Head of Development

Greentown Labs; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive compensation

Professional development

Job summary

Greentown Labs in Houston/Somerville (remote options available) seeks a Head of Development to own major gifts and growth capital. You will cultivate donors from $50K to $500K and beyond, build lasting relationships with philanthropists, corporate funders, and foundations, and translate climate impact into compelling funding proposals.

This role balances national fundraising with site‑level giving strategies.

Qualifications

• Proven major‑gifts closer with gifts from $100K to $5M and beyond.
• Climate background and commitment to energy transition.
• Deep network in climate, philanthropy, corporate innovation or adjacent sectors.
• Strong writer and storyteller capable of turning climate impact into a funding case.
• Fluency with nonprofit capital stack, recoverable grants, PRIs, and DAFs.
• Entrepreneurial, externally oriented, and able to operate as a one‑person team with the CEO.
• Politically and socially fluent across diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to secure and manage high‑level donor relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead cultivation, solicitation, and closing of multi‑million‑dollar gifts.
• Build and manage relationships with high‑net‑worth individuals, foundations, and corporate funders.
• Develop data‑driven funding proposals and presentations tailored to each funder.
• Own a personal portfolio of $2M to $10M+ and track pipeline movement and renewals.
• Collaborate with Finance to build grant budgets and structure recoverable capital.
• Represent Greentown externally to climate, energy, philanthropy, and industry partners.

Skills

Major gifts

Fundraising

Grant writing

Relationship building

Climate philanthropy

Job description

Head of Development

Greentown Labs Houston, Texas, United States

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.

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.

Position Overview

This position reports to the CEO and sits alongside Greentown’s Growth function. We are 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, with a secondary focus on enabling structured annual giving and sponsorship at the Boston and Houston sites.

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.
• 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.
• 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 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. You are deeply motivated by Greentown’s mission and energized by building relationships and making the ask.

Qualifications

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 DAFs.
• 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.
• Regular communication with others in person, via phone, and virtually/electronically.
• Prolonged periods working on a computer.
• Regular movement around the office to interact with colleagues, access files, and attend meetings.
• 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. Candidates based in California or New York, where there is significant fundraising and donor presence, are also considered. Regular travel and occasional evening work will be expected. Our standard business hours are 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Incentive compensation at year‑end tied to organizational performance and individual performance.
• Opportunity for professional development in a dynamic and growing organization.

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.

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 [e-mail].

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.

Pay Range

180,000 – 205,000 USD per year (Remote).