Chief Investment & Project Development Officer
Center on Economics & Foreign Affairs · United States
full timehybridExecutive
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Sign in to applyAbout the role
Leads project origination, feasibility, development strategy, capital planning, investment partnerships, and advancement of CEFA-supported projects.
Responsibilities
- Set portfolio standards for project origination, screening, feasibility, development planning, financing readiness, and stage-gate approval. - Direct evaluation of mission fit, public benefit, sponsor capacity, technical feasibility, project economics, and execution risk. - Coordinate project sponsors, public agencies, technical advisers, capital providers, and strategic partners around viable development pathways. - Recommend resource allocation, partnership structures, risk mitigations, and project advancement or exit decisions. - Maintain clear separation between CEFA's charitable role and regulated investment, brokerage, or transaction activity. Reporting & working relationships Reports to the President & CEO and briefs the Board on material portfolio matters. Leads project-development staff and coordinates closely with strategy, finance, legal, government-relations, research, and external project partners. Authority & limits May direct assigned functions, staff, consultants, and approved budgets within delegated authority. May not exceed approved budgets, make reserved institutional commitments, or undertake regulated or conflicted activity without required executive, Board, and legal approval.
Required qualifications
- Senior experience in project development, infrastructure, industry, development finance, investment, economic development, or public-private delivery. - Track record advancing complex projects through feasibility, financing, stakeholder alignment, and execution readiness. - Deep understanding of governance, conflicts, capital structures, due diligence, and nonprofit private-benefit constraints.
Preferred qualifications
What success looks like: - A disciplined, mission-aligned project pipeline with documented stage-gate decisions. - Higher-quality feasibility packages, development plans, capital strategies, and partner alignment. - Early identification and mitigation of technical, financial, regulatory, governance, and reputational risks. - Projects that advance demonstrable public benefit without compromising CEFA's independence or exempt purpose.
Benefits
Employment classification: Paid executive staff position. Status: Full-time. Term: Ongoing employment, subject to applicable law and CEFA policies. Compensation: Salary and benefits commensurate with experience and CEFA's approved compensation framework. Performance cycle: Annual objectives with regular check-ins and a formal performance review. Work arrangement: Location, travel, schedule, and exempt/nonexempt status determined for the final role and jurisdiction.
Equal opportunity
CEFA is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to any legally protected characteristic.
About Center on Economics & Foreign Affairs
CEFA is a mission-driven nonprofit institution connecting research, policy, capital, and public- and private-sector partners to advance economic development and foreign-affairs priorities at national scale.