Global Director, Culture and DEI

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.

About the Team

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.

What you will do

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 priorities, fostering growth, and ensuring high-quality delivery.
• Oversee culture and DEI-related projects, budgets, and external partnerships to ensure effective delivery, value for money, and alignment with WRI priorities.
• Establish practical governance, reporting, and communication rhythms that keep everyone informed and enable timely decisions.
• Contribute to the broader leadership of the Learning, Development, and Culture team, helping build a collaborative, high-performing function with strong global impact.

What you will need

Background and experience: A background in psychology, organizational development, human resources, or a related field would be helpful. We welcome candidates with a broad range of professional, community, and lived experiences relevant to culture, equity, inclusion, and organizational change.

Experience:

• You bring extensive relevant experience in global DEI, organizational culture, organizational development, people strategy, or related fields, gained within complex, multi-geography, multicultural organizations.
• You have substantial experience developing and implementing organization-wide culture and DEI strategies and translating them into practical, measurable initiatives and outcomes.
• You have experience working across different countries, cultures, and contexts, with the judgment to balance global consistency with local relevance.
• You have experience embedding equitable and inclusive practices into core people processes such as talent acquisition, performance management, employee engagement, and leadership development.
• You have experience designing and facilitating DEI and culture-related learning, dialogue, and change interventions for staff, managers, and senior leaders.
• You have experience using qualitative and quantitative data, staff insight, and where relevant lived experience to understand culture and inclusion challenges, shape priorities, and inform action.
• You have experience leading complex projects, working across functions and geographies, and managing budgets and external partners or consultants.
• You have experience line managing and developing staff in a global or distributed team environment.

Languages: You have verbal and written proficiency in English. Additional language skills relevant to WRI's global footprint are an asset.

Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to support visa applications.

Potential Salary: If based in the Netherlands: €87,000– €109,000 excluding 8% holiday allowance

If based in Kenya, Ethiopia or Rwanda, salary will be determined by local market conditions. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

How to Apply: Please submit a resume with a cover letter by 15 July 2026. Internal applicants should submit their application through the Jobs Hub portal in Workday. External applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. We may close applications sooner if we receive a high volume of applications from qualified candidates.

What we offer:

• Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US
• The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI
• Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours
• Generous leave days that increase with tenure
• Pension plan

About Us: World Resources Institute works to improve people's lives, protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise and global reach to influence policy and catalyse change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations.

Our mission and values: WRI's mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth's environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Independence, Integrity, Impact, Partnership and Care. These values shape how we work with one another as well as what we work toward, and they call on all of us to help create an environment where people are welcomed, respected, and able to contribute as their full selves.

Our culture: At WRI, we believe that a more inclusive, equitable, and respectful workplace helps all of us do better work and better serve our mission. We are committed to advancing gender and social equity and to fostering an environment where people of all identities and backgrounds feel they belong, are valued, and are treated with dignity and respect. Creating this kind of culture is a shared responsibility across WRI. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status.

Our People team carefully reviews all applications.

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