Head of Venture Investing

Overview

In This Role You Will

• Create value through strategic venture investing and enterprise partnerships Focused on building business value through venture investing, you will lead key activities related to strategic venture and minority investments, venture-backed partnerships
• other inorganic opportunities that support Vanguard’s business priorities.
• Blending strong analytical judgment, commercial instincts
• interpersonal skills, you will guide senior leadership and key stakeholders through market research, investment theses, valuation analyses, diligence findings
• The ideal candidate knows how to build and foster strong external networks, work cross-functionally with internal teams, and negotiate sophisticated transaction terms.
• Core Responsibilities: Lead the end-to-end Vanguard Ventures Investing strategy, including investment thesis development, opportunity sourcing, evaluation, diligence, structuring, negotiation, execution
• ongoing portfolio support.
• Lead, coach, and develop crew by providing guidance on venture investing, financial methodologies, diligence frameworks, strategic partnership approaches, and best practices.
• Develop venture investment themes aligned with Vanguard’s enterprise priorities and business strategies
• facilitate all aspects of the venture investing process from target identification through investment execution and ongoing portfolio company engagement.
• Provide expert guidance to senior leadership and stakeholders across Vanguard by delivering clear market insights, investment theses, diligence findings, valuation analyses
• recommendations that support enterprise decision-making.
• Build and review valuation models, scenario analyses, investment memoranda
• other quantitative and qualitative analyses to estimate potential value, assess risks
• gain consensus on venture investment recommendations.
• Negotiate venture investment, commercial partnership, and related transaction terms in partnership with Legal, Finance, Compliance, business sponsors, and other key stakeholders.
• grow relationships across the external innovation ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, fintech companies, strategic partners, investment banks
• other market participants, to support sourcing, diligence, structuring
• Source and maintain an active pipeline of potential venture investments and strategic opportunities from internal and external sources; synthesize insights and present recommendations to senior management.
• Monitor portfolio company performance and strategic value, support ongoing relationship management, and help connect portfolio companies with relevant Vanguard business areas where appropriate.
• Balance multiple priorities, competing stakeholder needs, and time-sensitive deal work while fostering teamwork and achieving broadly communicated objectives with appropriate independence.
• Participate in special projects and perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of related work experience in corporate venture capital, venture capital, corporate development, strategic partnerships, private equity, investment banking, management consulting, or similar.
• Experience leading venture investment sourcing, diligence, negotiation, execution, and portfolio engagement required.
• Demonstrated success leading venture financings, strategic minority investments, or similar transactions; prior board, board observer, or portfolio governance experience a plus.
• Established relationships across the venture capital, startup, fintech, and investment banking communities.
• Strong analytical skills, including fluency in financial modeling, valuation, scenario analysis, diligence, and investment thesis and recommendation development.
• Strategic thinker with strong technology fluency, commercial judgment, and ability to use data and market insight to drive enterprise outcomes.
• Excellent judgment, communication, presentation, negotiation, persuasion, and stakeholder-management skills, including experience working directly with senior executives.
• Demonstrated track record of coaching, developing, and motivating team members.
• Ability to develop a well-supported point of view while remaining open to new data, feedback, and evolving strategic priorities
• collaborative team player who can also operate independently with attention to detail and sensitivity to deadlines.
• Ability to operate effectively in an enterprise environment and translate venture-market insight into practical strategic recommendations for Vanguard.
• Undergraduate degree required in Business, Finance, Economics or similar.
• Graduate degree preferred.
• Asset management or financial services experience a plus.
• Special Factors Sponsorship Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.
• About Vanguard At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission.
• To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients.
• To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives.
• To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team.
• From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.
• How We Work Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection.
• We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.