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The Environmental Innovation Fellow plays a central role in advancing environmental entrepreneurship. The Fellow will undertake a range of responsibilities including program management, venture development, communication, collaboration, and student support. The person in this position has the opportunity to build their own body of work, in addition to driving forward existing initiatives.
Position Focus:
We are looking for an energetic, inspiring, and innovative problem solver to lead environmental entrepreneurship and innovation activities at both CBEY and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale. The Innovation Fellow will act as a key liaison and collaborator between the two centers, reporting both to the Executive Director at CBEY and to the Managing Director at Tsai CITY.
The position is designed for an early-career individual at a pivotal stage in their professional pathway, and it will last for a two-year term, with the possibility for a one-year extension.
Principal Responsibilities:
The Fellow will have a range of responsibilities across the following areas:
Program Management: Design and execute programming for CBEY and CITY focused on environmental innovation for all levels of student engagement, including:
- Planetary Solutions Generator: Work with a student team to organize the next iteration of this program, through which interdisciplinary teams develop practical environmental solutions, aligned with the Yale Planetary Solutions Project.
- Coordinate speaker events that showcase interesting topics and people in environmental innovation (see the PlanetaryInnovator Spotlight Series for examples of past events).
- Green Innovation Lunch Deep Dives: Work with student coordinators to host an informal bi-weekly discussion group on emerging innovation within ClimateTech.
- Develop and lead new programs as appropriate (see the Climate Innovation Intensive, Global Innovators intensive and the Storytelling with Spreadsheets program for an example of programming developed by a CBEY/CITY innovation fellow).
- Beyond the Buzzwords: Lead a team of student producers in advancing and growing a multimedia site that breaks down critical buzzwords in sustainable innovation.
Venture Development: Work with environmental innovators to advance their businesses, organizations and projects, through:
- CBEY Environmental Startup Funding: Oversee the CBEY funding cycle for environmental innovation, including the Climate Innovation Grants, the Sobotka Prize, and the Sustainable Venture Prize during Startup Yale.
- Tsai CITY venture development programs: Help the Tsai CITY team to assess applications, plan programming, and advise ventures as part of the Launch Pad, Accelerator, and Summer Fellowship.
- Hold regular office hours with student innovators to help them devise, refine, test, iterate, build, and launch their ideas.
- Lead and develop new areas of venture support as appropriate.
Communication and Collaboration: Represent both centers and share their work both on and off campus, including:
- Facilitate connections among student, alumni, and community entrepreneurs via the Yale & Friends Green Innovator Community by managing the LinkedIn group and newsletter and coordinating community events.
- Facilitate the updation of environmental innovation database that includes list of active student, alumni and faculty ventures as well as our larger network of supporters working on environmental innovation.
- Share thoughts and learnings about environmental innovation through the CBEY and CITY blogs and social media, as well as other relevant channels internal or external to Yale.
- Work with other teams and staff at Tsai CITY and CBEY to support programs, such as managing entrepreneurial skill-building workshops like the Tsai CITY Innovator’s Toolkit series.
- Serve as a CBEY/CITY representative at events and conferences on and off-campus.
- Develop strategies for CBEY and CITY in continuing to build Yale’s environmental entrepreneurship ecosystem, working closely with a wide array of campus partners.
Student Support: Manage a joint CBEY/CITY team of student employees who support social/environmental entrepreneurship on campus.
- Meet with students to help them learn more about environmental innovation, make the most of campus resources, and build their careers.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in an environment-related or business-related field
- 2-5 years of professional and/or academic experience in roles relevant to environmental innovation, which may include at least one of the following areas:
- Has worked for an early-stage company or organization that creates positive impact on the planet
- Has fostered innovative environmental projects within a larger institution
- Has worked for an investor, accelerator, or another program that supports a portfolio of innovations, with a focus on the environment
- Has worked to build innovation ecosystems inside or outside of the university setting, with a focus on environmental challenges
Preferred Education and Experience:
- Master’s degree in an environment-related and/or business-related field
Skills & Abilities:
- A self-starter who’s able to manage a body of work. Proven ability to organize and prioritize multiple projects. Strong time management capability and proven ability to work as part of a team as well as independently.
- Passion for environmental innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Outstanding writing and communication abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse constituency, including staff, students, faculty, and other community members.
