Location This role requires you to be based in Boston, Houston, New York City, Washington D.C., or California. Candidates near our Somerville, MA or Houston, TX sites work a hybrid schedule; candidates in New York, D.C., or California work remotely with regular travel.
About Greentown Labs Greentown Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accelerating climatetech innovation for the planet, people, and prosperity. As the world’s largest climatetech and energy startup incubator, Greentown catalyzes ecosystems to provide entrepreneurs mission-critical access to labs, equipment, customers, capital, talent, community, and resources for business and leadership growth. Greentown is home to more than 250 startups and has supported more than 675 since its founding in 2011; these startups, with a survival rate of 88 percent, have collectively created more than 16,600 jobs and raised more than $12.5B in funding. We are entering a new phase of growth - strengthening our platform, expanding globally, and building more structured, scalable ways to serve our two core customer bases: startups and corporate partners. For more information, visit www.greentownlabs.com or follow Greentown on LinkedIn.
Position Overview This position reports to the CEO and sits alongside Greentown's Growth function. Greentown Labs is hiring a Head of Development to own and drive philanthropic and partnership revenue across the organization, carrying a multi-million-dollar target and building the pipeline and relationships to sustain and grow it. This is development reimagined for the climate era: a modern, entrepreneurial capital-mobilization mandate, not a traditional back-office development function. Its center of gravity is national major gifts and growth capital, roughly three-quarters of the role, with a meaningful secondary focus on enabling structured annual giving and sponsorship at the Boston and Houston sites. To start, this is a team of one in direct partnership with the CEO, with the potential to grow into a larger development function over time; cross-functional support comes from site leadership, the Chief of Staff, and the CEO. You will be as comfortable with a climate philanthropist as with an energy investor or a legacy energy company, and you do not pick camps.
What you'll do Pillar 1 - Major Gifts and Growth Capital (primary focus, ~75%)
- Carry a multi-million-dollar annual revenue target and personally lead the cultivation, solicitation, and closing of gifts from $50K to $500K and well beyond
- Cultivate high-net-worth individuals, family offices, climate philanthropists, corporate foundations, strategic partners, and government and foundation funders aligned with Greentown's mission
- Build joint research relationships and collaborative grant opportunities with academic institutions through MoUs and research agreements
- Author sophisticated, data-driven funding proposals and presentations that translate Greentown's impact into a compelling case for each funder, in writing and in the room
- Develop and structure blended and recoverable capital, including recoverable grants, program-related investments (PRIs), and donor-advised funds, and articulate the value proposition for a blended-finance approach to scaling climate innovation
- Once funding is secured, ensure a seamless handoff for ongoing donor stewardship, compliance, and grant reporting, and partner with the Finance team to build grant budgets and structure recoverable capital
- Lead funder reporting and the stewardship of government and foundation relationships
- Represent Greentown externally across climate, energy, philanthropy, and industry, including energy and climate trade associations, especially in Houston
- Own and manage a personal portfolio of $2M to $10M and beyond, tracking pipeline movement, conversion, and renewals with discipline, and maintaining CRM hygiene and reporting as a discipline
Pillar 2 - Site Support for Annual Giving and Sponsorship (secondary focus, ~25%)
- Work with Boston and Houston site leadership to shape and execute structured annual giving strategies
- Build local sponsorship pipelines and support ecosystem funding opportunities at both sites
- Develop frameworks, playbooks, and tools that let sites mobilize community and corporate support more consistently
- Connect national fundraising narratives with site-level stories and relationships, and help sites identify and steward the right local major-gift prospects
Who You Are You move easily between energy and climate, between philanthropic and partnership capital, between mission and business, and you believe the best outcomes come from connecting them. You are deeply motivated by Greentown's mission and energized by being in the field, building relationships and making the ask.
Qualifications
- A proven major-gifts closer, with experience securing gifts from $100K to $5M and beyond, ideally in climate, energy, science, or innovation-adjacent organizations
- A demonstrated climate background and deep commitment to the energy transition, able to articulate that conviction credibly to donors, partners, and skeptics across the political and sectoral spectrum, and to engage just as effectively with legacy energy companies
- A deep, existing network in climate, energy, philanthropy, corporate innovation, or adjacent sectors, with relationships you are proud to bring to this work and a desire to grow them
- A strong writer and storyteller who can turn a complex, technical climate story into a funding case that moves a donor, whether in a proposal, a deck, or a conversation
- Fluency with the nonprofit capital stack and blended finance, including recoverable grants, PRIs, and donor-advised funds (DAFs), is a strong plus
- Equally credible with a climate philanthropist and an energy or industrial executive, with no purity test
- Highly relationship-driven and externally oriented, comfortable making the direct ask and confident driving to close
- Politically and socially fluent across diverse stakeholders, from founders to philanthropists to industrial executives to civic leaders
- Entrepreneurial and fast-moving, comfortable operating as a team of one in close partnership with the CEO while building toward a larger function
What Success Looks Like
- A strong, activated national pipeline across priority donor segments: major climate philanthropists, family offices, foundations, and corporate partners
- Early major gifts closed, with clear momentum toward the year-one revenue target
- Structured, repeatable annual giving and sponsorship approaches underway with the Boston and Houston sites
- Greentown established as a compelling platform for climate and energy-focused philanthropy and partnership capital
- The groundwork laid for a longer-term major-gift pipeline and a future development function
- Key university and research partnership opportunities identified and beginning to open new collaborative funding pathways
General Physical Demands Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to enable candidates to perform the essential functions of the position.
- Communication: Regularly required to communicate with others in person, via phone, and virtually/electronically
- Stationary Work: Prolonged periods working on a computer
- Mobility: Regularly moving around the office to interact with colleagues, access files, and attend meetings
- Physical Demands: Lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs.
Additional Considerations
- Travel: Occasional travel may be required to attend off-site events or conferences.
- Late Hours: Evening work will be necessary for some events.
Work Location and Schedule We are open on location for this role. Greentown's two sites are in Somerville, MA and Houston, TX; candidates based near a site work a hybrid schedule, generally on-site at least three days per week with the option to work remotely two days per week. Given the external, relationship-driven nature of this role, we are also actively considering candidates based in California or New York, where there is significant fundraising and donor presence, and will consider other locations for the right candidate. Regular travel and occasional evening work will be expected to cultivate and steward donors, partners, and prospects. Our standard business hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive salary and benefits package
- Be a part of a dynamic and growing organization committed to making a positive impact on the world
- Work in a collaborative and supportive environment with opportunities for professional development
- Employees may be eligible for incentive compensation at year-end; incentive compensation is tied to organizational performance and individual performance
Equal Opportunity Statement Greentown Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, pregnancy, status as a veteran, genetic information, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class. Greentown Labs seeks to fully represent our community and constituencies - particularly low-income communities and communities of color - to amplify those voices and provide opportunities to participate in the direction and leadership of the organization. We actively encourage candidates from broad, diverse backgrounds to apply. Accommodations: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), Greentown Labs will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer. To request an accommodation during the application process, please contact hr@greentownlabs.com. At-will Employment This job description is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract of employment for any specific duration. Employment with Greentown Labs is at-will, meaning that the employment relationship can be terminated by the employee or the Company at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.