LACI - Director of Energy

Position Summary

The Director of Energy’s primary objective is to build, connect and support the clean energy entrepreneur ecosystem throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The Director of Energy will effectively convene and link entrepreneurs, researchers, universities, technologists, engineers, municipalities, corporations, and local and county government staff to assess the regional energy needs and encourage and accelerate clean energy technology commercialization to address those needs.
The Director will engage clean energy researchers and entrepreneurs, build a robust network of business and technical services referrals, and catalyze a portfolio of early stage clean energy program entrepreneurs. This position requires relationship development and management as well as a familiarity with the clean energy sector and clean energy entrepreneurship.

 Responsibilities:

• Serve as the in-house subject matter expert on clean energy
• Recruit key industry stakeholders, including selling partnerships
• Manage industry partnership relationships, including utilities and energy companies
• Assist with building a framework for evaluating clean energy sector business models, challenges, opportunities and subsectors.  Define energy technology priorities for the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) portfolio
• Recruit energy companies to portfolio and advise on diligence and selection process
• Support LACI portfolio companies in the clean energy space and build relationships and channels for them to access their customer base
• Manage multi-stakeholder programs across portfolio companies, energy partners and government agencies
• Help manage a large, multi-year grant from the California Energy Commission

Requirements:

• Proven experience in Director position or similar role
• Bachelors in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related field- Masters a plus
• Demonstrable competency in strategic planning and business development
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain relationships
• Outstanding organization and leadership abilities
• Excellent interpersonal and public speaking skills
• Aptitude in decision-making and problem-solving
• Excellent writing and communication skills are required.
• Ability to nimbly manage multiple projects and deadlines is a must.
• A proactive, pro-environment, pro-solutions professional dedicated to making the world a cleaner, safer, better place to live in through the effective implementation of new sustainable technologies.
• While LACI is a non-profit, it more closely resembles a start-up with a rapidly changing environment. The successful employee will need to play multiple positions well, be comfortable in a results-oriented culture, and not require day-to-day hand holding to be successful.

About us:
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is a private non-profit organization helping to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies by offering flexible office space, CEO coaching, mentoring, and access to a robust network of partnerships and capital. LACI was founded in 2011 as a cluster-driven economic development initiative supported by the City of Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles. Recognized as one of the most innovative business incubators in the world by UBI, LACI identifies local entrepreneurs across multiple cleantech business sectors and guides them to market, creating jobs that advance L.A.’s green economy. In just five years, LACI has helped 67 companies raise $134M in funding, created 1,500 jobs, and delivered more than $335M in long term economic value for the City of Los Angeles. LACI operates out of the La Kretz Innovation Campus, with satellite offices at California State University, Northridge and Silicon Valley, is the organizer of an annual Cleantech Global Showcase and founder of the Network for Global Innovation (NGIN).

LACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and committed to building a more inclusive ecosystem that integrates women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups into the cleantech sector and the overall tech industry.  We strongly encourage applications from qualified applicants and members of underrepresented groups. The information collected from the application helps us ensure that we are meeting our goal of an equitable and diverse campus and community.

How to Apply
To be considered, please apply online here.