Job Description

Status : Full-Time/Exempt

Reports To : President and Chief Executive Officer

Location : Oakland (Headquarters) or Stockton (Central Valley Site), CA (Hybrid)

Starting Compensation for Bay Area-based Hire : $153,000 – $161,000 annually

Starting Compensation for Central Valley-based Hire : $148,000 – $155,000 annually

Apply By : 1/16/26

Rising Sun Center for Opportunity seeks a strategic, equity-centered, and emotionally intelligent Chief Program Officer (CPO) to lead and evolve workforce development programs at the intersection of climate justice, economic mobility, and racial equity. This is a pivotal executive leadership role for a seasoned program builder who can steward strong, mission-driven programs while guiding Rising Sun toward the next phase of growth, scale, and sustainability. Reporting directly to the President and Chief Executive Officer and serving as a core member of the executive leadership team, the CPO will bring clarity, focus, and forward momentum to Rising Sun’s program strategy—building on a strong foundation, strengthening systems and outcomes, and helping the organization prepare for future funding and programmatic shifts. The ideal leader is both visionary and grounded: a collaborative unifier who leads with humility, decisiveness, and deep respect for staff, participants, and community partners.

About Rising Sun

We’re deeply rooted at the intersection of equity, climate, and good, sustainable careers. In 1994, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity began as Rising Sun Energy Center in Santa Cruz, California. Much has changed as we’ve adapted and innovated to respond to the needs of our participants and communities, but today, we remain rooted in our origins, preparing people throughout the Bay Area and Central California who have been locked out of prosperity for good jobs and green pathways that offer economic equity and mobility while building a climate-resilient future for all. Through programs such as Climate Careers and Opportunity Build, Rising Sun has trained and employed more than 3,000 individuals and helped over 65,000 households reduce their carbon footprint. Learn more about who we are and our impact at

About Our Culture

We are mission-driven and work hard because we care about what we do. We are deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and antiracism, and are actively advancing on that journey, though we know the work is never done. We like working with each other and we like to make work fun. We’re into continuous improvement, learning, transparency, and tough conversations. We practice appreciation and start each meeting with a team-builder, and it’s not uncommon for staff to bring snacks to share that tell a story about who they are and where they come from. When we’re at the office, there’s often at least one dog hanging around. We put people first, especially our program participants. We like to promote from within and build each other up, but we also like to bring in new ideas and different perspectives. We’re looking forward to meeting you and hearing about how you can contribute to making Rising Sun a great place to have an impact.

About The Opportunity

After expanding geographically and programmatically over the past year, Rising Sun will continue its geographic growth while focusing intentionally on sustainability, impact, story amplification, and scaling innovation. The organization is expanding its presence in the Central Valley and is preparing for the next cycle of government and philanthropic funding to catalyze efforts toward economic equity and climate resilience. Reporting directly to, and providing strategic thought partnership to, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Program Officer (CPO) will play a pivotal role in shaping and leading this next phase.

The CPO will oversee Rising Sun’s workforce development program portfolio, leading the vision, strategy, design, execution, evaluation, and enhancement of all programs across regions alongside three strong program directors and their teams. These core programs - Climate Careers® Bay Area, Climate Careers® Central Valley, and Opportunity Build - work alongside youth, women, people of color, people with low or no incomes, and individuals in re-entry to promote high-road careers and pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and benefits that support a climate-resilient economy.

The CPO will ensure alignment between programming, strategy, financial resources, and organizational mission, vision, values, and goals. Balancing strategic leadership with hands-on partnership, the CPO will work closely with the CEO, program directors, frontline staff, external partners, program participants, and funders.

Key Responsibilities will include:

Organizational & Team Leadership & Culture

• Serving as a member of the executive and director teams, providing trusted thought partnership to the CEO, cross-functional peers, and Board on program strategy, scaling, and organizational direction, ensuring strong leadership-level collaboration, alignment, and clarity of program priorities
• Fostering a culture of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement across all levels of the organization and meaningfully contributing to the development and implementation of innovative policies and practices that promote diversity, equity, and belonging
• Building trust, confidence, and shared vision and systems for goal setting, performance management, evaluation, and outcomes that nurture a high-performing programs team dedicated to achieving the mission
• Directly supervising and coaching three program directors, nurturing their leadership, confidence, and collaboration
• Supporting organizational cohesion across sites, teams, and functions

P rogrammatic Oversight & Strategy

• Providing strategic leadership and oversight of all workforce development programs: designing, implementing, assessing, and continually enhancing effective programs
• Creating a roadmap for measurable program outcomes tied to family-sustaining employment that meets the evolving needs of youth, women, individuals in re-entry, low-income communities, communities of color, and other impacted communities
• Ensuring the team meets and/or exceeds programmatic targets tied to funding and mission impact, and complies with any reporting requirements
• Working closely with program directors to deepen and expand existing programs, leveraging cutting-edge approaches and emerging trends in economic equity, workforce development, and climate resilience
• Leading program growth and systems development to support increased scale, effectiveness, and sustainability, including future exploration of new pilots and programs

