Managing Director of Investments

Job description

Terra AI is building a new category at the intersection of artificial intelligence, geoscience, and critical resource development. As global demand for copper, lithium, nickel, rare earth elements, geothermal energy, and other strategic resources accelerates, the mining and subsurface industries face a growing challenge: traditional exploration methods remain slow, expensive, and highly uncertain. Terra AI was founded to help solve this problem by redefining how critical resources are discovered, evaluated, and developed. By combining advanced machine learning, probabilistic modeling, and deep geoscience expertise, Terra AI helps exploration and mining companies make faster, more informed subsurface decisions with greater confidence and capital efficiency. The company’s platform integrates geological, geophysical, and drilling data into intelligent systems designed to improve targeting accuracy, accelerate discovery timelines, and reduce exploration risk. Backed by Khosla Ventures, BHP, and Rio Tinto, Terra AI works with industry leaders to bring a more informed, data-driven approach to critical resource development. Terra AI’s mission is to define the new global standard for data-driven critical resource development — breaking the cost and time curve required to support electrification, energy security, and the global energy transition. The company operates with a strong partnership mentality, combining technical rigor, candid communication, continual learning, and environmental stewardship to help modern exploration teams solve some of the world’s most important resource challenges. **Who you are** You don’t need to be a geoscientist, but you’re curious about the subsurface and excited by the prospect of combining differentiated technical intelligence with disciplined investing. You’re an investor and a builder. You know how capital moves through the natural resources industry, what makes an opportunity investable, and how to earn the trust of the people who provide it. You’ve raised capital, evaluated investments, and helped turn conviction into transactions—not just advised from the sidelines. You’re equally comfortable developing an investment thesis and getting into the details of a deal. You can assess risk, structure an investment, challenge assumptions in a financial model, and explain a complicated opportunity clearly to an investment committee or prospective capital partner. Mining, critical minerals, energy, and other real-asset markets interest you because you understand both their potential and their complexity. Most importantly, you want to build. You’re energized by the opportunity to help create an investment platform rather than inherit an established fund, and you bring the relationships, judgment, and hands-on approach to make that ambition credible. **What you’ll do** Terra AI is developing an investment capability alongside its technology and geoscience business. We already have a robust pipeline of potential investments emerging from our existing work and industry relationships. We’re looking for a founding investment leader to turn that opportunity into a disciplined, scalable platform—helping define where we invest, how we structure transactions, and how we attract the capital and partners needed to execute. You’ll work closely with Terra AI’s leadership and technical teams to translate probabilistic subsurface insight into compelling investment opportunities. Our approach is designed to assess potential upside alongside geological and execution risk, helping us determine where capital can have the greatest impact. You’ll shape the investment strategy, evaluate and advance an existing opportunity pipeline, develop new opportunities, and lead conversations with potential limited partners, co-investors, and strategic capital partners. The platform is still being built. Fund structure, investment vehicles, governance, and operating processes will need thoughtful development in partnership with leadership and external advisors. You’ll help establish the right foundations without importing unnecessary bureaucracy or assuming that yesterday’s investment playbook is the only way forward. Success will require both strategic perspective and personal execution. In the early days, you’ll be the person building the model, making the introduction, evaluating the asset, and moving the transaction forward. Over time, you’ll help determine what team, systems, and partnerships the platform needs to scale. **Core responsibilities** - Develop and refine Terra AI’s investment thesis, mandate, portfolio construction approach, and capital deployment strategy - Lead capital formation and fundraising efforts, including investor targeting, relationship development, presentations, diligence, and closing processes - Build the investment team and supporting infrastructure as the strategy and opportunity set mature - Own financial analysis, valuation, investment memos, risk assessment, deal structuring, and investment recommendations - Partner with Terra AI’s geoscience and technical teams to incorporate probabilistic assessments of geological uncertainty, upside, and risk into investment diligence and decision-making - Help design appropriate investment vehicles, governance, reporting, and investment committee processes alongside leadership, legal counsel, and external advisors - Establish a disciplined approach to portfolio monitoring, investor communications, and performance reporting as the platform develops **Qualifications** - 10+ years of relevant experience in principal investing, private equity, natural resources investing, investment banking, asset management, or a closely related capital markets role - Track record of originating, evaluating, structuring, and executing investments or transactions, with clear personal ownership of outcomes - Investment experience in mining, metals, critical minerals, oil and gas, energy, or other natural resources is strongly preferred - Strong financial modeling, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, and investment judgment - Ability to move comfortably between high-level fundraising strategy and hands-on deal execution in an early-stage environment - Experience launching a fund, investment strategy, new investment vertical, or similarly entrepreneurial platform is a significant plus - Credibility with institutional capital providers and senior industry counterparties; an established network is highly valued - Curiosity about geoscience, AI, and data-driven investment approaches; direct technical expertise is welcome but not required - Clear written and verbal communication, strong integrity, and sound judgment in uncertain or high-stakes situations - Location and work arrangement will be discussed with qualified candidates. **Compensation & Benefits** The annual base salary range for this position is $225,000-300,000. These figures represent a base salary, total compensation will include a mixture of company equity, as well as other mechanisms. Actual compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, location, and other job-related factors. This role is eligible for equity and Terra AI’s benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, FSA, and a 401(k) with company match. Additional incentive compensation, if any, will be communicated separately. Applications may be submitted through the job posting; the application closing date will be provided when the role is published. Terra AI is an equal opportunity employer. We make employment decisions based on qualifications, merit, and business needs, without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex, gender, pregnancy or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, reproductive health decision-making, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We’re committed to building a workplace where people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can do their best work. Terra AI also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If you need an accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know.