Head of Venture Investing

Overview:

Drive enterprise value through strategic venture investing

Strategic Business Development shares in Vanguard’s mission to take a stand for all investors. In this role, you will help change the way the world invests by identifying and executing venture investing opportunities that can advance Vanguard’s strategic priorities, strengthen our ability to serve clients, and help the enterprise anticipate and respond to market, technology, and competitive disruption.

Vanguard is looking for a Head of Venture Investing to lead a highly visible enterprise capability within Strategic Business Development. This leader will be responsible for the end-to-end venture investing process, including thesis development, opportunity sourcing, diligence, valuation, negotiation, execution, portfolio company support, and external ecosystem engagement. This is an opportunity to partner with senior executives and business leaders across Vanguard to identify venture-backed capabilities, technologies, and business models that can create value for clients and support Vanguard’s long-term strategic goals.

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, and other inorganic opportunities that support Vanguard’s business priorities. Blending strong analytical judgment, commercial instincts, and interpersonal skills, you will guide senior leadership and key stakeholders through market research, investment theses, valuation analyses, diligence findings, and recommendations. 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, and 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, and recommendations that support enterprise decision-making.
• Build and review valuation models, scenario analyses, investment memoranda, and other quantitative and qualitative analyses to estimate potential value, assess risks, and 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.
• Build, maintain, and grow relationships across the external innovation ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, venture capital firms, fintech companies, strategic partners, investment banks, and other market participants, to support sourcing, diligence, structuring, and execution.
• 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

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.