Head of Development

Greentown Labs • Boston, MA

23h • $180,000 - $205,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

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. This is development reimagined for the climate era: a modern, entrepreneurial capital-mobilization mandate, not a traditional back-office development function. Its center of gravity is national major gifts and growth capital, roughly three-quarters of the role, with a meaningful secondary focus on enabling structured annual giving and sponsorship at the Boston and Houston sites. 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; cross-functional support comes from site leadership, the Chief of Staff, and the CEO. You will be as comfortable with a climate philanthropist as with an energy investor or a legacy energy company, and you do not pick camps.

Requirements

• A proven major-gifts closer, with experience securing gifts from $100K to $5M and beyond, ideally in climate, energy, science, or innovation-adjacent organizations
• A 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, and to engage just as effectively with legacy energy companies
• A 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
• A 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
• 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

Nice To Haves

• Fluency with the nonprofit capital stack and blended finance, including recoverable grants, PRIs, and donor-advised funds (DAFs), is a strong plus
• Equally credible with a climate philanthropist and an energy or industrial executive, with no purity test

Responsibilities

• 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, in writing and in the room
• Develop and structure blended and recoverable capital, including recoverable grants, program-related investments (PRIs), and donor-advised funds, 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, 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 energy and climate 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

Benefits

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Be a part of a dynamic and growing organization committed to making a positive impact on the world
• Work in a 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 performance and individual performance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed