Chief of Staff
Greentown Labs
Company Overview
Greentown Labs
Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
2010
Approximately 360 employees and has supported startups that raised over $1.5 billion in capital (source: climatebase.org).
What They Do
Greentown Labs is a leading climatetech incubator that focuses on fostering innovation across various sectors, including electricity, buildings, transportation, agriculture, and manufacturing. The organization provides shared prototyping facilities rather than developing its own technologies, which allows early-stage climatetech startups to thrive in a supportive environment. With 100,000 square feet of lab space, Greentown Labs offers essential resources such as a wet lab, machine shop, electronics lab, and environmental testing chamber, catering to the unique needs of its member startups (source: climatebase.org). The incubator also provides office space for over 450 entrepreneurs and a 500-person event space, ensuring that startups have access to the tools and facilities necessary for success (source: greentownlabs.com). Greentown Labs has established a curated ecosystem that promotes collaboration, mentorship, and investor introductions, which are critical for the growth of hardware-focused startups.
Projects & Track Record
While Greentown Labs does not execute projects directly, it has played a pivotal role in enabling its member startups to achieve significant milestones. Notable impacts include the success of original tenants like Promethean Power Systems, which developed off-grid refrigeration solutions that have benefited over 17,000 rural farmers in India after prototyping at the incubator (source: news.mit.edu). By 2018, member startups had collectively created over 1,000 jobs and raised $340 million, showcasing the incubator's effectiveness in nurturing innovation. As of recent counts, Greentown Labs has supported over 360 startups that have raised more than $1.5 billion in capital, demonstrating its significant impact on the climatetech landscape (source: climatebase.org). The incubator's ongoing efforts focus on hosting current early-stage companies and expanding its facilities to accommodate the growing demand for climatetech innovation.
Recent Developments
In the past two years, Greentown Labs has not announced any major contracts, acquisitions, or funding rounds for itself, with the focus remaining on historical milestones such as the opening of the Global Center for Cleantech Innovation in 2018 and the establishment of a tool shop in 2021 (source: greentownlabs.com). The organization continues to maintain its status as North America's largest climatetech incubator, with member startups collectively raising $1.5 billion, which highlights the ongoing relevance and impact of Greentown Labs in the climatetech sector (source: climatebase.org). Although specific awards or certifications have not been documented recently, the incubator's reputation as a leader in climatetech innovation remains strong.
Working There
Greentown Labs offers a variety of roles that support its incubator operations, including positions in prototyping labs, events, partnerships, recruitment, and management. The organization is led by CEO Emily Reichert and has a professional staff team that has scaled the organization significantly since its inception (source: news.mit.edu). Job openings are primarily located at the Somerville and Houston campuses, with recruitment inquiries directed to [email protected] for potential staff roles. The company culture emphasizes collaboration, community, and a spirit of entrepreneurship, which is rooted in the founders' shared experiences and challenges. This culture fosters a professional environment where knowledge sharing, investor introductions, and camaraderie among team members are highly valued (source: greentownlabs.com).
Contact
Last updated on 2025-12-27 | Report an issue
Job Description
The Chief of Staff is a highly trusted, operationally- minded partner to the CEO. This role blends strategic coordination, executive support, organizational connective tissue, and high-level communications across Greentown's energy and climate innovation mission. It requires exceptional writing and synthesis abilities, strong judgment, the ability to operate with discretion, and a proactive mindset oriented around enabling the CEO to be the leader the organization needs.
This individual will function as the CEO's first filter, a unifying communicator across internal teams, and a strategic organizer who ensures the CEO's time, relationships, and priorities are fully optimized.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Support & CEO Enablement
- Serve as a direct extension of the CEO and force multiplier -managing information flow, surfacing critical issues, and anticipating needs before they arise.
- Act as the CEO's primary support, ensuring she is fully prepared, on message, and supported across all meetings, executive level preparation, travel, and engagements.
- Draft, refine, and edit correspondence, presentations, strategic memos, and briefings with exceptional clarity and precision.
Organizational Coordination & Internal Communications
- Act as a central connector across departments, improving communication flow and reducing internal friction so the CEO can engage where she adds the greatest value.
- Serve as the first filter of issues, decisions, and requests coming to the CEO-triaging, prioritizing, and delegating as appropriate.
- Create and maintain systems that improve organizational readiness, meeting structure, and leadership alignment.
Operations, Systems, and Executive Administration
- Manage CEO scheduling with strategic intent-aligning time allocation with organizational priorities and relationship value.
- Coordinate CEO travel, logistics, and event participation with precision and foresight.
- Build and maintain systems that enhance operational efficiency, executive workflows, and information management.
External Relations, Events, and Philanthropy Support
- Conduct research, prepare materials, and write briefings for external meetings, events, speeches, and relationship management.
- Accompany the CEO to selected events or meetings as a representative and staffer, ensuring follow-through and relationship continuity, and step in on behalf of CEO where appropriate.
- Provide dedicated staffing support for Greentown's philanthropy strategy, including research, donor coordination, briefing materials, and follow-up.
Qualifications
- Exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills; ability to quickly synthesize complex information into crisp narratives.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and operationally rigorous-able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Strong interpersonal judgment and discretion; able to act as a trusted advisor and ambassador for the CEO.
- Urgently optimistic - ready to run hard and thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment with high ambiguity and shifting priorities, while contributing a positive, uplifting, and team-centered energy, and bringing a solutions-oriented mindset to work each day.
- Mission-obsessed, with a passion for Greentown Labs' mission and a strong interest in entrepreneurs, energy and climate, climatetech, innovation ecosystems, and impact-driven work.
General Physical Demands
Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to enable candidates to perform the essential functions of the position.
- Communication: Regularly required to communicate with others in person, via phone, and virtually/electronically.
- Stationary Work: Prolonged periods working on a computer.
- Mobility: Regularly moving around the office to interact with colleagues, access files, and attend meetings.
- Physical Demands: Lifting and Carrying up to 30 lbs.
Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Be a part of a dynamic and growing organization committed to making a positive impact on the world.
- Work in a collaborative and supportive environment with opportunities for professional development.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Greentown Labs seeks to fully represent our community and constituencies-particularly low-income communities and communities of color-to amplify those voices and provide opportunities to participate in the direction and leadership of the organization. We actively encourage candidates from broad, diverse backgrounds to apply.
Greentown Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.
At-will Employment
This job description is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract of employment. Employment with Greentown Labs is at-will, meaning that the employment relationship can be terminated by the employee or the Company at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.
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About the role
December 23, 2025
Full Time
Non-profit
January 9, 2026
On-site
- Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
Not explicitly stated, but implies senior-level experience due to the nature of the role.
UTC-05:00
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