About Elemental Excelerator

Elemental Excelerator is on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change. We are a leading nonprofit investor focused on scaling climate solutions and social impact for all communities. Elemental fills two fundamental gaps to tackling climate change: funding first-of-a-kind projects for climate technologies in real communities, and embedding equity and access into climate solutions.

As a nonprofit with over a decade of experience in scaling technologies, we are uniquely positioned to provide much-needed support and services to overcome the valleys of death to scale the technologies we need to tackle the climate crisis. Elemental has been innovating on the traditional investment model for over a decade. We do more than simply write a check; we offer a full suite of hands-on services, support, coaching and introductions across the value stream to support growth and deployments. The organization has stood up a half-dozen programs to break down barriers to climate tech innovation through its robust portfolio, policy, equity & access, career pathways, investors/philanthropy and strategic partnerships.

About the role

Elemental is looking for a highly organized, experienced, and mission-driven individual to join the Portfolio Team. The Senior Investment Manager will play a crucial role in identifying, evaluating, and supporting investments in climate tech companies. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting thorough due diligence, financial analysis, market research, and providing strategic insights to drive investment decisions that align with our mission and goals. For this position, we are looking for an individual with strong financial acumen who can lead our due diligence on startups working across the full stack of climate tech financing options, including venture capital, debt financing, and project finance.

The portfolio team is a highly collaborative and dynamic team within the organization that is ultimately responsible for meeting our commitment to bring more funding, projects, solutions and impact into the climate sector and to deploy technologies in more communities in an equitable way. The successful applicant will bring a growth mindset to the ways we review and invest in climate tech startups. This position will report to the Director of Portfolio Operations and work cross-functionally across the portfolio team to support investments.

Key Responsibilities Include:                         

Investment Due Diligence

• Conduct rigorous due diligence on potential investments, including evaluating financials, business models, market dynamics, competitive landscapes, and technology assessments
• Perform financial modeling and analysis to assess the financial viability and potential returns of investment opportunities across different capital stacks (venture capital, debt financing, project finance, etc.)
• Prepare detailed investment memos and presentations for review by the investment committee, highlighting key findings, risks, and recommendations
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of investment processes, tools, and frameworks to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the investment team

Startup Sourcing and Ecosystem Support

• Support scouting efforts across sectors to identify gaps and opportunities in the climate tech space (e.g. landscape analysis)
• Support recruitment strategy to expand our reach to more traditionally excluded founders and leadership teams
• Collaborate with the portfolio innovation team to track and synthesize trends across sectors to identify portfolio and pipeline opportunities
• Support the Directors of Innovation in presenting pipeline and portfolio companies to our government, corporate and other funding partners
• Stay current on industry developments, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes related to climate technology and impact investing

About You

You could be a great addition to our team if you love getting into the nitty gritty details - financial analysis, GTM strategy, technical overviews, fundraising approaches - but also like to think big picture about how we accelerate the commercialization of climate tech solutions. You are skilled in quickly task-switching, building relationships, taking independent action on deliverables and helping others. You believe deeply in a just transition to a low-carbon world - and believe that transition has to happen with utmost speed.

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

Desired skills:

• Experience in venture capital, investment banking, private equity, and/or management consulting
• Solid understanding of financial analysis, valuation techniques, and investment principles across various capital stacks 
• Passion for climate tech solutions with social equity and justice implications
• Ability to work independently and effectively collaborate
• Attention to detail with outstanding organizational skills that includes phenomenal follow-through and documentation
• Strong interpersonal skills, proven ability to work optimally in a nimble, flexible and fast-paced environment
• Creative and proactive in solving problems 

Standout skills:                                                                                    

• Interest and experience in energy (particularly related to the energy transition) and/or mobility 
• Experience working with frontline communities and/or social equity organizations
• Experience working with startups, venture capital, or accelerator programs
• Network of investors or innovators across the US and internationally

Location

We will consider candidates located anywhere in the US. Elemental has a hybrid working model and if you are within a reasonable distance to one of our offices in New York, DC, Bay Area, or Honolulu, we are asking employees to 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. If you are not, you will be expected to travel infrequently to our HQs (e.g., ~quarterly). Other travel may sometimes be required for conferences or meetings. 

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time "at-will" position working at least 40 hours per week. You will be asked to travel for work periodically. 

The salary range for this role is $86,500 - $140,100, which is based on market data and the organization's compensation philosophy. Individual salary offers will depend on and may vary with location, relevant education, knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer comprehensive employee benefits, including a professional development stipend and three weeks paid time off (more details here).

Other Details

Elemental Excelerator 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; people from low-income backgrounds; people who identify as nonbinary; and women.

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.