Director of Advanced Mobility Programs

~ Around the world, technology is being applied in new, exciting ways to address challenges that communities face every day. Whether it’s new approaches to transportation, the efficiency of our built environment, or access to renewable energy, delivering new technology solutions takes a team of innovators, investment and social leadership. ~

That’s why Prospect Silicon Valley is here. Born in San Jose, where we operate a Technology Demonstration Center, Prospect Silicon Valley is advancing the field of urbantech by developing a network to solve the significant challenges and pressures our cities face; helping the public sector, startups and corporations build and prove new solutions for the essential foundation of our cities — transportation & mobility, energy & buildings.

Rapidly growing urban populations are challenging our quality of life and pressuring cities all over the world to rethink how they manage infrastructure and resources. However, cities and the systems that run them are slow to change. Identifying the best ways for cities, innovators and corporations to come together and apply rapidly advancing technology to solve major urban challenges requires new approaches and common ground.

Position Overview

Are you looking for a position that will provide an engaging and dynamic career opportunity? As part of a nonprofit cleantech innovation hub, you will play a pivotal role on our small but ambitious team. ProspectSV is leading smart city innovation in the Bay Area and strives to advance the adoption of clean technology in the fields of mobility, energy and the built environment. We’re currently looking to expand our team as we grow our organization and partner on more projects.

We are looking for mission-driven candidates who share our commitment to smarter, sustainable communities. The position of Director of Advanced Mobility Programs reports to the CEO.

ProspectSV is actively engaged with sponsors, startup clients, academia, research labs, public agencies, and local governments in the area of Advanced Mobility. Current efforts include projects covering Autonomous and Connected Vehicles, EV and EV recharging systems, vehicle-to-grid integration, and mobility on demand services. ProspectSV also has an Intelligent Traffic Systems Lab for development of vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies.

Our start-up clients in the Advanced Mobility Program include companies developing products such as handsfree electric vehicle charging, connected vehicle cybersecurity, traffic congestion management systems, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), and many other related technologies. Strategic partners and sponsors include the cities of San Jose, Palo Alto and San Francisco, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, CalTrans, and major automotive OEMs, automotive Tier1 suppliers, and automotive technology suppliers.

Responsibilities

This role has three areas of responsibility: 1) project development and management, 2) consulting to startup clients, and 3) business development.

Project Development and Management:

• The SME assists in defining projects and proposals to respond to grant opportunities from government agencies (such as the California Department of Energy) or to define engagements with corporate strategic partners.
• Project development may include identifying, evaluating and inviting partners to participate in a proposal as well as shaping appropriate roles for those partners. Project development may require the Director of Advanced Mobility Programs (DAM) to conduct background research of markets or technologies for inclusion in proposals.
• The DAM will participate in the scoping of work and the writing of proposals.
• Project management responsibilities include organizing work, schedules and dependencies, and coordinating the activities of partners to meet project deadlines.
• The DAM must manage communications with all relevant parties and must track deliverables and report progress on projects, incorporating both quantitative measures and prose descriptions.

Startup Consultant:

• The DAM plays an important role as an advisor or “champion” to a designated set of startup clients developing advanced mobility solutions that address sustainability, safety and traffic congestion.
• Responsibilities may include providing insights into the competitive landscape as well as assisting in customer discovery, needs assessment and refinement of product requirements.
• Assisting startup clients in finding pilots and demonstration opportunities is a key part of the service provided to startups. In the role of startup champion, the DAM is expected to make appropriate introductions to strategic partners, labs and testing resources, knowledgeable experts, potential investors, other ProspectSV staff members, and other resources, as needed.
• Ideally, the DAM plays a role in advising clients on product positioning and presentations to investors and customers.
• The DAM reviews and qualifies startup applicants, develops proposals and closes contracts with startup clients for commercialization support services.

Business Development:

The DAM is also responsible for the development of program strategies and business development, including:

• Leading the development of ProspectSV’s program strategy in advanced mobility.
• Identifying and developing relationships with partner organizations (public sector agencies, engineering firms, software or hardware product companies, etc.) for the purpose of creating pilot project concepts, submitting grant proposals and, if successful, executing grant-funded projects.
• Developing and managing relationships with corporate sponsors or corporate clients.

Qualifications

The following are required knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Familiarity with electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, connected vehicle technology, and autonomous vehicle technology.
• Basic understanding of clean power and energy efficiency technologies, including renewable energy, battery storage, vehicle to grid integration (VGI) and enabling technologies.
• Strong organizational skills including ability to assess dependencies, manage details, adhere to deadlines and follow up on action items.
• Excellent communication skills, including ability to coordinate the activities of partners over whom the DAM has influence but not authority.
• Ability to assess the competitive landscape of products in the advanced mobility sector.
• Network of connections among several of the following groups: automotive OEMs, automotive Tier 1 suppliers, public transit agencies, the California Energy Commission, the federal Department of Energy’s advanced vehicle technologies office and the Federal Transportation Administration, as well as research institutions (e.g., academia, national labs, private labs and testing facilities).
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Research skills to discover studies and data sources to support background information needed for proposals.

Desired, but not required, knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Connections to investors, including seed stage investors, venture capital or corporate investors.
• Familiarity with transportation relevant incentive programs.
• Familiarity with transportation regulations and standards.
• Basic understanding of revenue models and financial statements.

Experience and Education:

• Bachelors degree in a scientific or engineering discipline, or a business/urban planning degree with equivalent technical experience, with a minimum of 5 years experience in the advanced mobility sector, and minimum 5 years experience working directly with customers or clients.
• Experience writing reports or proposals, managing projects to timely and successful completion, and leading project teams.
• Highly desired: experience advising or coaching startups, business development experience.
• Experienced user of productivity tools including spreadsheets (Excel) and collaborative tools (CRM systems, Box, Dropbox, and the like).