OPEN POSITION

Venture Builder

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Position Overview:

MIT will be exploring and advancing geothermal technologies under the Clean Energy & Fusion channel of MIT Proto Ventures. The Venture Builder will play a pivotal role in leading the Development and Execution Phase of the project, focusing on market research, technology scouting, and the establishment of a new geothermal sub-channel. This role involves collaboration with MIT students, faculty, and industry experts to identify and leverage cutting-edge technologies for geothermal applications.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions**):

Plans and executes the following:

  • Work with significant autonomy within the MIT and research lab ecosystem to formulate and explore new venture concepts based on breakthrough research and technology insights.
  • Facilitate broad engagement across MIT, including utilizing a budget to build and manage multiple teams of students, post-docs, and faculty.
  • Work closely with the GEODE Consortium and External and Internal Advisory Boards to lead discovery and exploration direction, potentially serving as a director of a founding scientific team and providing support for business development and other similar strategic function.
  • Represent MIT and affiliated research labs at external events.
  • Explore the intellectual property landscape and define opportunities for developing and capturing novel and broad intellectual property protection.
  • Define key scientific experiments and establish new venture plans and budgets for affiliated research labs.
  • Engage internal and external scientific and research experts.

Provides day-to-day oversight of operational and administrative activities:

  • Implements operational plans and systems to support the unit in achieving its mission and goals.
  • Coordinates the allocation of financial, technical, and personnel resources.
  • Manages expenses within unit budget.
  • Develops methods for collecting feedback and ensures tracking of key unit metrics.
  • Implements new policies and procedures for MIT Proto Ventures.
  • Interprets, implements and ensures compliance with MIT policies and procedures.

Under high-level guidance from the Managing Director and Senior Venture Builder.   The Geothermal Venture Builder will make decisions and take action to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Proto Ventures

Supervision Received:

This position will be supervised by Gene Keselman, Managing Director of Proto Ventures and David Cohen-Tanugi, Senior Venture Builder.

Supervision Exercised:

This position will supervise the undergrad students, grad students, post-docs, administrators and other members of the cohort.

Qualifications & Skills:

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree in related field preferred.
  • Minimum five year experience in translation of technology, leading research teams, or building ventures based on research; and/or previous experience in venture building, startups, or entrepreneurship.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Recent PhD in a scientific discipline. Experience in engineering and science disciplines to fusion and clean energy.
  • Scientifically creative thinker with a visionary, optimistic outlook with ability to work within multidisciplinary teams with excellent and diverse technical skills.
  • Demonstrated business acumen with a keen sense for value based on a broad understanding of all aspects of business e.g. intellectual property, R&D, finance, manufacturing, recruitment, marketing, and sales.
  • Strategic planning and building skills with sound scientific skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus.
  • Adaptable, resourceful, and entrepreneurial, undaunted by technical and operational challenges.
  • Excellent communication skills, with ability to craft and convey compelling vision of the future to mixed audiences of scientists/engineers, venture sponsors, and the public.
  • Strong leader and team builder, with the ability to develop and encourage a group of scientific professionals and executives, and to build a culture of innovation, perseverance, and agility.
  • Maintain high level of trust and integrity under strict confidentiality.

Successful Candidate will be expected to:

  • Lead administrative and programmatic features of the Geothermal Proto Ventures channel (supporting the Fusion and Clean energy channel).
  • Identify research translation opportunities across affiliated research labs and MIT.
  • Guide a venture to successful launch out of MIT.
  • Engage faculty, post-docs, students and staff at affiliated research labs and across MIT.
  • Assemble a team, and spur and lead ideation

** To comply with regulations by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the principal duties in position descriptions must be essential to the job. To identify essential functions, focus on the purpose and the result of the duties rather than the manner in which they are performed. The following definition applies: a job function is essential if removal of that function would fundamentally change the job.

Cover letter required. This position is subject to a background check. 

Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy under the Geothermal Technologies Office Award Number DE-0010672

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