Location: Remote, within 6 hours of Central Europe Time
About SPUN
SPUN is an environmental nonprofit with a mission to map and protect the mycorrhizal networks that regulate Earth's climate and ecosystems. Since our founding in 2021, we have built a global data platform for these living underground networks, which move approximately 13 billion tons of CO2 into soils every year.
Through our Underground Explorers programme and a network of over 400 Science Associates across 80+ countries, we generate high-resolution datasets and mapping tools using machine learning, remote sensing and field-based sequencing. We turn that data into strategies for conservation, restoration, climate mitigation and sustainable land management.
We are a team of roughly 20 people at an inflection point: the science has matured, the policy landscape is moving, and the opportunity to embed mycorrhizal networks into global conservation, restoration, biodiversity and climate frameworks is real and time sensitive.
About the Role
The Project Manager is the operational partner to our Director of Global Policy & Impact. The Director is building the coalitions, policy relationships and cross-sector alliances that turn mycorrhizal data into above-ground decisions. You will make that work run: turning strategy into plans, keeping many parallel workstreams moving, and making sure SPUN shows up prepared, on time and credibly in the rooms where decisions are made.
Our theory of change runs from science and data, to translation for key decision-makers through coalitions and partnerships, driving tangible policy and practice adoption, which leads to improved decision-making outcomes and eventually long-term ecosystem impact and transformational shift in systems, mindsets and power. You will help ensure each link in that chain is planned, tracked and evidenced.
This is a hands-on role in a young, entrepreneurial organisation. You will manage projects, but also coordinate meetings and people across time zones, support funder reporting and help build the systems that let a startup NGO scale with integrity.
You will be the operational link across SPUN's policy and impact work, supporting two colleagues in particular. You will work with the International Policy Strategist / Advisor, who leads our engagement on the EU Soil Monitoring Law and the UNCCD, to keep their calendar, submissions and deliverables on track. And you will work with the Advocacy Lead, Mongolia, and the local team there (policy expert, Underground Explorers representative), whose workplan, risks and reporting feed into the portfolio you maintain.
What You'll Do
Strategy and planning
Support the Director in
- Translating the global impact strategy and roadmap into workplans with clear objectives, priority geographies, owners, milestones and deadlines.
- Maintaining an integrated view of all policy, coalition and advocacy workstreams, flagging risks, dependencies and decisions needed.
- Helping keep policy and advocacy efforts aligned with SPUN's programmatic work by coordinating with the science, data, restoration, Underground Explorers and communications teams.
- Maintain one integrated workplan and tracker covering the global, EU/UNCCD and Mongolia workstreams, and run a regular check-in rhythm across the Director, the International Policy Strategist / Advisor and the Advocacy Lead, Mongolia.
Stakeholder and coalition coordination
- Maintain a stakeholder map and relationship tracker covering policymakers, NGOs and grassroots movements, practitioners, Indigenous and local communities, funders and scientists, with next steps and owners.
- Plan and run logistics and follow-up for convenings and collaborative processes, including agendas, briefing packs, participant coordination and action tracking.
- Support coalition and alliance activity across conservation, restoration, and biodiversity and climate networks, keeping commitments visible and moving.
- Coordinate with partners and consultants in different regions and cultural contexts, with respect for community-driven and Indigenous-led approaches.
Policy and advocacy delivery
- Maintain a calendar of multilateral, regional and standard-setting processes (for example the CBD, UNFCCC and EU legislation), with deadlines for submissions, side events and consultations.
- Manage the production cycle for policy briefings, position papers and impact narratives, from drafting and scientific review to design and publication.
- Help track impact of the Underground Explorers and Advocates network and turn data and stories the into materials for policymakers, practitioners and funders, working with the science and communications teams.
- Support the Director for senior-level representation at international forums with briefings, speaking materials and follow-up actions.
- Track how mycorrhizal science is being adopted into practitioner protocols, standards and decision-making tools.
Learning, impact and funding
- Help define indicators and maintain a simple framework for tracking progress against the theory of change, from outputs through to policy and practice change.
- Gather and synthesise insights from stakeholders, programme outcomes and SPUN's data to support learning and strategy adjustments.
- Coordinate inputs for grant proposals and reports to funders, the board and public audiences, keeping deadlines and requirements on track.
- Help maintain a pipeline of funding opportunities aligned with SPUN's science-to-policy and practice mission.
- Track project budgets with our finance support and flag issues early.
Organisation and systems
- Set up and improve lightweight project tools, templates and processes that fit a small team.
- Keep documentation, trackers and shared files organised and easy to find.
- Contribute to organisational culture, and support the executive team on projects when needed.
What We're Looking For
- 4+ years of project or programme management experience, ideally in an environmental, conservation, policy, advocacy or international development setting.
- Experience coordinating multi-stakeholder work across countries, such as coalitions, multi-partner projects or international convenings.
- Comfort working with senior leaders, and the judgement to prepare briefings and anticipate what they will need.
- Excellent organisation and the ability to manage many workstreams at once without losing detail.
- Clear, concise writing, including editing and project-managing technical or policy documents.
- Comfort with data and with turning programme information into credible reporting for funders and partners.
- Experience in a small, entrepreneurial organisation where building systems from scratch is energising rather than uncomfortable.
- Self-directed and autonomous, while collaborative and a strong team player.
- Strong cultural competency and diplomatic skills, with respect for and awareness of Indigenous rights and community-driven conservation models.
- Excellent oral and written English; other languages are a significant plus.
- Confident with collaboration and project tools (such as Google Workspace and a task tool like Notion or Asana).
Nice to have
- Familiarity with international biodiversity, climate or restoration policy processes.
- Experience with grant management, funder reporting or monitoring, evaluation and learning.
- Background in or genuine curiosity about ecology, soil science or fungi.
- A project management qualification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile), though practical experience matters more
What Makes This Role Distinctive
Mycorrhizal networks underpin nearly every terrestrial ecosystem on Earth, yet they remain almost entirely absent from the conservation, restoration and climate frameworks meant to protect them. SPUN has built the science to change that. As the person who keeps the policy and impact work organised and moving, you will be central to helping write a new chapter in how the world understands and acts on underground ecosystems.
What Success Looks Like
- First 90 days: You understand SPUN's science, theory of change and priorities. You have mapped all live policy and impact workstreams, set up a simple planning and reporting rhythm the team uses, and built working relationships across the team and with key partners.
- First 12 months: The Director has clear visibility of progress, risks and upcoming opportunities. Convenings, briefings and policy moments are delivered on time and to a high standard, and funders and the board receive timely, credible impact reporting.
- Longer term: The coordination behind SPUN's policy and advocacy work is up to speed so that the Director can focus on relationships and influence, helping SPUN's data become indispensable to decision-makers and visible in changes in practice on the ground.
Why Join SPUN
At SPUN, we know that taking care of our team means empowering people to do their best work. Our benefits support health, well-being, growth, and balance. They are tailored to local laws so that everyone across our globally distributed team receives the same high standard of support.
We believe work should be both impactful and sustainable, and our benefits are designed to help you thrive in your role and beyond.
At SPUN, we embrace diversity as a fundamental pillar of our mission to protect underground ecosystems. Our commitment to decolonizing science depends on the diversity of knowledge and experience on our team and among our partners across the globe. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or background, feel valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We highly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups, including but not limited to women, LGBTQIA+ people, individuals from the Global South, and individuals with Indigenous heritage, to apply to join our team at SPUN.
To learn more about our organization and culture, please visit our website www.spun.earth.
