Opportunities from Crux (ashby)

SR. DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS WE’RE SUPERCHARGING THE CLEAN ECONOMY. Crux is the capital platform for the clean economy. We modernize capital raising and deployment for clean energy and critical infrastructure with solutions across advisory, investments, technology, and intelligence. Our team of 130+ is composed of experts in energy, tax, finance, government, and technology. We have raised $77 million in capital from some of the best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Lowercarbon Capital, New System Ventures, Overture, Ardent Venture Partners, QED, Canapi, and others. These funds are joined by strategic investors including Pattern Energy, Clearway Energy, EDF Renewables, Intersect Power, LS Power, Orsted, Hartree Partners, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, and OMERS Ventures. AN INFLECTION POINT IN AMERICAN ENERGY AND MANUFACTURING. Energy demand is growing for the first time in decades, driving an urgent need for more affordable and reliable electricity. More electricity requires new clean energy infrastructure and strong domestic supply chains for minerals and components — as well as large amounts of capital. Traditional project financing is opaque, fragmented, and analog. At Crux, we’re changing that. Through unmatched insights and expertise, white-glove service, purpose-built tools, and risk underwriting, we power a more prosperous, clean, and secure energy future. We are scaling quickly and looking for team members who are eager to combine deep expertise with an AI- and tech-forward mindset. THE OPPORTUNITY We're seeking an experienced Sr. Director of Partnerships to own and scale Crux's partnerships program across channel/referral, product-enabled, and research & IP motions. This leader will manage the full lifecycle of our most important institutional partner relationships (Big 4 and midmarket accounting firms, AmLaw law firms, insurance brokers, trade associations, EPCs, independent engineers, and financial intermediaries) while building the operational infrastructure to make those relationships scalable and measurable. Crux's partnerships function has grown from early relationship-driven motions into a structured program with real commercial velocity. This role will take what's working and build it into a repeatable, tiered engine — while also driving platform adoption so that partner firms use Crux directly for deal diligence and document finalization. You'll lead a team of four direct reports, with plans to grow, and orchestrate extensively across commercial, research, events, content, product, legal, and operations. This is a high impact leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of enterprise relationship management, program architecture, and commercial strategy in a fast-growing company operating at the frontier of climate finance. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM ARCHITECTURE & SCALING

• Own and evolve Crux's partnership program across three motions: channel/referral, product-enabled (legal intelligence, platform integrations), and research & IP (co-authored research, benchmarking, standardized documentation)
• Build tiered partner frameworks with clear activation criteria, enablement programs, co-sell motions, and performance metrics for each tier and persona
• In partnership with Operations, operationalize partner management in HubSpot and internal systems, building the infrastructure to track referrals, attribution, partner health, and ROI PARTNER ACQUISITION & PORTFOLIO EXPANSION
• Build and run a repeatable partner acquisition program to systematically expand the partner portfolio — identifying, qualifying, and activating target and emerging partner personas
• Develop standardized outreach, qualification criteria, and onboarding motions so new partners ramp to active referral status quickly
• Maintain a portfolio view of all partnerships — knowing when to double down, restructure, or exit Enterprise relationship management
• Manage and deepen relationships with institutional partners including Big 4 firms, AmLaw law firms, insurance brokers, and trade associations
• Develop and execute partner enablement content, co-branded campaigns, and joint GTM motions tailored to each partner persona
• Negotiate and manage commercial terms including referral agreements, revenue share, comarketing commitments, and alliance structures PLATFORM ADOPTION THROUGH PARTNER CHANNELS
• Drive partner firms to adopt the Crux platform for deal diligence, document finalization, and transaction workflows — embedding Crux into how they serve clients on clean energy finance deals
• Partner with product and research to evolve product- and intelligence-enabled motions, respectively
• Track and improve platform adoption metrics per partner, tying adoption to enablement efforts and relationship depth CONTENT LED ENGAGEMENT & EVENTS
• Own the strategic direction of the market intelligence briefing series and similar thought leadership programs that use Crux's market and legal intelligence as the door opener with institutional partners
• In partnership with the Events team, architect and scale a robust events program — partner briefings, cohosted receptions, conference activations, and regional roadshows
• Drive partner-facing presence at key conferences with a clear strategy for each CROSS-FUNCTIONAL ORCHESTRATION
• Coordinate extensively with the research team (market intelligence requests), content team (co-branded materials, white papers), events team (program logistics), commercial teams (deal support), and RevOps (infrastructure and reporting)
