Our Guiding Star: Building Resilience
QCF was established in 2019 by the founders of Quadrature Capital, Greg Skinner and Suneil Setiya, out of a recognition of the persistent poverty, inequality, and human suffering that shape our societies. Our founders were already active philanthropists in these areas, and came to understand how climate would compound them, driving food insecurity, deepening displacement, and pushing the most vulnerable into crisis. This realisation led them to establish QCF with a focus on climate as the defining challenge of our time.
In 2025, the founders and QCF decided to bring the Foundation's climate funding together with other private philanthropic funding streams across poverty, inequality and human suffering under an expanded Foundation remit. QCF’s updated mandate is based on our core belief: that acute human suffering now, and cascading climate risks ahead, are interconnected crises that threaten the stability of societies everywhere. This demands action both downstream, to address poverty and inequality and help people secure their lives and dignity today; and upstream, to build the conditions that make lasting climate and societal transformation possible and durable for tomorrow.
Within this expanded direction, QCF is seeking five Programme Directors across the following portfolios:
Reporting to a Managing Director and supported by dedicated Programme Managers, the Programme Directors will hold overall responsibility for portfolio strategy, partnerships, and learning. They will steward significant, multi-year portfolios, shaping priorities, allocating resources, and making evidence-informed judgements about where QCF can add distinctive value. Working in dialogue with partners and evolving external conditions, they will adapt approaches over time and help ensure the Foundation’s support strengthens — rather than substitutes for — existing efforts and leadership.
They will build trusted, long-term relationships across civil society, research institutions, governments, multilaterals, and philanthropy, contributing to stronger ecosystems of practice and collaboration. The Programme Directors will also contribute expertise to the Foundation’s catalytic capital and investment activity, supporting opportunity assessment, risk judgement, and learning across grant and investment approaches.
We are seeking senior leaders with strong track records in fields relevant to QCF’s mission. You will bring a sophisticated understanding of how policy, power, capital, institutions, and social dynamics interact, and the ability to operate as a systems thinker and portfolio architect — setting direction while remaining adaptive, learning-oriented, and grounded in partner experience and evidence.
You will be comfortable working across complex and sometimes contested environments, navigating differing perspectives with sound judgement, relational intelligence, and humility. You will demonstrate awareness of equity, power, and distributional impact, and an ability to engage constructively with actors operating at community, national, and international levels, reinforcing local agency and legitimacy.
Thoughtful and enabling leaders, the Programme Directors will guide and develop small, high-performing teams, contribute actively to organisational learning, and collaborate generously across portfolios. You will be confident making decisions in conditions of uncertainty and long-term horizons, integrating diverse forms of knowledge and balancing strategic ambition with practical delivery while maintaining strong standards of governance, risk management, and responsible stewardship.
Above all, you will share a deep commitment to QCF’s mission and to its partner-led approach — recognising the Foundation’s role not as a driver of change, but as an enabler that trusts and resources those closest to the work. You will value multiple ways of knowing, amplify partner voices, and help ensure those most affected by intersecting crises shape decisions and define success.
If you're passionate about advancing systemic change and building a just and resilient world, we would be delighted to hear from you.
To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter detailing the specific Programme Director role you are applying for here: https://PLusPortal.PerrettLaver.com quoting reference number 8335. To download a copy of the candidate pack, please click on the "Request More Information" button below.
The deadline for the receipt of applications is 11:59pm GMT on Thursday 2nd April 2026.
The roles will be based in QCF’s London office, on a hybrid working arrangement, with some expected travel when required.
Perrett Laver will conduct an executive search process. Longlisted candidates will be invited to interview with Perrett Laver in March-April and a final shortlist for the post will be identified in mid-April. QCF’s interviews with the shortlisted candidates will take place thereafter.
Guided by its core values of collaboration, humility, bravery, objectivity, and drive, QCF strives to make a global impact while maintaining a workplace where every voice is valued. QCF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
To confidentially get in touch about this role, or for advice on your application please email, Ryann Schutt Ryann.Schutt@perrettlaver.com.
Should you require access to these documents in alternative formats or require any reasonable adjustments to assist you in the selection process, please contact Kelly Harding kelly.harding@perrettlaver.com.
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