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Director of Innovation (General)

Remote (Anywhere in the U.S)

About Elemental Impact

Elemental Impact is a nonprofit investment platform that invests in climate companies and projects with deep local impact. Elemental has a 15-year history of investing in real world solutions that make neighborhoods and homes cleaner, healthier, safer and more. We've invested in over 180 climate companies to date and successfully stewarded significant government and philanthropic resources, leveraging our expertise to de-risk technologies and attract additional investment. Core to our work supporting innovation and entrepreneurs, and essential to our five-year strategy, is the central role of social equity and community impact in the implementation of climate technologies. 

We are a dedicated, passionate, and diverse team that thrives in a fast-paced environment driven by a shared desire to maximize impact. At Elemental, where we are constantly pushing the edge of innovation, we find ourselves at an exciting inflection point - with more federal funding into climate solutions and philanthropic engagement than ever before, we will be steadily growing our team to meet the moment. Join us at Elemental Impact and be part of the next phase of our journey.  

About the role

Elemental is seeking a highly collaborative, organized, and experienced individual to work with our Portfolio Team leading the origination, diligence, and management of Elemental’s portfolio companies. The specific sectors this Director will oversee will be contingent on the specific experience and subject matter expertise that the candidate brings, though it may be some combination of energy, built environment, industry, and/or water.

For this position, we are looking for an individual who can help develop a set of investment themes, source relevant companies, lead diligence on investments, design projects, manage deliverables and reporting, provide thought-partnership on portfolio company strategy, represent the organization in external speaking engagements, and work with the other Directors of Innovation across sectors and organization functions. 

This role will focus on Elemental’s companies across the portfolio, and will report to one of our Senior Directors of Innovation.

Key Responsibilities Include:                         

Investments 

  • Help craft Elemental’s investment theses for relevant sectors
  • Lead sourcing and origination potential investment opportunities in collaboration with the investment structuring team. Deals could include equity, debt, project finance, or other types of investment. 
  • Support recruitment strategy to expand our reach to more traditionally excluded founders and leadership teams
  • Lead rigorous due diligence on potential investments, including evaluating financials, business models, market dynamics, competitive landscapes, GHG and impact analysis, and technology assessments
  • Manage deal team, internal diligence documentation, and pitching to investment committee
  • Identify and diligence follow-on funding opportunities for promising projects 

Portfolio Management

  • Directly support Elemental portfolio companies 
  • Develop rapport and lead regular check ins with portfolio companies
  • Problem-solve with entrepreneurs to help them achieve key inflection points
  • Facilitate introductions to investors and strategic partners where relevant
  • As relevant, identify opportunities for additional services and funding vehicles
  • Co-design and manage projects that help companies scale and deliver deep environmental and community impact

Misc Ecosystem Support and Team Collaboration

  • As needed, present pipeline and portfolio companies to our government, corporate, and other funding partners
  • Serve as thought leader on relevant sectors, represent Elemental at industry events, and compile materials for speaking engagements and publications
  • Work closely with the communications team to support project-based storytelling opportunities
  • Work with interns, fellows, and consultants, with the potential for full time team management 

About You

You could be a great addition to our team if you have deep experience in 1) funding venture-backed companies and 2) operating companies focused on renewable energy, built environment, industry, and/or water. You have experience deploying technology in frontline communities with low-income customers, or supporting founders in doing so. You are comfortable with a fast-paced work environment, skilled in quickly task-switching, building and managing relationships, leading and helping others. You believe deeply in a just transition to a low-carbon world - and believe that transition has to happen with utmost speed. 

Qualifications (even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we still encourage you to apply!)            

Desired skills:      

  • Interest and experience in the energy, built environment, industry, and/or water sectors
  • Experience working with (or at) startups in the aforementioned sectors
  • Experience investing in startups across stages, providing equity and/or debt financing
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including the proven ability to work optimally in a nimble, flexible and fast-paced environment
  • Understanding of how justice, equity, and inclusion relate to climate work
  • Experience deploying technology in frontline communities with low-income customers
  • Attention to detail with outstanding organizational skills and a passion for teamwork that includes phenomenal follow-through and documentation
  • Creative and proactive in solving problems 
  • Excellent verbal and written communications skills

Standout skills:                                                                                    

  • Significant knowledge in business administration, economics, environmental science, or engineering
  • Experience providing financial assistance in low-income communities 
  • Experience convening / leading events and conversations, including speaking at conferences and/or large public settings

Location

We will consider candidates located anywhere in the US. Elemental has a hybrid working model and if you are within a reasonable distance to one of our offices in New York, DC, Bay Area, or Honolulu, we ask employees to come into the office at least one day a week to build community with the team. Currently, most people come in 1-2 times a week, but we encourage those who are interested to come in more often if they’d like. If you are not, you will be expected to travel infrequently to our HQs (e.g., ~quarterly). Other travel may sometimes be required for conferences or meetings. 

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time "at-will" position working at least 40 hours per week. You will be asked to travel for work periodically. 

The salary range for this role is $106,400 - $191,000, which is based on market data and the organization's compensation philosophy. Also, please note that while we strive to benchmark against for-profit companies and try to be as competitive as possible, we are a non-profit. Our offer will be within the range as required by certain state laws and individual salary offers will depend on and may vary with location, relevant education, knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer comprehensive employee benefits, including a professional development stipend and three weeks paid time off (more details here).

Other Application Details

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

We will accept and review applications on a rolling basis. Although all applications will be considered, we may be unable to respond to all inquiries. Please note that we do read cover letters, so we advise spending adequate time on them to share your relevant stories and experiences with us. We also ask that you refrain from using tools like Chat GPT and keep the cover letter to 1-2 pages long.                                                            

Elemental is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and has a strong commitment to diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Candidates from the following groups are especially encouraged to apply: Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities; people who have disabilities; veterans, and people from low-income backgrounds. 

Elemental is also committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs, and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws.

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