External Partnerships & Engagement 

• Enhancing Rising Sun’s programmatic and community leadership presence, particularly in the Central Valley, overseeing strategic geographic expansion of existing programs, and supporting staff to establish new partnerships and build a robust network of support
• Deepening and expanding external partnerships with unions, employers, community organizations, and public agencies
• Developing new and strengthening existing funding partnerships and bringing innovative ideas to expand the funding base

Initial priorities for the CPO will include program immersion and relationship-building as well as establishing clear priorities and systems and positioning programs for funding expansion that will enable staff, programs, and participants to thrive.

About The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate brings a blend of strategic acumen, program-building experience, and people-centered leadership, with a deep commitment to equity and climate justice. The ideal CPO will bring expertise and forward-thinking that helps position Rising Sun as a leading force in the field, committed to transformative change at the individual, community, and system level. This is an ideal role for a leader who understands the intersections of workforce development, economic equity, climate resilience, and community partnership—and who thrives in environments where humility, learning, passion, and resilience are deeply valued. The strongest candidates will be both strategic and hands-on, driven by a deep commitment to equity, climate, and economic mobility.

Key Qualifications include the following, noting that other relevant, transferrable skills and experiences are also welcome:

• Significant experience creating, leading, evaluating, and scaling effective workforce or other closely related programs - ideally inclusive of environmental justice, climate policy, or clean energy - that address the challenges facing low-income communities, communities of color, youth, women, and individuals in re-entry from incarceration
• Proven track record of successfully implementing workforce development programs and initiatives that drive meaningful impact and positive change that have led to measurable economic mobility and family sustaining careers
• Familiarity or expertise in working with youth ages 15+ and/or with union labor, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or other programmatic pathways into trades strongly preferred
• Proven track record of actively addressing climate and economic inequity challenges through strategic program development and implementation, policy advocacy, and/or community engagement initiatives
• Experience leading organizations through programmatic growth, scaling, or geographic expansion
• Strong knowledge of equity-driven frameworks and practices, with the ability to integrate them into program design and implementation effectively
• Familiarity with the unique needs, strengths, and aspirations of diverse populations, coupled with a commitment to fostering participatory and equitable solutions
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage and partner with community members, stakeholders, and organizations representing low-income communities and communities of color
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, coupled with a forward-thinking mindset to identify emerging trends and opportunities in the field
• Demonstrated people leadership experience managing senior leaders with the ability to build, inspire, coach, develop, and unify a high-performing multidisciplinary team
• Experience navigating government funding, including multi-year grants and renewals, and/or private-public partnership initiatives with complex compliance and reporting requirements preferred
• Knowledge of the energy efficiency regulatory environment in California is a plus
• Preferably based in the Bay Area or Central Valley, with openness to exceptional candidates outside of our core markets with strong local relationships who are looking to relocate
• Experience working in or with Central Valley stakeholders is a plus
• Residency in California or the ability to move; be able to travel to and work onsite at Rising Sun’s office in Oakland and/or Stockton as required or requested
• Ability to pass a background check: some findings may be waived on a case-by-case basis

About Compensation, Benefits & Work Culture

This is a full-time, exempt executive position with a full annual salary range of $153,000 – $193,000. Anticipated starting compensation for a Bay Area-based hire is $153,000 – $161,000 annually and compensation for Central Valley-based hire is $148,000 – $155,000 annually, commensurate with experience and considering internal equity. Rising Sun may provide an annual COLA, based on budget and available funds, and reviews compensation levels every three years to maintain competitiveness.

Rising Sun also offers a robust benefits package, including:

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for employees
• 50% coverage for dependent insurance premiums
• Generous paid time off, personal leave, and parental leave with 17 PTO days/year that increase each year until year 10, 18 Holidays/year (includes 2 floating holidays and a week of closure during winter), 4 Restorative days/year, and your Birthday off every year
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match after one year
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement, totaling $100
• 40% pay from Rising Sun for 12 weeks of parental leave to supplement California's state disability leave and paid family leave payments
• 8 weeks of paid sabbatical after year 7
• Annual professional development budget
• Financial advising through Stonebridge Financial Group
• Access to mental health services and resources through SpringHealth

Rising Sun’s culture is upbeat, caring, mission-driven, and values-aligned—centered on trust, transparency, learning, and collective impact—with a hybrid work environment marked by flexibility, balanced with meaningful in-person engagement at program sites in Oakland and Stockton.

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