We are seeking an experienced cleantech expert to join Invest Ottawa’s talented team of Advisors. This Clean Technology Advisor will assist technology firms in our IO Venture Path programs to drive growth in verticals including (but not limited to) climate solutions, agriculture, circular economy, smart energy, renewables, and sustainable materials.

Our Companies

IO Venture Path companies are growing their teams, their revenue and their markets. This role will work with clean technology firms at various stages, from each of our programs:

IO Ignition: 10-week bootcamp designed for early-stage (often pre-revenue) companies.
IO Flex: Low-touch program, designed for early-stage companies who are pipeline for our growth/scale stage programs.
IO Accelerator: High-touch program, designed for growth-stage (early traction - $2M revenue) companies.
IO ScaleUp: High-touch program, designed for scaling-stage ($2M - $100M revenue) companies.

Relative to their growth, these companies are seeking advisory on all aspects of cleantech development, commercialization, and scale, including performing customer discovery, creating prototypes and launching new products into market, and generating traction.

Many of our clean technology firms are founded by highly technical teams. They often require support on pricing, unit economics, selling into public and private sector environments, and finding true product-market fit. In other cases, where the founding team is well-versed in business, they may need help assessing the feasibility of their innovation, and validating/measuring the environmental impact of their solution.

Finally, our clean technology clients require help attracting the right resources throughout their growth journey. They may need assistance identifying talent to bring on as team members or advisors, or support navigating the financing process with angel investors, venture capital firms, government funders, and industry testing partners.

Our Advisors

Our Advisors are independent contractors. They are available between 10-15 hours per month and paid the standard advisor rate of $100/hour. Please note that these hours are not guaranteed and will depend on client demand each month, which will enable you to participate in meetings with Invest Ottawa team members, and to attend key events.

Reporting to Invest Ottawa’s Director, Venture Programs, the Clean Technology Advisor will support clients by:

Providing direct one-on-one advisory to founders and other team members on various aspects of cleantech growth, including product development, partnerships, commercialization, go-to-market strategy, and resource management
Participating in peer groups or delivering best practice workshops
Reporting on client feedback and trends to help develop new programs and services
Logging hours spent advising companies and documenting meeting notes in Microsoft Dynamics
Facilitating introductions or connections between our client companies and our other Advisors, services and sponsors when appropriate for the company’s benefit

We would love to hear from you if you possess most of the following:

Have experience as a senior leader (Director/VP/C-suite) and/or consultant within the clean technology sector
Are familiar with the startup life cycle and ideally have direct experience as a founder, early employee with a startup, or venture investor
Are familiar with Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and experience moving past R&D to commercially available levels
Have experience scaling clean technology innovations through various stages of growth
Are well-versed in key areas of clean technology, such as hardware and/or software product development, commercialization opportunities, business models, and/or go-to-market strategies from bench-scale to pilot testing to scale-up in-market
Possess knowledge of the financing options and paths available to the cleantech sector, including carbon credits, private partnerships, and non-dilutive funding sources
Can quickly assess companies’ challenges and provide appropriate, on the spot guidance
Have strong emotional intelligence with an ability to build trusting relationships, and strong communication skills (especially as a great listener)
Have a strong proficiency with team collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom
Are predominantly located in the Ottawa region
Have demonstrated experience as a leader, advisor and/or mentor and can provide references

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We are committed to strengthening equity in our local entrepreneurial landscape and as such, we are strongly encouraging applications from qualified applicants from the following groups: women, Black, Indigenous and/or people of colour (BIPOC), people with disabilities, and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards are determined to provide a barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you require accommodation during any phase of the evaluation process, please contact hr@investottawa.ca to request specialized accommodation. Do know, all information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

At Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, we are focused on doing better and committed to leading by example because it’s what’s best for us, our culture and our community.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Invest Ottawa/Bayview Yards

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Clean Technology Advisor (Independent Contractor)