Vice President for Business Development

Climate Central•Princeton, NJ

7d•$185,000 - $195,000•Remote

About The Position

Climate Central seeks an inaugural Vice President for Business Development to lead and scale our Business Development function, building on the organization’s trusted climate science, data products, and public-impact mission. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the VP for Business Development will enjoy: Strong ownership in driving commercial revenues, forging client and partner relationships, and building our Business Development infrastructure and team Robust support from the executive team and Board in pursuit of these objectives, including hands-on involvement in sales and negotiations, and a willingness to invest in recruitment, technical developer time, marketing and consultancy support where needed Exceptional growth opportunities in building and scaling the function Purpose, working to support a mission-driven organization, with attractive terms for paid leave and flexible remote-working conditions. The ideal candidate is drawn to mission-driven work with a global public impact, brings the commercial rigor, judgment, and leadership required to translate trusted climate science into sustainable, mission-aligned revenue, and the entrepreneurial flair to drive growth.

Requirements

Established professional network within (re)insurance and insurance brokers, climate/cat modeling, or closely adjacent risk and analytics communities.
Proven track record in technical, software, or data sales, including complex or enterprise-level deals.
Demonstrated ability to build a new business development function from the ground up, including:
Team development and leadership
Scalable sales and partnership processes
Managing and prioritizing a multi-product portfolio
Strong commercial judgment paired with comfort operating in a mission-driven, nonprofit environment.
Understanding of priority buyers and use cases, including:
Climate risk and hazard modeling
Underwriting and insurance analytics
Credit-risk assessment
Geospatial and climate data applications

Nice To Haves

Experience negotiating data licensing agreements or channel partnerships.
Background working with or selling into regulated or highly technical markets.
Experience collaborating with scientific, engineering, or research teams to bring products to market.

Responsibilities

Drive Commercial Revenues
Lead outbound business development and sales efforts, including pipeline development, deal structuring, and close.
Build and manage strategic partnerships and channel relationships, particularly in (re)insurance, banking, real estate, and risk analytics ecosystems.
Negotiate licensing agreements and commercial partnerships, ensuring at all times our reputation and mission alignment is maintained.
Lead Business Development Function
Create and drive strategy for pricing, positioning, and partnerships.
Develop and maintain commercial forecasts, revenue targets, and market assumptions, providing quarterly revenue, pipeline, and market updates to senior leadership and the Board of Directors.
Scale Climate Central’s business development function, including:
Defining roles and hiring as revenue grows
Establishing scalable sales and partnership processes
Managing a multi-product commercial portfolio
Collaborate closely with science, product, communications, legal, and development teams to ensure alignment and execution readiness.
Define Strategic Direction for Business Development
Translate Climate Central’s scientific and technical assets into clear, compelling value propositions for paying users.
Ensure earned revenue strategies reinforce Climate Central’s scientific integrity, independence, and public trust. Partner with leadership to design cross-subsidization models that expand access for researchers, governments, and nonprofits.
Refine and execute Climate Central’s go-to-market strategies across priority data products and services, owning pricing strategy, packaging, and positioning across customer segments