Global Director, Culture and DEI

About the role

The People and Culture function at WRI exists to help make WRI the best-run NGO in the world so that every colleague can do their best work in service of our mission. Working across a global, matrixed organization, the team strengthens leadership, culture, employee experience, organizational effectiveness, and people systems in ways that balance global consistency with local relevance. You will sit within the Learning, Development, and Culture team. The role plays a pivotal part in helping shape a culture where our values are lived every day, where inclusion and belonging are shared responsibilities, and where people across all identities feel valued, respected, and able to contribute fully. Job Highlight In this role, you will help inspire and mobilize WRI's global culture and DEI agenda, turning ambition into practical, measurable action across the institute. You will work in close partnership with Country Directors, People & Culture leaders, colleagues across regions, affinity groups, and managers to foster inclusion, belonging, and leadership accountability, while helping embed equitable and culturally competent practices into the way we work. This is an opportunity to help create the conditions for every person at WRI to show up as themselves, whatever their identity, and to feel valued, respected, and able to thrive and do their best work. You will manage and develop the Culture Advisor and DEI Manager and help build an enterprise-wide approach to change that supports WRI's strategy, mission, and values. You will be supported by the wider Learning, Development and Culture team, the Global Human Resources Network (GHRN), and cross-functional partners across the institute. You will report to the Global Director of Learning, Development, and Culture, and you will be an active member of the GHRN group of senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Culture and DEI strategy development and execution (35%)
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous refinement of WRI's global culture and DEI strategy, aligned to WRI priorities, values, and people strategy.
• Translate strategy into a clear portfolio of initiatives, milestones, and measures of success (including our DEI maturity matrix), using data and staff insight to prioritize actions and assess impact.
• Identify organization-wide culture and inclusion risks, themes, and opportunities, and develop practical interventions that strengthen belonging, equity, and organizational effectiveness across all our country offices while supporting a connected, values-led culture across the wider WRI network.
• Be a strategic partner to People and Culture leadership on organizational-wide culture change, ensuring global coherence with regional and local adaptation.
• Embed inclusive practices in people systems and leadership (25%)
• Partner with colleagues across People & Culture to embed equitable, inclusive, and culturally competent practices into core people processes, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, leadership development, employee engagement, and recognition.
• Work with the Director of Learning, Development, and Culture to shape learning solutions that build inclusive leadership, cultural competence, and manager capability across the institute.
• Provide strategic advice and practical guidance to managers, teams, and People & Culture colleagues on culture and DEI-related matters connected to team effectiveness, ways of working, and people processes.
• Support the design and facilitation of interventions, dialogues, and resources that strengthen leadership accountability and help teams build more inclusive, respectful, and high-trust environments.
• Global engagement, governance, and partnerships (20%)
• Lead DEI and culture-related staff engagement initiatives, such as critical conversations, culture surveys, inclusive observances, listening forums, and communities of practice, in ways that deepen staff voice, connection, and shared ownership, and ensure learning is translated into action.
• Partner with internal networks such as our country culture and DEI ambassadors, affinity groups, and working groups to strengthen staff voice, shared ownership, and collective responsibility for advancing culture and DEI priorities across WRI.
• Build relationships with Country Office People and Culture leads, Centers of Excellence , and other internal partners to support implementation and alignment across geographies.
• Monitor external trends and benchmark practice to keep WRI's culture and DEI approach current, credible, and relevant for a global mission-driven organization.
• Team leadership and program management (20%)
• Line manage and develop the Culture Advisor and the DEI Manager, setting clear prio

Benefits

Additional Information

This is a hybrid role that requires 8 days per month in the office. You can be based in a WRI office in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, or the Netherlands subject to local market conditions and existing work authorization at the time of application submission.

Your Match

How well this role fits your profile.

Company Intel

What employees say

Worked at wri? Share your experience