• Act as the strategic coordinator of partner programs at Crux, pulling in subject matter experts from Legal, Policy, Commercial, and Research as needed, and ensuring partner insights flow back into product and commercial strategy TEAM LEADERSHIP
• Lead a team of four direct reports with distinct but complementary focuses across channel relationships, events/operations, and legal/product-enabled partnerships
• Develop career paths for the team and hire additional headcount as the program scales
• Build a team culture of operational rigor, commercial accountability, and creative partner engagement REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• 10+ years of experience in partnerships, business development, or alliance management, with at least 4 years leading and scaling a partnership team
• Demonstrated experience building a partnership program from growth stage into a structured, tiered operation — not just inheriting a mature one
• Track record of owning a revenue number tied to partner-sourced pipeline, with experience building attribution models and managing commercial terms (referral agreements, rev share, joint GTM)
• Deep experience managing enterprise relationships with large, complex institutional partners (Big 4, AmLaw firms, large financial institutions) with an understanding of their internal BD dynamics, compliance constraints, and referral behavior
• Strong cross-functional leadership: proven ability to orchestrate across teams you don't directly manage (research, content, events, product, commercial)
• Experience running content-led, events-driven, or thought leadership-driven partner engagement programs (briefing series, cobranded research, regional events) PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Financial services, structured finance, tax, or capital markets adjacency — understanding how law firms, accounting firms, and insurance brokers operate within deal structures
• Experience with product-enabled partnerships where partners are embedded in a platform experience, not just referral relationships
• Clean energy finance knowledge, or demonstrated ability to learn complex technical domains quickly and translate that knowledge into partnership strategy
• Familiarity with emerging partner personas in energy transition: commodity brokers/traders, financial intermediaries, cost segregation & appraisal providers, independent engineering firms WHAT WE BRING
• Backing, traction & brand:
• We have raised $77 million in capital from some of the best venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Lowercarbon Capital, New System Ventures, Ardent Venture Partners, Pattern, Clearway, EDFR, Intersect, LS Power, Orsted, Hartree Partners, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, MassMutual Ventures, and OMERS Ventures.
• Have been profitable and are growing exponentially
• We have closed over 200+ transactions in just the last 2 years, facilitating billions of dollars of capital flowing into renewables projects
• Culture & working dynamic
• Remote-first operating model: Work from anywhere in the US and Canada, or work out of our optional offices in DC (open), NYC (opening Q1’26). Optional co-working opportunities with co-workers in Bay Area, Seattle, Denver, Boston, LA, and beyond.
• High growth & high ownership culture: We grow quickly by giving extremely talented people a lot of responsibility.
• Best of financial services & technology: We have brought together a team that are experts in clean energy finance, and the best technologies. Use your expertise while getting to be on the cutting edge of applying AI to your day and your clients’ experience.
• Regular team offsites: We sustain culture by bringing the entire company together 2 times a year. Individual teams may also meet up more frequently.
• Benefits
• Healthcare: We cover 100% of premiums for employees with a variety of plans on Aetna (nationwide) and Kaiser (WA and California) and subsidize 70% for dependents (total as a group), if relevant.
• Dental & vision: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and 50% for dependents (each), if relevant.
• Holidays: 10 company holidays per year.
• Paid time off: 20 days per year.
• 401k: We support a 401k account but don't have a matching program set up at this time (typical for an early-stage startup).
• Parental leave: 16 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents.
• Compensation:
• Total cash compensation: $250,000-$350,000+ depending on years of relevant experience, not inclusive of equity value.
• Opportunity to exceed bonus targets based on team and individual performance.
• Stock options in a rapidly growing company.
• We are very open on compensation for the right candidate.
• Values
• Care for each other: We want to work on a team where people support each other - in their growth, in their work, and towards our shared mission. When we do that, we have fun.
• Build and improve rapidly: We move quickly. To do that, we focus, consistently ask ourselves if we are prioritizing the right things, and execute them as best as possible.
• Focus unremittingly on customers: Our first obligation is to our customers and partners, and we keep their needs front and center in everything we do.
• Demonstrate ownership: We are all owners of Crux. This is our team, our company, our product and we show that to each other.
• Convene a team that reflects the breadth of experiences in the country: We’re building a team with a wide range of backgrounds and a culture where everyone can thrive. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by law.