Senior Portfolio Innovation Manager

About Elemental Excelerator

Elemental Excelerator is a nonprofit investor dedicated to scaling climate solutions for deep community impact. With a 14-year track record, we invest in companies pioneering essential solutions to pressing climate challenges, making neighborhoods and homes cleaner, healthier, and safer. We've invested in over 160 climate companies to date and successfully stewarded $180 million in government and philanthropic resources, leveraging our expertise to de-risk technologies and attract additional investment. Core to our work supporting innovation and entrepreneurs, and essential to our five-year strategy, is the central role of social equity and community impact in the implementation of climate technologies. 

We are a dedicated, passionate and diverse team that thrives in a fast-paced environment driven by a shared desire to maximize impact. At Elemental, where we are constantly pushing the edge of innovation, we find ourselves at an exciting inflection point - with more federal funding into climate solutions and philanthropic engagement than ever before, we will be steadily growing our team to meet the moment. Join us at Elemental Excelerator and be part of the next phase of our journey. 

About the role

Elemental is looking for a highly collaborative, organized and experienced individual to work with our Portfolio Team assisting with the recruitment, diligence and management of Elemental’s industry portfolio companies. Our industry portfolio oversees solutions across critical minerals, manufacturing processes, materials, circularity, carbon removal, and more. For this position, we are seeking an individual who can design projects, manage deliverables and reporting, and provide thought-partnership on portfolio company strategy. 

The key responsibility for this role will be to work with and support the Directors of Innovation, with a focus on Elemental’s companies across the industry sector. The position will report to the Director of Innovation, Mitch Rubin.

Key Responsibilities Include:                         

Portfolio Management

• Directly support Elemental portfolio companies; problem-solve with entrepreneurs to help them achieve key inflection points and facilitate introductions where relevant
• Co-design and manage projects that are integral for portfolio companies as well as partners and communities
• Prepare for, schedule, participate, and follow-up on calls with active and alumni companies
• Collaborate with internal teams to address and resolve questions, requests, and challenges related to Elemental programs and events
• Coordinate with the Elemental Portfolio and Finance teams on contracting documents and processing

Pipeline 

• Help craft Elemental’s investment strategy and criteria for industry-related companies
• Identify, evaluate, and analyze potential funding opportunities, including market research and risk assessments 
• Work with the Pipeline team to target and recruit top startups in the industry sector
• Support operationally on due diligence and portfolio selection process, including through applicant correspondence, coordination, internal diligence documentation, and subsequent onboarding processes

Partnerships and Ecosystem Support

• Collaborate with the Director of Innovation to track and synthesize trends across the industry sector in order to identify portfolio and pipeline opportunities 
• As needed, support the team in presenting pipeline and portfolio companies to our government, corporate and other funding partners 
• As needed, serve as a thought leader on industry, represent Elemental at relevant events, and compile materials for Director of Innovation speaking engagements and publications

About You

The role requires excellent collaboration and communication skills, strong workflow management, careful reading of trends and attention to detail, a joy in being flexible and adaptable, and the ability to see opportunities and quickly implement strategies as the organization evolves.

You could be a great addition to our team if you are:

• Energized by both getting into the nitty gritty details – technical overviews, fundraising approaches, contacts – and thinking big picture about the future of how we decarbonize industry.
• Skilled in task-switching, building relationships, taking independent action on deliverables and helping others. 
• Believe deeply in a just transition to a low-carbon world and the need to work with frontline communities
• Excited about the variety of emerging technologies impacting our ability to decarbonize industrial processes

Qualifications (even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, we still encourage you to apply!)            

Desired skills:      

• Substantial project management experience 
• Interest and experience in the industrial sector and its respective climate technologies
• Understanding of how justice, equity and inclusion relate to climate work
• Attention to detail with outstanding organizational skills and a passion for teamwork that includes phenomenal follow-through and documentation
• Strong interpersonal skills, proven ability to build new relationships and work optimally in a nimble, flexible, and fast-paced environment
• Creative and proactive in solving problems 
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills

Standout skills:                                                                                    

• Knowledge in business administration, economics, environmental science or engineering
• Experience working with (or at) startups, venture capital, or accelerator programs
• Success at building a network within the startup and investor community
• Experience working with frontline communities and/or social equity organizations
• Experience convening / leading events and conversations

Location

We will consider candidates in the Bay Area and ask that if you are within reasonable distance to our SF office that you come into the office at least one day a week to build community with the team. Currently, most people come in 1-2 times a week, but we encourage those who are interested to come in more often if they’d like. 

Other Details

We will accept and review applications on a rolling basis. Although all applications will be considered, we may be unable to respond to all inquiries. Please note that we do read cover letters, so we advise spending adequate time on them to share your relevant stories and experiences with us. We also ask that you refrain from using tools like Chat GPT and keep the cover letter to 1-2 pages long.                                                        

Elemental is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and has a strong commitment to diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Candidates from the following groups are especially encouraged to apply: Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities; people who have disabilities; veterans, and people from low-income backgrounds.

Elemental is also committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, activities, programs, and employment opportunities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws.