Vice President for Business Development - Princeton - Climate Central

Description

About Climate Central

Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who translate climate science into powerful localized stories that drive understanding and action. As a policy‑neutral nonprofit, we combine rigorous science, big data, and compelling visuals with a vast network of trusted messengers and channels that reach millions every week.

Day to day, our scientists, technology experts, and communications professionals work together to spotlight the local effects of climate change across the US and globally. We conduct scientific research, identify patterns, compile solutions, and package information in ways that help people understand how a heating planet is affecting them here and now.

The direct products of this teamwork include ambitious new datasets, research reports, web‑based tools, eye‑catching graphics, and newsworthy stories – all designed to bring home the impacts of climate change. Millions of online users have downloaded hundreds of thousands of our digital assets.

Our strategy is designed to reach more people more often and with more impact, which is the key to fulfilling our main objectives: To inform and build public will for effective responses to climate change and to inform and empower decision‑makers to act now. Our ultimate goal is a safer and healthier climate for all.

Our work is underpinned by distinctive, cutting‑edge climate science and related products, such as CoastalDEM, Climate Shift Index, and Billion Dollar Disasters. As well as promoting public understanding of climate risk, some of these assets have attracted commercial users from sectors such as real estate and finance, who pay Climate Central fees to use our products and license our data in line with our goals and values.

In 2025, Climate Central's Board took a strategic decision to grow these commercial revenues in order to diversify our funding sources and support our broader mission. In the second half of 2025, we identified priority market opportunities to support this growth. In the first half of 2026, we plan to develop go‑to‑market plans and to put in place core systems and processes to support a robust Business Development function.

Why Join Climate Central Now

Climate Central has reached an inflection point: its data products are trusted globally, market demand for climate risk intelligence is accelerating, and leadership is intentionally investing in earned revenue as a pillar of long‑term resilience. The VP for Business Development will not be inheriting a legacy commercial structure – they will be building it. For the right leader, this represents both a career‑defining opportunity and a chance to apply commercial expertise in service of meaningful global impact.

About the Role

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.

Key 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

Required Skills and Experience

• 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

Preferred Experience

• 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.

Compensation

The expected starting base salary range for this position is $185,000‑$195,000, with eligibility for an annual performance‑based bonus. Individual compensation within the range will be determined based on experience, demonstrated capabilities, geographic location, and market factors.

As earned revenue scales and the commercial function matures, there is potential for this position to expand in scope and title, with compensation adjusted accordingly.

Climate Central recognizes that experienced commercial leaders may be transitioning from corporate environments into mission‑driven work. For candidates seeking meaningful impact and long‑term growth in the climate sector, this role offers the opportunity to apply enterprise sales expertise in a high‑impact setting while expanding knowledge in climate risk, geospatial analytics, and climate data systems.

We are committed to supporting flexible work structures where appropriate, including flexible scheduling and remote‑first arrangements, in alignment with role requirements and organizational needs.

Benefits

Climate Central offers a competitive and mission‑aligned benefits package, including:

• Medical benefits
• Dental / Vision benefits
• More than 7 weeks of paid vacation and holidays available annually
• 12 weeks of paid family leave
• 401(k) with up to 12% matching
• Partial college tuition for children of employees who qualify

Location and Travel

This position can be primarily remote, in accordance with organizational policy. The role requires occasional travel (estimated 10–20%) for partner meetings, industry convenings, and periodic in‑person team meetings. Climate Central's headquarters are in Princeton, N.J.

Employment Eligibility

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Climate Central is not able to sponsor or transfer employment visas for this position.

EEO Statement

Climate Central strongly encourages diverse candidates to apply. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and as such do not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee on the basis of race, color, religious creed, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable discrimination laws.

How to Apply

Please apply via this link. The position will remain open through March 27, 2026 at 5:00 pm ET, or until we have identified a strong pool of candidates. We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis and may begin interviews before the deadline, so we encourage interested applicants to apply early.

Please note that our application process requires the submission of a resume and the completion of three questions tailored to the position. We are intentionally not asking for a cover letter, so please do not include one with your application.

When including your education history in your resume, please remove the name of your school from your resume. You may leave your degree (e.g., "B.A. Communication"), but please remove any undergraduate or graduate school names. This is one part of our effort to assess candidates against the essential qualifications for this role and to mitigate bias in the decision making process.

Due to the volume of employment applications and queries received, Climate Central is unable to respond to each application individually. Applicants will be contacted directly if selected as a candidate.