Head of Development
Greentown Labs
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Job summary
Greentown Labs in Boston, MA is seeking a Head of Development to own major gifts and growth capital, plus annual giving and sponsorship efforts across sites. You will build a national donor pipeline, manage a multi‑million dollar target, and partner with the CEO to scale philanthropy for climate innovation.
You will lead requests to funders, develop blended financing solutions, and coordinate with Finance for grant budgets and reporting. Hybrid/remote work with travel is common.
Qualifications
- Proven major‑gifts closer with gifts from $100K to $5M+ in climate/energy sectors.
- Climate background and a credible commitment to energy transition.
- Existing network in climate philanthropy or adjacent sectors.
- Strong writing and storytelling to translate climate impact into donor value.
- Fluency with nonprofit capital stacks: recoverable grants, PRIs, DAFs.
- Credible with philanthropists and executives across diverse sectors.
- Relationship‑driven, externally oriented, and comfortable asking for support.
- Entrepreneurial, independent, and able to work with CEO to scale.
Responsibilities
- Lead cultivation, solicitation, and closing of gifts from $50K to $500K+.
- Build a national donor portfolio: individuals, foundations, corporate partners.
- Develop joint research opportunities and MoUs with academic partners.
- Articulate impact through data‑driven proposals and presentations.
- Structure blended/recovable capital and manage donor reporting with Finance.
- Maintain CRM hygiene, track pipeline, and monitor renewals.
- Travel as needed to cultivate and steward donors.
Skills
Education
Job description
Greentown Labs Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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 $12.5 B in funding.
Location This role requires you to be based in Boston, Houston, New York City, or California. Candidates near our Somerville, MA or Houston, TX sites work a hybrid schedule; candidates in New York or California work remotely with regular travel.
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. The role focuses on national major gifts and growth capital (approximately 75 %) with a secondary focus on structured annual giving and sponsorship at the Boston and Houston sites (approximately 25 %). 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.
- 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.
- Build a high‑net‑worth individual, family office, climate philanthropist, corporate foundation, strategic partner, and government/foundation funder portfolio aligned with Greentown’s mission.
- Form 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 (DAFs), and articulate the value proposition for a blended‑finance approach to scaling climate innovation.
- Ensure a seamless handoff for ongoing donor stewardship, compliance, and grant reporting; partner with Finance to build grant budgets and structure recoverable capital.
- Lead funder reporting and stewardship of government and foundation relationships.
- Represent Greentown externally across climate, energy, philanthropy, and industry, including 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.
- 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.
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 building relationships and making the ask.
- Proven major‑gifts closer with experience securing gifts from $100K to $5M and beyond, ideally in climate, energy, science, or innovation‑adjacent organizations.
- 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.
- 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.
- Strong writer and storyteller, able to transform a complex, technical climate story into a funding case that moves a donor in proposals, decks, or conversations.
- Fluency with the nonprofit capital stack and blended finance, including recoverable grants, PRIs, and DAFs.
- Credible with both climate philanthropists and energy or industrial executives—no purity test.
- Highly relationship‑driven, externally oriented, comfortable with direct asks 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.
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; groundwork laid for a longer‑term major‑gift pipeline and future development function; key university and research partnership opportunities identified and beginning to open new collaborative funding pathways.
Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to enable candidates to perform the essential functions of the position. Regular communication with others in person, by phone, and virtually; prolonged periods working on a computer; regular mobility around the office; lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs.
Travel: occasional travel may be required to attend off‑site events or conferences; late hours: evening work will be necessary for some events.
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. Candidates based in California or New York, where there is significant fundraising and donor presence, will also be considered. 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.
Competitive salary and benefits package; dynamic and growing organization committed to making a positive impact on the world; 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 and individual performance.
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, or 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.
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.
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.
The pay range for this role is: 180,000 - 205,000 USD per year (Remote)
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