Senior VC Associate @ Sustainable Ventures in London, England

Our impact on the planet’s climate and its natural resources is being felt more often & by more people than ever before. It is clear that significant changes must be made to achieve the targets set by the IPCC and reach Net Zero by 2050. This presents the world’s biggest challenge and it is something that Sustainable Ventures has been working towards since 2011. We believe in the power of commercial innovation to address the twin challenges of climate change and resource scarcity.

Over the past 11 years we have expanded our services to cover: Investment (six seed-stage funds raised to date), Workspaces (with over 450+ innovators and entrepreneur members) and delivery of a range of Venture and Commercial Support Services on behalf of public sector and corporate partners. The companies we have supported have gone on to raise significant follow-on funding, been acquired by larger corporates (ECarClub to Europcar, Zeigo to Schneider Electric) and won numerous awards (Airex – “Product of the Year” at the National Energy Efficiency Awards) demonstrating the power of innovation and collaborative exchange.

We are Europe’s largest ecosystem of climate tech start-ups and will be opening our new, expanded HQ at County Hall in March 2023 as we continue on our mission to develop 1000 new businesses by 2025.

Venture & Commercial Support Services

In the Venture Support team we help start-ups, SMEs and corporations develop solutions in response to resource and sustainability challenges. This support works to progress technology development and commercial exploitation through several core areas: bid writing, venture development, delivery of start- up/SME programmes, accelerators, special projects and corporate innovation programmes.

The Role

Our team is growing and we are looking for a purpose-driven, passionate individual to join us as Senior Venture Associate. This is an opportunity for you to work with a broad range of start-ups in the cleantech/sustainability sector, whilst implementing key venture development and growth principles.

You will have a commercial skillset, great interpersonal skills and demonstrated capability of working across programmes and projects, in corporate innovation and directly with start-ups to achieve successful commercial exploitation. We are especially interested in candidates that have experience in providing support to sustainable / cleantech / climatetech start-ups through programmes of business support, accelerators, incubators or similar. Experience of building and scaling a business is also desirable.

Tasks will include, but are not limited to:

Delivery support

• Quickly understanding, assessing and developing start-ups’ business models and market opportunities;
• Creating support plans for SMEs we are working with to prioritise the most relevant support to be provided;
• Providing advisory support to start-ups/SMEs across a broad range of business topics including but not limited to: review and input to business plans and investor pitch packs and investment readiness, advice on financial models, strategy and market placement;
• Preparing and presenting webinars, workshops and clinics on a broad range of business topics;
• Contributing to bid applications for large partner organisations (e.g. local authorities);

Project Management

• Ensuring compliance and maintaining required evidentiary documentation;
• Working with team members and across the Sustainable Ventures Group on assigned projects and programmes, ensuring that time, quality and budget parameters are met;

Relationship Management

• Connecting and building our community of sustainably-focused businesses; and
• Responsibility for building relationships with designated SMEs, capturing relevant information within the Sustainable Venture’s CRM system, identifying and executing opportunities (directly or through referrals to relevant team members) for further revenue generation.

Requirements

We expect you to have

• 6+ years’ relevant professional experience – we have a hugely diverse team with people who have worked at high growth startups, started their own businesses, been part of the armed services, spend time in professional service organisations, studied for an MBA & run a fashion brand;
• Knowledge and/or experience of the sustainability sector, and an understanding of technological and commercial innovation -This could be directly related to your previous roles or something that you have pursued outside of the office;
• A commercial skill set – this might include business planning, financial modelling, market analysis/characterisation, customer proposition testing, go-to-market strategy, fundraising or anything related to successfully growing a business;
• Marketing & brand development experience – including strategic planning, analysis & execution;
• Demonstrable experience in undertaking client-facing work – producing high-quality outputs to time/budget/quality objectives;
• Proven success in meeting revenue/business development targets; and
• Proven organisational skills – for managing multiple projects/clients simultaneously, co-ordinating deliverables and meeting deadlines.

Desirable

• An undergraduate degree in business, technology or sustainability-related field;
• A postgraduate qualification in business, economics, technology or sustainability;
• Experience in venture development and/or sustainability innovation; and
• Motivation to learn about other Sustainable Ventures functions, for example investment, product design and venture development.

[Candidates are expected to demonstrate experience and aptitude for each of these functions, obtained through professional experience, educational attainment, and/or voluntary activities, in their application.]

Benefits

The role offers unparalleled exposure to many exciting start-ups, with opportunities for long-term career progression as Sustainable Ventures continues to scale. Based at Sustainable Ventures’ flagship co-working space, ‘Sustainable County Hall’, candidates can expect a lively and engaging work environment amongst a diverse range of innovators.

Remuneration: £46k-51k (depending on experience) + discretionary bonus + long-term incentive scheme

Location: County Hall on the south bank in Waterloo. We have a hybrid working model in place with a minimum requirement of 2 days’ in the office per week.

Sustainable Ventures is an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. This is a full-time role, however, we will seek to accommodate requests for flexible working schedules.

Application process

Please send a cover letter (max 1 page) and CV (max 2 pages) to programmes@sustainableventures.co.uk with ‘Senior Venture Associate’ in the subject box.

Within your application cover letter please specify how you meet the requirements of the role set out above and confirm the following additional points:

• Your available start date, noting the requirement to work both from home and office (hybrid working model)
• Understanding of the salary bracket

Applications without a cover letter and which do not confirm these points will not be considered.