Market Engagement & Communications Lead

ABOUT NEW ENERGY NEXUS

New Energy Nexus (NEX) is a not-for-profit organization that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, services, and networks. Our vision is a 100% clean energy economy where innovation and communities thrive.

As part of NEX’s global network, the New Energy Nexus California Chapter (NEX CA) is accelerating California’s clean energy transition by championing entrepreneurs, commercializing technologies, and co-designing strategies that scale innovation, build trust, and grow industries. With 20+ years of experience guiding entrepreneurs through the early stages of technology development into validation and scale-up, the NEX CA team focuses on the full lifecycle of entrepreneur support and technology commercialization.

NEX CA is seeking an experienced marketing leader and storyteller to help create new channels for startups across our long-standing portfolio of programs. These programs include CalSEED, which provides grant funding and wraparound services for the earliest-stage entrepreneurs;
Cal Test Bed , which pairs startups with experts within universities and national labs to validate technologies; and Power Forward, which awards large grants to scale up battery manufacturing with partnerships for workforce development and community benefit. In total, these programs have supported 200 entrepreneurs across California over the past decade.

This is a pivotal point in the evolution of NEX CA programs as regulatory, market, and funding landscapes shift rapidly in the clean energy space. To respond to the needs of clean energy entrepreneurs today, we are developing new program offerings that will connect startups directly with the customers and partners that will allow them to commercialize at scale through corporate matchmaking, curated events, and commercial deployment support for our portfolio.

The Market Engagement & Communications Lead will design, launch, and execute campaign messaging across three distinct audiences: startups in our portfolio, corporate enterprise buyers, and external funding partners. This role will drive both the market positioning and campaign execution for our new customer‑connection service. The Lead will market these offerings to startups to maximize participation, pitching corporate decision‑makers to secure their involvement in matchmaking events, and crafting the overarching impact narrative to highlight program success to funders and prospective sponsors.

Term:
This is a limited‑term position through June 2028, with an opportunity for extension pending funding availability and programmatic need.

Reporting Relationship:
This role will initially report to the Head of Programs but may later report to the Director of Commercialization & Corporate Partnerships.

• Design targeted campaigns to educate portfolio startups on the value of new commercialization offerings
• Drive high startup enrollment and participation in customer mapping exercises, corporate adoption clinics, reverse pitches, and workshops
• Develop messaging toolkits and guides to help founders translate technical milestones into customer‑centric value propositions for enterprise buyers

• Develop messaging campaigns tailored to utilities, OEMs, developers, and procurement agencies
• Market program event offerings to secure decision‑maker attendance and participation from off‑takers
• Frame program value propositions around corporate risk reduction, pilot readiness, and access to pre‑vetted tech solutions
• Conduct structured outreach and interviews with corporates and customers to assess need and interest in working with portfolio startups