Carrington Talent Group

About Carrington Talent Group:

Founded in 2019 by Catherine Carrington, Carrington Talent Group has built a reputation for delivering high-quality executive search results that prioritize success for both clients and candidates. We are proud to be managing this search on behalf of FESI and look forward to engaging with you throughout the process.

About FESI:

The Foundation for Energy Security & Innovation (FESI) was created to help accelerate innovative solutions in support of American energy security, prosperity, and leadership. We are the official congressionally chartered,  nonprofit partner of the Department of Energy (DOE). Founded in 2022 under the CHIPS and Science Act, the Foundation is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between the DOE, industry, researchers and funders helping to accelerate the speed, scale and stability of American energy innovation. 

In partnership with DOE, National Laboratories, industry, and funders, FESI can engage in ways no other organization can. Our philanthropic capital strategy draws from corporations, foundations, individuals and family offices, nonprofits and think tanks, and global partners

FESI is in a rapid startup phase, building its team and launching strategic initiatives. We operate at the intersection of a mission driven foundation and a fast-moving startup. That means we pair purpose with speed, discipline with creativity, and scale with entrepreneurial energy. We embrace curiosity as a daily habit, keep things fun even when the work gets tough, and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity. Everyone shows up prepared. We put people first because that’s how the mission is successful. We’re still designing many of the systems, processes, and norms that will define the Foundation in the long term.  Every team member is responsible for both strategic thinking and hands-on execution. 

The Opportunity

As the only congressionally chartered nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of Energy, FESI is uniquely positioned to serve as the two-way bridge between the DOE ecosystem and private capital — helping ensure that every dollar of public investment in energy innovation generates real economic and security returns for the American people.

As a newly created role within this rapid-growth start up nonprofit, the Vice President of Commercialization Platform is a senior executive responsible for building, scaling, and operating FESI’s commercialization platform — a dynamic, investment market-led infrastructure connecting energy technology developers, industry partners, investors, and government stakeholders to accelerate deployment and market adoption.

The VP will design and operate the mechanisms that align public and private capital, reduce market friction, and create repeatable pathways for energy technologies to move from validation to scale. The ideal candidate will be fluent in the language of investment — able to engage with venture capital, private equity, corporate strategics, and fund managers, and to communicate the “investability” of DOE-backed companies in terms that resonate in the boardroom. The role serves as a senior external representative of FESI and a strategic partner to investors, corporate leaders, and the broader capital ecosystem, building the private capital infrastructure that makes the platform work.  

What We Mean by "Platform"

At FESI, the “platform” is not a software product or a standing consortium model. It is an investment market-led and coordination platform, including:

• Structured commercialization, demonstration, and deployment pathways
• Mechanisms that align public and private capital across the full innovation pipeline
• Public-private partnerships and strategic collaborations
• Shared infrastructure, standards, or market access frameworks (where appropriate)
• Flagship showcases, investor engagement, and convenings that drive real outcomes
• Repeatable models that reduce risk and accelerate scale across energy technologies

The platform is flexible by technology area and market need, rather than relying on a single fixed structure. A membership model will be developed and managed through this function.

Key Responsibilities

Platform Strategy & Growth

• Define and execute the overall commercialization platform strategy, including expanding beyond SBIR into other DOE and federal commercialization programs
• Map and manage the full commercialization pipeline — from early-stage innovation through SBIR seed investment, Series A/B program office matching, DOE loan programs, and first-of-kind manufacturing and deployment.
• Identify market gaps, coordination failures, and commercialization bottlenecks slowing technology deployment.
• Set platform priorities, operating model, and multiyear growth roadmap, with an eye toward long-term fund management structures that create durable revenue for FESI.
• Design scalable platform mechanisms that accelerate validation, adoption, and deployment.
• Ensure alignment between FESI’s mission, market needs, and DOE priorities.

