Business Development Associate

Uplight; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 65,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

Uplight is seeking a Business Development Associate to drive partner execution and turn growth opportunities into real deals with major energy brands. You’ll collaborate with Legal, Ops, Product, and Sales to draft agreements and move initiatives forward.

You will thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment that values pragmatic execution, cross-functional teamwork, and a bias for action to accelerate clean energy adoption.

Qualifications

• Ability to map big ideas into 10 concrete operational requirements.
• Strong writing and negotiation skills for contracts.
• Hands-on, execution-focused mindset across multiple teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day contracting with external partners, including real commercial agreements.
• Evaluate incoming partner interest and identify real opportunities with technical and commercial details.
• Translate business ideas into action across Implementation, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, and Product.

Skills

Operational planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Proactive problem solving

Clear communication

Diversity & inclusion mindset

Job description

Uplight is creating a new category of energy. We make software that manages energy resources in homes and businesses—including things like smart thermostats, electric vehicles, solar panels, storage batteries, heat pumps, and even people’s behavior—to generate, shift, or save energy to balance the grid, making it more efficient and reliable. This creates clean energy capacity that can be used by the power grid instead of burning more fossil fuels. Our solutions accelerate the transition to clean energy and save money for energy customers.

We are seeking an Business Development Associate to join our team and help us achieve our ambitious goals for our business and the planet.

We need a sharp, hard-working operator to handle our partner execution, keep cross-functional projects moving, and help turn growth opportunities into real deals.

While you will have a seat at the table to shape our partnership strategy, this isn't a role where you just brainstorm from 30,000 feet. You’ll be doing hands‑on, high‑impact work with major household brands and top energy companies. You will get real experience papering commercial contracts and working alongside the internal cross‑functional teams needed to make those deals operational.

What You Get To Do

• Manage day-to-day contracting with external partners. You'll get direct experience papering real commercial agreements with major OEMs and industry partners.
• Evaluate incoming partner interest and figure out the technical and commercial details to see if there's a real opportunity.
• Translate new business ideas into action. You'll work across Implementation, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, and Product to map out everything that needs to happen across all teams to actually pull an initiative off.
• Match partner capabilities to utility RFP requirements to help our sales team win new business.
• Translate partner needs into clear, actionable requirements and tickets for our Product team. At times, do the reverse: build compelling business cases to show partners why they should update or build to our specs to keep up with our latest innovations.
• Document partner capabilities and core workflows as we go. You'll educate internal teams on what our partners can do, standardizing what works so the entire company can leverage these relationships to build better programs.

What You Bring To Uplight

• Practical idealist: You can take a big idea and map out the 10 specific operational requirements needed to actually bring it to life. You appreciate the big picture, but you focus on practical execution rather than high-level abstractions.
• Hard-Working & Detail-Oriented: You take pride in thorough and tidy execution, whether it’s tracking down a contract detail, validating an assumption in a model, or clarifying a nuanced but important program design parameter.
• Proactive & Resourceful: You don't wait for a step-by-step playbook. When a project stalls between legal, ops, and product, you step in, ask the right questions, and figure out how to unblock it.
• Willing to Learn: Energy and tech background helps, but it's not a dealbreaker if you're ready to dive in and master the industry fast.
• Low Ego & Pleasant: Clear communicator, transparent, and easy to work with every day.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, marginalized genders and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Uplight we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Why Join Uplight in Leading the Fight Against Climate Change?

• Make a Meaningful Impact: Your work directly impacts our mission of decarbonization and building a more sustainable future.
• Grow Your Career: We offer ample advancement opportunities, robust learning and development programs, and a supportive team environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.
• Thrive: We offer comprehensive benefits, including flexible time off, generous parental leave, a wellness stipend, and work flexibility to help you thrive both personally and professionally.
• Belong to an Inclusive Community: We celebrate diversity and foster an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, empowered, and heard. Our Employee Resource Groups offer opportunities to connect with colleagues who share your interests and backgrounds.
• Be Part of a Growing Movement: Join a team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about creating a more sustainable future. We offer a collaborative environment where your ideas are valued and your contributions.

Salary Range: $65,000 to $81,000 USD + bonus

Application Deadline: October 1, 2026

Uplight provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race (including hair texture and hairstyles), color, religion (including head coverings), age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.