Manager, MethaneSAT Business Development

PROGRAM AND TEAM OVERVIEW

Our planet is facing a climate crisis – we must act now to reduce emissions of methane, which are roughly 86x more powerful than carbon dioxide, but present immediately actionable and cost-effective technology and best practice solutions.

Thanks in part to EDF science and advocacy, several countries and dozens of companies are already committing to oil & gas methane reductions. MethaneSAT, a satellite mission wholly owned by EDF, will monitor methane pollution globally and make that information public and easily accessible, enabling EDF and other advocates to hold these actors accountable. The MethaneSAT Mission Impact team’s goal is to bring MethaneSAT data to action in a way that maximizes the impact of these data on emissions reductions. As part of that strategy, we are developing a commercial model that will generate some financial support to augment philanthropy’s role in sustaining the mission’s operations and data processing – and therefore, impact. The Manager will be at the forefront of this commercialization effort.

This is a rare and exciting opportunity not only to be part of EDF’s largest and most ambitious project to date, but also to help start up completely new capabilities at EDF. The Manager’s role will give them visibility across the organization and ensure they are an important part of EDF’s ambitious vision to reduce global methane emissions by 75% by 2030.

OVERALL FUNCTION

The MethaneSAT Mission Impact team is incorporating commercialization into its larger data-to-action strategies to sustain impact and bolster philanthropy. Target companies are data aggregators and service providers to the oil and gas industry – they understand the market, have longstanding partnerships with and trust of their customers, and can amplify the impact of MethaneSAT data by bringing it to those with the most leverage over methane reductions.

The Manager will be responsible for the acquisition and retention of customers, ensuring they understand the value of MethaneSAT data and that their feedback is synthesized and communicated to MethaneSAT’s product and technical teams. Under the direction of the Director, Global Methane Impact Strategy and in close collaboration with core MethaneSAT teams, this position will manage day-to-day commercialization activities, such as owning external relationships, negotiating contracts, and coordinating with internal teams and key partners to ensure alignment. This role will work closely with EDF’s legal, technical, and advocacy teams to develop parameters, communicate plans, objectives, and progress, and ensure that technical questions are surfaced and resolved.

The Manager will work closely with Mission leads on smoothly running and scaling the operating model and scope of the satellite mission’s commercial activities. They will develop operational processes and streamline workflows helping to build a completely new arm of the MethaneSAT mission. They will be a key part of regular meetings with the Commercialization Steering committee, will own commercialization OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and work closely with our Strategic Operations on financial planning and analysis. The Manager will also conduct market research to ensure our commercial offerings remain competitive while furthering EDF’s advocacy goals.

The ideal candidate will have experience executing business strategy, managing customer relationships, and creating foundational processes to support organizational growth. This role requires an entrepreneurial and detail-oriented individual with exceptional interpersonal skills who can manage risks and opportunities in a nuanced and deliberate manner, taking into account commercial and financial goals but even more importantly, EDF’s advocacy goals.

This is a three year fixed term position.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage customer acquisition and retention for MethaneSAT mission commercialization by developing tailored account plans and tactics and establishing strong relationships with prospective customers. Support contract negotiations and help ensure successful deal closures.
• Post-sale, address customer inquiries, resolve technical issues coordinating with internal teams as needed, and evaluate the impact of MethaneSAT's data on customer outcomes and methane reductions.
• Support the development and execution of business strategy, conduct market research to help ensure offerings and pricing remain competitive, and collaborate with finance and operations teams on budgeting, revenue analysis, and forecasting, driving MethaneSAT mission toward its revenue goals.
• Work closely with EDF’s legal team to develop precise terms that ensure commercialization efforts are aligned with EDF’s core advocacy work. Implement go-to-market strategies alongside advocacy and MarComm teams.
• Collaborate with key partners on go-to-market strategies, ensuring goals and strategies are aligned and driving seamless execution of payments and fulfillment of commercial purchases; help develop the necessary infrastructure to support commercial license fulfillment, ensuring commercial user journeys are clearly defined and optimized and processes for payments are developed. Work with partners and internal technical teams to ensure fixes for customer technical issues are scalable and systemized.
• Develop and maintain systems and processes for mission's commercial operating model, supporting the function’s growth and success including owning commercialization OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and tracking and communicating dependencies and key risks to goals.
• Prepare for and attend regular governance meetings (Steering Committee, Board meetings, etc.), keeping track of what works well and what doesn’t. Work closely with Mission CRM and the Mission Impact Project Manager to manage inbound queries and commercial conversations and interactions on Salesforce.
• Ensure clear communication and coordination with internal teams by facilitating alignment across teams on commercialization plans and objectives; communicate progress or setbacks to appropriate stakeholders.
• Help with development and donor requests, such as preparing for meetings with key donors and providing written content for grant applications.
• Work closely with Marketing & Communications on marketing message and material development and event planning.
• Participate in advancing EDF DEI goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s and at least six years of related experience, or advanced degree with at least four years of related experience. A degree in business administration or finance is a plus.
• Experience working in management consulting, finance, startups or technology companies is preferred.
• Proven experience managing commercial activities, including customer acquisition and retention, contract negotiation, and market research and competitive analysis.
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial skills and the ability to work both independently and as a member of a small team in a dynamic and fast startup environment.
• Strong analytical skills and proven ability to think critically about complex problems.
• Competence in financial/revenue planning and can easily leverage data to inform strategic decisions.
• Ability to quickly grasp technical concepts and issues about topics such as data architecture, cloud platforms, and methane science and effectively communicate technical information for a variety of audiences. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to distill complicated concepts into clear, crisp messages.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills - you can independently manage external relationships, close deals, and collaborate with diverse sets of people.
• Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated passion for the mission and the environment.