Investor Pipeline & Capital Formation

• Own the development, activation, and management of the investor pipeline — including venture capital, private equity, corporate and strategic investors, and philanthropic and catalytic capital.
• Communicate the “investability” of DOE-backed companies in language that resonates with sophisticated financial audiences.
• Build and maintain senior relationships with investors, corporate partners, and capital providers across the investment community.
• Design and implement pathways that mobilize capital into participating technologies and companies, with the goal of matching or exceeding every dollar of DOE investment with private capital.
• Track capital formation, follow-on investment, and deployment outcomes across the platform.
• Develop the platform’s evolution toward co-investment and fund management structures that generate long-term, sustainable revenue for FESI.
• Partner internally to align philanthropic, quasi-governmental, and private capital strategies with the VP of Advancement.

Corporate & Strategic Partnerships

• Lead platform-level business development, including corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and strategic collaborations with utilities, OEMs, project developers, labs, and financiers.
• Develop and manage corporate membership and participation structures — creating clear value propositions for companies that want to engage with the platform as investors, acquirers, or customers of DOE-backed technologies.
• Serve as the primary entry point for new DOE opportunities and partnerships distinct from existing program execution.
• Structure partnerships that align public and private incentives and support commercialization outcomes.
• Represent FESI as a trusted, neutral convener across government, industry, and investment communities.

DOE & Federal Ecosystem Engagement

• In close collaboration with the CEO and Chief of Staff, build and maintain working relationships across relevant DOE programs, national laboratories, and cross-agency initiatives — with particular focus on connecting federal partners to private capital opportunities.
• Serve as a credible translator between the federal ecosystem and the investment community — helping investors navigate DOE programs and helping DOE stakeholders understand what private capital needs to move.

Platform Performance & Reporting

• Define and own platform-level success metrics, including capital mobilized, partnerships formed, and commercialization and deployment outcomes.
• Synthesize program, partner, and market data into insights and reporting for DOE, the Board of Directors, and funders and external stakeholders.
• Use data and insights to continuously refine platform design and priorities.

Showcase & Market Engagement

• Own the strategy, design, and outcomes of flagship showcase events and investor engagement opportunities.
• Ensure events and convenings drive tangible commercialization results, investor participation and capital commitments, and meaningful partnerships and follow-on activity.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and align cross-functional teams spanning programs, partnerships, events, communications, and commercialization support.
• Build a high-performing team and scalable operating rhythms, performance dashboards, and decision-making processes.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• 12+ years of experience in investment, capital formation, energy, infrastructure, or technology commercialization — with the financial fluency to engage credibly with VC, PE, corporate strategics, and fund managers.
• Demonstrated experience in investment fund management, capital markets, or a closely related financial discipline — combined with entrepreneurial operating experience. 
• Deep financial fluency, with proven ability to communicate the “investability” of early- and growth-stage companies to sophisticated financial audiences, and to build relationships with senior decision-makers at venture funds, private equity firms, and corporate M&A teams.
• Demonstrated success designing and operating multi-stakeholder commercialization platforms, market-making initiatives, or structured capital formation programs.
• Strong working knowledge of the DOE ecosystem — including funding pathways, SBIR/STTR programs, national laboratories, and demonstration and loan programs.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into scalable, operational execution.
• Executive-level leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with senior public and private stakeholders.

Preferred

• Experience with energy technology scale-up, demonstrations, or early market deployment.
• Background spanning both financial/investment functions and business development or platform strategy.
• Familiarity with DOE loan programs, first-of-kind deployment financing, or blended finance structures.
• Experience working in or alongside foundations, nonprofits, or mission-driven intermediaries.
• Comfort operating at the intersection of government, capital markets, and early-stage technology — and building “new category” solutions where no playbook exists.
• Existing relationships across the DOE innovation ecosystem, venture and growth-stage investment community, or relevant corporate networks.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $250,000-$280,000 (Washington, DC benchmark; national role adjusted for regional cost of labor for candidates based elsewhere).

Benefits:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Short- and long-term disability and life insurance
• Paid time off and all federal holidays, plus the week between Christmas and New Year’s
• Flexible work schedule and hybrid options

Work Environment

This role is open to candidates based anywhere in the United States with preference given to candidates already located in Washington, DC. While remote eligible, the position will involve a significant presence in Washington, DC due to close collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal partners.

The VP Commercialization & Platform should expect to be in DC for meetings, briefings, convenings, and relationship building. FESI will cover reasonable, job-related travel expenses. Relocation is not required for this position.