Project Officer - New Jersey Green Bank (NJGB)

Job Summary

EDA Overview

• Join the NJEDA and help lead New Jersey to sustainable economic growth, fostering equitable opportunities and vibrant communities. We offer hybrid work, a supportive culture, and robust benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and extensive wellness programs. Make a tangible impact and shape New Jersey's future with innovative economic development at NJEDA.
• The NJ Green Bank’s purpose is to attract private sector funding to advance the State’s goals of advancing clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. NJ Green Bank financing will enable private capital to fill gaps by reducing real and perceived risk, absorbing transaction costs, and providing private investors the chance to learn about new market opportunities with the security of government partnership. An institutional goal is to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technologies by mitigating upfront costs, leveraging private investment, and increasing the catalytic impact of public dollars. The NJ Green Bank is in its start‐up phase and along with this role will be supported via other initial NJ Green Bank staff, a NJ Green Bank Board of directors and the supporting infrastructure via an MOU with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The current initial capital is approximately $200 million.

Job Overview

• Supports the development and implementation of New Jersey Green Bank products that will be used to deploy capital available from State and federal sources.
• This role will receive exposure to green finance and project finance and have the opportunity to interact with numerous private sector entities, government agencies, and nonprofit partners during the NJ Green Bank’s critical start-up phase and initial growth.
• Commitment to and passion for NJGB’s mission and desire for a sense of shared purpose.

Duties  

Daily Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Supports Senior Project Officers and other EDA/Green Bank staff in operationalizing and deploying capital through the New Jersey Green Bank; these efforts will include:
  • evaluating transaction materials from interested parties
  • assisting with the development of origination and servicing structures
  • contributing to the buildout of investment policies and associated underwriting requirements
  • defining impact metrics
  • working on budgets
• Works with Senior Project Officers and other EDA/Green Bank staff to manage relationships with key industry stakeholders such as lenders, borrowers, and partners to ensure market participation and stakeholder engagement for products that are launched.
• Acts as an industry-development advocate; these efforts may include representing the NJGB at industry events, conducting company research, and acting as a company liaison within EDA.
• Must complete annual self-assessment as required.
• Performs other duties and special projects, as assigned.

Projects:

• Supports team relationships with key industry stakeholders by fielding product-related inquiries.
• Supports the team’s management for technical, legal, and financial due diligence of parties seeking NJGB financial support.
• Maintains up-to-date records in CRM and product/project launch standard operating procedures.

Goals and Objectives:

• Supports the development and achievement of NJGB goals; reviews and evaluates own performance against key metrics.
• Helps to institutionalize best practices; defines and implements needed systems and policies; manages internal approvals and fields product-related inquiries.

Collaboration and Cross-Divisional Interaction:

• Promotes teamwork and communication to encourage an interactive, cooperative, collaborative, and customer-focused work environment with EDA and/or NJGB staff and external customers.
• Demonstrates a leadership and ownership mindset alongside other Senior Project and Project Officers, including suggesting new ideas related to making the NJGB as effective of a subsidiary as possible.

Reporting Structure:

• This position will report to the Executive Director – New Jersey Green Bank.
• Ability to prioritize workload; must be highly organized, detail-oriented, handle various tasks simultaneously and work independently within limited time constraints.

Skills and Qualifications

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to learn new software packages
• Prior experience in lending and/or capital deployment
• Knowledge and understanding of green finance and green banks, as well as policy and industry trends related to the Clean Energy sector
• Comfortable engaging in the technical detail of an industry and related supply chain development, including its financing mechanisms

Soft Skills:

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including ability to influence and engage team leaders and peers and engage credibly and thoughtfully in conversations with industry and government leaders
• Ability to work in a respectful manner that promotes teamwork, communication, and a customer-focused ethos
• Strong ethical orientation, including exercising sound financial stewardship
• Demonstrated proficiency in creative and analytical problem solving, including structuring issues, framing solutions, and executing complex analyses with limited errors and oversight
• Strong written (presentation, memos, and emails) and oral presentation skills with the ability to synthesize findings and propose actionable solutions

Experience:

• Experience in clean energy finance, commercial/investment banking, or structured/project finance
• Seven years of industry-facing experience in a government agency or related field (or) three to five years of experience in a fast-paced, project-based professional services environment that emphasizes team work, problem solving, and communication (e.g., investment banking, clean energy finance, project finance, etc.)
• Advanced degree or industry specific certification may be substituted for 1 year of experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in a relevant field such as business, finance, or economics; or equivalent experience
• Relevant Master’s Degree preferred

Software/Tools Proficiency:

• NJEDA utilizes Microsoft as the core application platform and proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite is preferred.

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job description. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope, general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job.  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

Your employment at NJEDA is voluntary and subject to termination by you or NJEDA at will, with or without cause, or with or without notice, at any time.  Nothing in this job description shall be interpreted to conflict, eliminate or modify the employment-at-will status of NJEDA employees. 

This position is considered exempt and is excluded from minimum wage, overtime regulations, and other rights and protections afforded nonexempt workers under the FLSA.

NJEDA reserves the right to amend/revise this job description as necessary to meet current and changing business needs.

NJ SAME Program

In accordance with P.L. 2021, c. 465 and P.L. 2021, 466, the SAME program was established to enable New Jersey State agencies to hire, promote, retain, and advance qualified individuals whose physical or mental impairments impact their abilities to participate in the hiring and promotion process for non-competitive and unclassified titles within the State workforce.

The SAME program allows candidates, who identify as having a significant disability, to apply for non-competitive and unclassified positions through a fast track hiring process. This program uses a fast-track process that permits people who are eligible for the program to request that the State appointing authority schedule with them a good faith interview. For more information about the SAME program and the Fast Track Hiring program, please Click Here.  If you have any questions, please email, or call the contact as indicated on the job vacancy announcement.

This posting open to eligible applicants regardless of SAME eligibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Position Requirements

• Foreign degrees/transcripts must be evaluated by a reputable evaluation service at your own expense and must be submitted prior to a start date. If this cannot be provided within 21 days of an offer the offer will be rescinded.
• Must comply with the “New Jersey First Act” which requires employees hired after September 1, 2011, to reside in New Jersey. Non-New Jersey resident employees must relocate to New Jersey within one year of their date of hire and provide proof of residency to Human Resources.
• Must complete an Outside Activity Questionnaire (disclosure of outside office or employment) on an annual basis.
• Must review the required NJ State Ethics Guidelines found on the state website.
• Selected candidates must be authorized to work in the United States per the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations. Note: The State of New Jersey does not provide sponsorship for citizenship to the United States.

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