Manager, Green Finance, CEJJF

Remote
Full Time
Mid Level
Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Reports To: CEJJF Executive Director

The Clean Energy Jobs and Justice Fund (CEJJF) is Illinois’ nonprofit green bank, dedicated to fostering a sustainable future for all Illinois residents. Our purpose is clear: to make clean energy accessible to everyone while ensuring equitable distribution of its benefits. Founded through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, CEJJF is committed to ensuring that the advantages of the clean energy transition reach every corner of the state. Our innovative financing programs will prioritize historically underserved communities by offering financial products to equity-eligible contractors, low-income and environmental justice communities, and the businesses that serve them. CEJJF’s priorities are grounded in our commitment to equity and correcting systemic barriers in the clean energy economy.

Position Overview

The manager of green finance is a finance strategist responsible for a range of financial management and product development and deployment in support of CEJJF’s launch. To ensure program growth and sustainability to maximize CEJJF’s impact, this role includes onboarding lenders with CEJJF’s programs, managing their retention strategy, and facilitating reporting requirements. This position will engage in various types of financial modeling—including project finance, portfolio management, and forecasting—and the development of project cash management strategies with support from the senior strategist for climate and project finance. A strong understanding of the systemic barriers to clean energy financing and strategies for dismantling them is key to the success of this position.
CEJJF contracts directly with Public Sector Consultants (PSC) for staffing and management services. The manager of green finance will be an employee of PSC and report to the executive director of CEJJF.
The ideal candidate will be mission-driven, entrepreneurial, and have a passion for solving a range of complex problems using financial skillsets. At a high level, the manager of green finance will be responsible for the following:
  • Building and managing relationships with financial institutions
  • Supporting the development of innovative financing products that improve accessibility and drive equitable outcomes
  • Executing, evaluating, and monitoring CEJJF's project investments (e.g., residential and commercial loans)
  • Collaborating with CEJJF staff and board, PSC partners, and peers in the green banking community
This position is remote, based in Illinois.

Essential Duties

Program Guidelines, Agreements, and Systems

  • Works with the executive director, board, and PSC to establish new lending programs and build out financing products
  • Oversees the drafting, execution, and management of lender agreements, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, funder requirements, and regulatory compliance
  • Negotiates lending terms with credit unions and other financial lending institutions, including borrowing rates, underwriting criteria, and reserve requirements
  • Manages loan loss reserve allocations, ensuring accuracy, compliance with program guidelines, and alignment with financial partner expectations
  • Participates in discussions with program partners and software vendors to facilitate decisions on the lending software platform
  • Identifies issues that may warrant changes to programmatic and lending guidelines
  • Provides input regarding programs and investments based on lender considerations

Project Financing

  • Develops and maintains financial models to assess potential investment opportunities with the support of the senior strategist for climate and project finance
  • Drafts financial documents, including investment memos and lending agreements, and engages in project due diligence with support of legal counsel
  • Maintains organized underwriting files, ensuring compliance with financial standards
  • Engages with partner lending institutions to streamline underwriting processes and facilitate transaction development

Lender Recruitment and Retention

  • Serves as CEJJF’s primary liaison with financial institutions to encourage participation in CEJJF’s residential and commercial financing programs, fostering strong relationships to grow and support the lender network
  • Develops and executes strategies for recruiting and retaining lenders
  • Develops and delivers training programs to onboard new lenders and enhance their understanding of CEJJF’s programs, processes, and value propositions
  • Manages ongoing relationships with partner lenders, monitoring their portfolios and reporting to the executive director and board

Internal and External Collaboration

  • Identifies and evaluates potential partnership opportunities and initiatives with lenders that align with CEJJF’s mission, strategic priorities, and growth plans
  • Monitors other clean energy financing programs and market trends to identify gaps, risks, and opportunities for CEJJF; provides input to the executive director and board on the development of and revisions to financing programs
  • Collaborates with the director of engagement and partnerships and PSC on marketing, outreach and engagement strategies, and materials to ensure the needs and perspectives of lenders are considered and to understand the needs of CEJJF’s customer base

Competency Profile

Business Acumen

Anticipates business challenges; is knowledgeable in current and future policies, trends, and information affecting the business; synthesizes complex information for a variety of audiences; is adept at making decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information

Communication

Translates complex data into easily understandable concepts; communicates results to stakeholders in an insightful and engaging manner; synthesizes complex information for a variety of audiences

Curiosity

Seeks new knowledge to enhance personal and professional development; asks thoughtful and focused questions and listens sincerely to the answers; maintains a growth mindset to support CEJJF’s mission

Organizational Agility

Adapts quickly in response to changes in internal conditions and external market demands; connects multiple business processes in support of functional areas and/or firmwide priorities, strategies, and initiatives

Relationship Management

Creates, maintains, and grows effective relationships with clients, subject matter experts, colleagues, and leaders; accepts feedback and adapts to changing priorities; enthusiastically grows a lender network and leverages CEJJF’s capabilities

Technical Skills

  • Strong understanding of consumer lending principles, terminology, financial regulations, fair lending laws, and others; familiarity with lending and financial technology platforms
  • Financial modeling and strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel or other modeling software

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting, or a related field (MBA or professional certifications preferred)
  • Three years of experience in financial analysis, credit underwriting, or project finance, preferably in renewable energy or clean energy
  • Mission-driven and relationship-focused individual interested in the confluence of social equity and project finance
  • Understanding of systemic barriers to clean energy financing
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to present financial data in a clear, concise manner to nonfinancial stakeholders
  • Familiarity with loan origination software and other financial technology platforms
  • Comfortable working in a start-up environment during a high growth period

Work Environment

CEJJF employees work fully remotely. Work is primarily performed indoors, with extended periods at a computer or on the phone. The nature of the work involves multitasking, completing repetitive tasks, and having contact with the public, stakeholders, and clients. This position will require statewide travel, up to 30 percent of the time.

Compensation

  • Salary range of $95,000–$135,000 commensurate with education and experience
  • Competitive medical, dental, life, disability, and voluntary vision
  • Paid parental leave
  • Company 401(k) contribution
  • Paid time off granted upon start date
  • Nine paid holidays per year, summer Fridays, and year-end close
Share

Apply for this position

Required*
We've received your resume. Click here to update it.
Attach resume or Paste resume
Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.
Invitation for Job Applicants to Self-Identify as a U.S. Veteran
  • A “disabled veteran” is one of the following:
    • a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
    • a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
  • A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
  • An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
  • An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.
Veteran status


Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Please check one of the boxes below:

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Human Check*