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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Director, Innovation - **Company:** The Biomimicry Institute - **Location:** Seattle, WA, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $90,000.0 - $125,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Asana, Gsuite, Airtable - **Published:** September 11, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.careerjet.com/jobad/us1718c75698e1b955c02ffff1274153ef ## About the Role * Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional background required, advanced degree preferred. * 7+ years of progressively responsible work in accelerators, venture development, climate innovation, entrepreneurship support, impact investing, innovation ecosystems, or related fields. * Demonstrated success leading, evolving, or scaling accelerator, incubator, venture-support, or comparable innovation programs. * Track record developing sustainable funding, sponsorship, partnership, or revenue models for accelerator or innovation programs. * Demonstrated success helping early-stage ventures secure pilots, customers, corporate partnerships, investment, or other pathways to adoption and scale. * Development or oversight of pilot and demonstration projects that advance emerging solutions toward real-world implementation. * Knowledge of venture and environmental impact measurement across areas such as climate, biodiversity, materials, water, or waste. Skills & Abilities * Knowledge of biomimicry, sustainability, climate, biodiversity, materials, regenerative design, or related fields. * Strong leadership, judgment, and decision-making. * Ability to translate direction into clear priorities, projects, and results. * Effective people leadership, delegation, and accountability. * Strong program, budget, and resource management. * Analytical and systems thinking with a results orientation. * Excellent communication and relationship-building skills. * Strong cross-functional collaboration and coordination. * Entrepreneurial and opportunity-oriented, with the ability to develop, test, and refine new program and partnership models. * Commitment to biomimicry and TBI's mission. * Proficiency with Asana, Google Workspace, Zoom, Airtable, and related tools. ## Description The Director, Innovation is an entrepreneurial leader accountable for advancing biomimicry solutions toward measurable impact by turning Impact Team strategy into effective accelerator programs, partnerships, funding pathways, and pilot projects. The Director develops and tests new approaches to advance promising solutions toward adoption and scale while building a financially sustainable innovation model for TBI. Essential Functions Percentage allocations represent annual average estimates and may shift based on funding levels, contractual commitments, and organizational priorities. Ray of Hope Accelerator Leadership & Impact (50%) * Lead the Ray of Hope Accelerator against clear annual goals for venture development, biomimicry integration, environmental impact, and program performance. * Translate department priorities into cohort plans, budgets, resource requirements, and measurable outcomes. * Evolve the accelerator model to increase its effectiveness, scale, and long-term financial sustainability, including evaluating pillar-aligned cohorts or tracks in climate, biodiversity, and materials. * Establish and monitor measures of participant and alumni progress, including funding, pilots, adoption, business growth, and environmental impact; use results to improve the program and demonstrate its value. * Set clear direction and expectations for the Manager, Ray of Hope Accelerator, while holding the Manager accountable for successful day-to-day delivery. Innovation Funding & Corporate Engagement (25%) * Develop and execute a sustainable long-term funding model for the accelerator, in close coordination with Development, diversifying corporate, philanthropic, investor, and other funding pathways to support program continuity and growth. * Build, in coordination with Development, a network of corporate, investor, funder, and innovation partners that creates tangible opportunities for biomimicry ventures and supports the financial viability of the Ray of Hope program into the future. * Lead innovation-focused corporate engagement in coordination with the Director, Community and Development team. * Develop and test new partnership and engagement models, including corporate roundtables, that create pathways to pilots, customers, expertise, investment, and other resources for biomimicry ventures. Pilot & Demonstration Projects (15%) * Develop and oversee a focused portfolio of pilot and demonstration projects that move promising biomimicry solutions toward implementation, adoption, and scale. * Establish clear objectives, partners, funding, measures of success, and learning for each initiative, prioritizing opportunities with meaningful potential in climate, biodiversity, and materials. Team Management (10%) * Translate Impact Team strategy and organizational priorities into clear annual and seasonal goals, projects, budgets, staffing, and resource priorities. * Establish clear accountability for results through defined ownership, roles, workplans, timelines, and performance expectations; coach and develop staff to succeed against them. * Allocate budgets, staff, contractors, and capacity according to priorities and expected results. * Establish operating rhythms and performance measures that surface progress, risks, dependencies, and decisions early enough to act. * Coordinate actively across Inspiration, Community, and Innovation so that knowledge leads to practitioner capability and engagement, and practitioner engagement leads to solutions advanced-delivering TBI's theory of change as an integrated system. * Contribute to Impact Team planning, budgeting, measurement, and continuous improvement. ## Related Videos - [Beyond the 9–5: Designing Work Around Humans](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1321-beyond-the-9-5-designing-work-around-humans) - [The Vonage Trivia Voyage: Quiz Your Way to the Top!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/761-the-vonage-trivia-voyage-quiz-your-way-to-the-top) - [A Founder's Journey : From Startup Chaos to Purposeful Growth](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1926-a-founder-s-journey-from-startup-chaos-to-purposeful-growth) - [Techies vs. Suits: Decoding the Distinct Paths to Startup Success in Europe and the US](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/826-techies-vs-suits-decoding-the-distinct-paths-to-startup-success-in-europe-and-the-us) - [The Neuro-Architecture of Productivity: How Work Environments Impact Cognitive Performance](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1122-the-neuro-architecture-of-productivity-how-work-environments-impact-cognitive-performance) - [Reinventing Work, Identity & Leadership in a Changing World](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1821-reinventing-work-identity-leadership-in-a-changing-world) ## Related Articles - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [Is Software Development Making the Climate Crisis Worse?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/551-is-software-development-making-the-climate-crisis-worse) - [A Guide to Green Tech and Green IT Careers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/374-a-guide-to-green-tech-and-green-it-careers) - [Top 10 Startups in Munich in 2023](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/184-top-10-startups-in-munich-in-2023) - [Women in Tech: Navigating Career Transitions and Breaking Barriers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/491-women-in-tech-navigating-career-transitions-and-breaking-barriers) - [How to Turn Community Events Into a Powerful AI GTM Engine: The Daytona Playbook](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/732-how-to-turn-community-events-into-a-powerful-ai-gtm-engine-the-daytona-playbook)