities for meaningful impact.
• Partnership and values alignment: Strong commitment to QCF’s vision, with demonstrated humility, relational intelligence and experience supporting locally led, equitable and power-conscious partnerships.
• People and organisational leadership: Experience leading and developing high-performing teams and working collaboratively across multidisciplinary or matrixed organisations.
• Communication and influence: Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to engage senior stakeholders, influence policy and investment discussions, and present strategic recommendations to executive and governance audiences.

The successful candidate will bring depth in one or more of QCF’s priority areas, alongside the breadth, curiosity, and strategic judgement needed to work across the interconnected challenges of climate, poverty, inequality, and human security.