Director of Commercialization & Corporate Partnerships

Growth For Impact; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Growth For Impact in Berkeley, CA seeks a seasoned leader to design and run a high-impact program connecting climate startups with major customers. You will map markets across clean energy sectors, build enduring relationships with utilities, OEMs, and procurement agencies, and translate outreach insights into scalable tracks for startups and partners.

You will curate program events, match portfolio companies with enterprise leads, and drive governance, budgets, and reporting.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in climate-tech commercialization or enterprise sales.
• Experience structuring pilots, SDAs, or procurement deals with enterprise buyers.
• Established networks with clean-energy corporates and utilities.
• Strong understanding of technology adoption and market readiness.
• Experience in accelerator/incubator or VC ecosystems.
• Demonstrated commitment to New Energy Nexus mission.
• Experience in climate, clean energy, and scaling startups.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of a program linking startups with large customers.
• Conduct market mapping across clean energy sectors.
• Build relationships with utilities, off-takers, manufacturers, and agencies.
• Translate outreach insights into program tracks.
• Oversee content for program events (clinics, roundtables, demos).
• Match startups with enterprise leads based on readiness.
• Facilitate buyer roundtables and clinics for deals.
• Represent Growth For Impact at meetings and events as thought partner.
• Oversee program execution, budgets, and timelines.
• Develop tools and network access to boost program impact.
• Manage contractors and vendors; enforce policies and standards.
• Monitor performance, analyze data, and implement improvements.
• Prepare program reports for stakeholders.
• Organize teams for new programs and hire/train staff.
• Provide coaching and performance evaluations.
• Promote staff development and HR issue resolution.

Skills

Climate tech

Open innovation

Enterprise sales

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Policy implementation

Communication

Job description

ROLE

• Lead development of a new program connecting startups with major customers to accelerate commercialization.
• Conduct market mapping and landscape analysis across clean energy sectors to identify target customer segments and off-taker challenges.
• Build and secure high‑value relationships with utilities, corporate off‑takers, manufacturers, developers, and procurement agencies.
• Conduct structured outreach and interviews with partners to assess interest in working with portfolio startups.
• Translate outreach insights into structured program tracks for startups and partners.
• Oversee curation and content for program events, including corporate adoption clinics, industry roundtables, reverse pitches, and demo days.
• Match portfolio companies with corporate leads based on readiness levels and enterprise needs.
• Facilitate buyer roundtables and corporate clinics to prepare startups for commercial deal structures.
• Represent NEXCA at meetings, conferences, and other events as the primary thought partner for commercialization.
• Oversee program execution, ensuring deliverables are met on schedule and within budget.
• Develop tools, resources, and network access to increase impact for program beneficiaries.
• Manage relationships with contractors and vendors related to deliverables.
• Establish and maintain policies, procedures, and standards for programs within scope.
• Monitor program performance against metrics, analyze data, and implement corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance with regulations, funding requirements, and organizational policies.
• Prepare and submit accurate, high‑quality program reports to internal and external stakeholders.
• Set up and manage teams for new and developing programs, ensuring adequate resourcing.
• Recruit, hire, train, and supervise program staff reporting to this position.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and professional development to program staff, including performance evaluations.
• Promote staff development and address employee relations issues in accordance with HR policies.

REQUIREMENTS

• 8+ years of experience in climate‑tech commercialization, corporate open innovation, venture development, or enterprise sales in energy/industrial sectors.
• Experience structuring pilots, joint development agreements, procurement deals, or similar commercial engagements between startups and enterprise buyers.
• Established relationships or ability to build networks with innovation leaders across clean‑energy corporates, electric utilities, OEMs, procurement agencies, or comparable organizations.
• Strong understanding of technology adoption, market readiness, and commercialization hurdles for hardware solutions.
• Experience working within accelerator/incubator ecosystems, venture capital platforms, or comparable innovation environments.
• Demonstrated dedication to New Energy Nexus’s mission and alignment with organizational goals.
• Experience in climate, clean energy, entrepreneurship, and emerging‑technology scale‑up.
• Proven ability to map processes, develop and implement policies and procedures, and streamline organizational workflows.
• Track record of successfully managing programs from inception through completion and renewal.
• Experience with budget management and development.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills with proactive anticipation of needs.
• Ability to work both collaboratively as a team player and independently.
• Adaptability to change and fast‑paced environments, with ability to prioritize, multitask, and meet competing deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal, tolerance, flexibility, and collaboration skills.

BENEFITS

• Competitive compensation of $165‑185K annually.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible paid time off and paid holidays.