Chief Impact Officer

Pure Earth • New York, NY

9d • $200,000 - $230,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Pure Earth is a growing international nonprofit addressing one of the most urgent yet solvable global health crises: toxic pollution and its profound impacts on human health. We specialize in preventing exposure to lead and other toxins in low- and middle-income countries, embedding solutions into government systems that outlast any single project or grant. With substantial multi-year funding through the Audacious Project, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Coefficient Giving, and other partners, secured through 2033, Pure Earth is leading one of the largest concentrated efforts ever undertaken to end childhood lead poisoning. We are scaling proven interventions across dozens of countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, working in partnership with governments, multilateral organizations, leading philanthropies, and frontline organizations to identify exposure sources, mitigate contamination, and improve policies and regulation. Pure Earth holds top ratings from Charity Navigator and Candid, and our work has been featured on the TED mainstage and across major news and global health outlets. At Pure Earth, you'll join an agile, mission-driven team that translates science and innovation into measurable impact, with the resources, partnerships, and ambition to deliver change at scale.

Requirements

• PhD or Master’s degree in public health, environmental science, toxicology, international development or related field preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of highly relevant experience, with significant time in senior leadership or principal investigator roles in environmental health, global health, environmental science, international development, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research and evidence into programmatic and policy impact at scale.
• Track record of leading or building research, MEL, or policy functions in a mission-driven organization.
• Experience working with senior funders, governments, and multilateral institutions on global health or development priorities.
• Strong management skills, with a track record of building and developing high-performing senior teams, and the ability to influence outside direct lines of authority.
• Work authorization for the United States is required. Pure Earth will not sponsor visas for this role.

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience with lead exposure or related toxic chemicals work.
• Field experience in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, or Latin America.
• Published track record in peer-reviewed environmental or global health literature.
• Experience working in or with academic institutions, multilateral agencies, and major philanthropies.

Responsibilities

• Define Pure Earth's current impact strategy, including which geographies, exposure sources, and interventions to prioritize within the lead and mercury portfolio.
• Partner with the President and Board to steward Pure Earth's long-term programmatic portfolio direction, identifying when and how to expand to other priority pollutants as the evidence and field conditions warrant.
• Shape the design, refinement, and rollout of Pure Earth's Audacious Project, our flagship effort to end childhood lead poisoning, ensuring strategic coherence and delivery against committed milestones.
• Set the organization's theory of change and the impact targets it commits to publicly and to funders.
• Hold the Programs and Technical Support Departments accountable for delivery against impact targets, program and technical quality standards, and grant commitments.
• Partner with the Chief Operating Officer to determine programmatic budget allocations based on available resources, cost-impact tradeoffs, and general resource allocation across countries and functions.
• Partner with the Chief External Relations Officer on positioning, fundraising strategy, donor cultivation, communications, and external influence.
• Provide intellectual content and senior engagement that support the Development function in donor cultivation, retention, and major proposals.
• Serve as principal thought partner to the President on mission strategy and high-stakes mission decisions.
• In collaboration with the Director of the Innovation Lab, set a forward-looking research agenda that anticipates emerging trends and addresses gaps in the field's understanding of lead exposure and mitigation.
• Ensure rigorous planning and execution, peer-reviewed publication, and dissemination of research that strengthens both Pure Earth's programs and the broader evidence base.
• May serve as senior author, principal investigator, or technical lead on flagship research and publications consistent with the role's leadership scope and capacity.
• In collaboration with the VP of Programs and MEL Director, set the organization's impact measurement philosophy, including how outcomes are defined, tracked, and reported.
• Oversee the organization's learning agenda, working with the VP of Programs and MEL Director to ensure that insights from research, MEL, and the field translate into stronger programs and strategy.
• Monitor MEL systems to ensure that they rigorously assess impact and inform decision-making at country, regional, and enterprise levels.
• Ensure MEL outputs meet the needs of funders and support high-quality donor reporting and external storytelling.
• Define Pure Earth's policy and regulatory strategy, identifying priority opportunities to influence government action and strengthen regulatory frameworks.
• Translate Pure Earth's evidence base into actionable insights for policymakers, partners, and the global health community.
• Partner with the Chief External Relations Officer to convert policy strategy into external advocacy, government relations, and coalition work.
• In partnership with the VP for Technical Support, set the standards for technical support, including scientific rigor, methodological soundness, feasibility in low-resource settings, and continuous improvement.
• Define the evidence-based practices, program design standards, and impact metrics to which all Pure Earth programs are accountable.
• Set quality and accountability frameworks that the Programs Department uses to manage delivery.
• Approve material program design changes and new country entries based on strategic and impact criteria.
• Directly supervise the Vice President of Programs, the Vice President for Technical Support, and the Director of the Innovation Lab.
• Shape the agenda of and partner closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning function and other embedded units that support impact across the organization.
• Build a high-performing, globally distributed team of senior leaders aligned around shared impact goals.
• Promote a culture of intellectual honesty, learning, and continuous improvement across the impact function.

Benefits

• Full-Time, Exempt, Level L7. Salary band for L7 positions is $135,000 to $300,000. Expected starting range for this specific role is $200,000 to $230,000. Actual starting salary will be determined based on experience and internal equity.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive