Head of Programs and Impact

About Metropolis

Metropolis is the global network of the world’s largest cities and metropolitan areas. Since 1985, cities come together through Metropolis to create a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future for large urban areas worldwide. With a global membership spanning over 160 cities including the world’s largest urban agglomerations, Metropolis acts as a forum and sharing platform for metropolitan leaders to find shared solutions for common challenges.

Metropolis is the leading global voice on strengthening metropolitan governance. We elevate the collective voice of metropolises on the global stage, and help them deliver on their commitments with their citizens and with global agendas.

Job Summary

The Head of Programs and Impact drives the organization’s sustainable growth and creation of strategic value through resource mobilization, program design, and impact measurement. They ensure our programs respond to the real needs of the member cities, align with mission and strategy, and are cost-effective and impactful.

The role leads the development of funding and partnership opportunities, designs initiatives to deliver tangible value for member cities and drives Metropolis’ measurable impact, in alignment with the organization’s strategic mission and priorities, contributing to strong decision-making, accountability, and learning across the organization.

Role’s Specific Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the team, to ensure effective implementation of projects, striving to meet and exceed donors’ standards and expectations for reporting and impact, and Metropolis’ members’ needs and expectations.
• Under the Head’s leadership, the team will constantly search for funding and donors that Metropolis can then put to serve its members and its mission.

Program Development and Impact Measurement

• Lead the identification, conceptualization, and design of programs and initiatives responding to members’ priorities and strategic objectives.
• Ensure initiatives are feasible, financially sound, scalable, and designed with measurable outcomes.
• Responsible for the design of an impact measurement framework, in line with the Strategic Action Plan.
• Ensure impact measurement is integrated into program design from inception.
• Coordinate impact-related data collection, analysis and monitoring.

Resource Mobilization and Fundraising

• Lead the organization’s resource mobilization and fundraising strategy to secure financial and non-financial resources.
• Introduce innovative finance mechanisms to mobilize resources for the member cities of Metropolis.
• Identify, cultivate, and maintain strategic relationships with institutional donors, foundations, public entities, and other partners.
• Oversee opportunity scanning, donor positioning, proposal development, and partnership building.
• Diversifying and expanding the funding sources that can benefit members, the network and the Secretariat.

Head of Team’s Standard Accountabilities

• Knowledge and information management systems: guarantee accurate reporting and updating of control and management systems in the area.
• Processes optimisation: implement and optimise processes for maximum efficiency and timely completion; promote innovation and continuous improvement in processes.
• Organisational leadership: execute and monitor strategies and objectives, applying corrective measures as needed; analyse and control budgets, implementing necessary adjustments.
• Team management: design, coordinate, and motivate the team to achieve objectives aligned with Metropolis’ vision; evaluate performance, develop personalised career plans, and identify training needs.
• Issue resolution: resolve incidents within the assigned area.

Ideally, in addition to strong project design and management experience, you will bring deep expertise in innovative financing mechanisms, results-based grants, impact investing and/or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with experience of working with institutional, corporate, public and philanthropic donors and meeting their reporting and compliance requirements.

A strategic and commercially minded leader, you will be an effective team manager with the ability to identify opportunities, challenge conventional approaches, and drive institutional growth through measurable social impact. You will possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, demonstrate sound judgement in assessing risk and making decisions in complex environments, and be able to measure, evidence, package and communicate impact to a wide range of stakeholders.

The role requires excellent planning and prioritisation skills, strong negotiation and relationship management abilities, international experience, cultural sensitivity, and the capacity to translate complex technical concepts into clear and compelling messages for non-specialist audiences.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and presentation software is essential, as is fluency in English. Additional language skills, particularly French, Spanish or Mandarin Chinese, are highly desirable, alongside a proven track record in fundraising, resource mobilisation, venture philanthropy, carbon markets, outcome-based funds, purpose tokens, and other innovative impact finance mechanisms.

This role requires a postgraduate qualification in Business, Statistics, Data Analysis, Social Sciences, Management or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience, together with significant experience managing complex, multi-year international projects, impact investments, or programmes within mission-driven organisations, socially responsible private sector organisations, or the public sector.

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