Board of Directors

Accountability Counsel strives to create a world where people and our planet are prioritized over profits; powerful institutions are responsive to the needs of communities; and the global financial system respects human and environmental rights.

We hold trillions of dollars in international investments accountable to human rights and environmental standards.

Money matters and presents a critical leverage point to ensuring justice. Behind every project fuelling environmental and human rights abuses is a complex investment chain enabling that project to happen.

We work alongside communities whose rights, livelihoods, and environment are under threat. Case by case, and investor by investor, we shift power to communities to build a more just financial system.

Our Model

Accountability Counsel’s model defends human rights, demands climate justice, and strengthens community power.

• Community cases drive direct impact: Our accountability experts work alongside communities to halt harmful investments, redesign them to respect rights, and negotiate remedy when they cause harm.
• Research exposes patterns of harmful investment: We conduct data analysis and qualitative research to contextualize our casework and illuminate systemic barriers to accountability – equipping us and others to better understand the system we are working to change.
• Policy advocacy changes systems at scale: We leverage lessons from our casework and research to strengthen the systems, safeguards, and practices at investing institutions so that they are responsive to communities, respect their rights, and protect the environment.

Since our founding, Accountability Counsel has supported 132 communities to demand justice, pushed 95 institutions to commit to accountability, and ultimately shifted power to 3.2 million people worldwide.

The Opportunity

As we look ahead to 2024-2025, we are excited to deepen our core work using and reforming accountability mechanisms to hold international financial institutions accountable to the communities they harm, while expanding accountability into financial institutions that currently lack adequate accountability channels. We are seeing the nascent fruits of our efforts over the past five years to bring accountability to Chinese financing overseas, impact/ESG investors, and climate financiers – with new accountability mechanisms coming online and able to be tested by communities – although further work is needed to capitalize on those developments. We are also completing an exciting transition to new (post-founder) leadership, as part of and alongside a thoughtful organizational strengthening plan.

Accountability Counsel is seeking to bring on new Directors who can help us achieve these goals, and shape the next era of Accountability Counsel’s impact.

Who You Are

• Personally committed to Accountability Counsel’s mission and values. You believe in the agency of communities around the world to protect their human rights and environment. You are inspired to help Accountability Counsel grow as a world class organization. You resonate with and are eager to celebrate Accountability Counsel’s respect-based approach.
• An expert in areas related to our work – including international finance, human rights, environmental and climate justice – and/or an expert in organizational development and governance, who is willing to bring that expertise to the benefit of Accountability Counsel’s mission and strategy.
• Someone that strives to ask the right questions, rather than knowing the right answers, in order to push us ambitiously towards impact even beyond what we currently envision.
• Sensitive to the challenges of international human rights and environmental justice work, and want to be a part of an organization striving to make that work sustainable and healthy, as well as impactful.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare for and attend quarterly Board meetings: typically 2 hours (virtual), with one annual full-day meeting in person;
• Participate on at least one Board committee (finance, strategy, and/or governance). Committees typically meet for 1-2 hours (virtually) each quarter;
• Make a meaningful contribution to the organization that reflects the diversity of skills, talent, and resources of each Board member.

To Apply

If this opportunity calls out to you, please reach out to our Board Chair (boardchair@accountabilitycounsel.org) and our Executive Director (margaux@accountabilitycounsel.org).

A PDF of this position description is available here.
 

Accountability Counsel is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other prohibited category. We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and all qualified persons to apply for this position.