Venture Capital Manager

At Dow, we believe in putting people first and we’re passionate about delivering integrity, respect and safety to our customers, our employees and the planet.  

Our people are at the heart of our solutions. They reflect the communities we live in and the world where we do business. Their diversity is our strength. We’re a community of relentless problem solvers that offers the daily opportunity to contribute with your perspective, transform industries and shape the future. Our purpose is simple - to deliver a sustainable future for the world through science and collaboration. If you’re looking for a challenge and meaningful role, you’re in the right place. 

The Dow Chemical Company Finance organization has an opening for a Venture Capital Manager within the Treasury’s Venture Capital Team, located at the company’s world headquarters in Midland, Michigan. The purpose of the position is to identify, negotiate, execute, monitor and manage investments within the company’s Venture Capital portfolio. The successful candidate will be a key member of the Venture Capital team reporting to the Sr. Director of Venture Capital. The Venture Capital team is accountable to partner with the businesses and functions to build and manage a portfolio of investments in support of the company’s strategic initiatives. This is an excellent opportunity to apply your finance skills, business acumen and investment understanding to contribute to the success of the company.

Primary Responsibilities:

• In alignment with the vision of the Sr. Director of Venture Capital, systematically build and manage a portfolio of investments in support of the company’s strategic initiatives. For example:

  • Partner with the Ventures & Business Development team to build an understanding of the company’s strategic objectives and how they align to the business and functions

  • Partner with businesses and functions to develop a pipeline of investment opportunities aligned with the company’s strategic objectives by:

    • Building and maintaining external networks in the VC industry and centers of research excellence to access deal flow

    • Collaborate with tech scouts and other internal sources of deal flow and opportunities

    • Maintain a database of opportunities

  • Collaborate with stakeholders to evaluate and discern the appropriateness and value of potential venture capital investments as compared to other models of collaboration

  • Collaborate with stakeholders to develop the value case and risk assessment for potential investments

  • Evaluate various investment vehicles and deal terms to optimize the value of the opportunity, mitigate risks, and achieve appropriate accounting.

  • Evaluate the effects of potential additions to the Venture Capital Portfolio to understand and manage implications on value and cash flows to the company arising from forces such as concentrations, equity and credit markets, and underlying market exposures etc.

• Assist the Venture Capital Team in its role to serve as a trusted venture capital investment advisor to the company. For example:

  • Advise, educate and present on matters related to the venture capital field and venture capital investments, their various impacts on the company and best practices for effective deal implementation and management.

  • Counsel management and provide concise updates as the markets for investment change.

• Ensure the efficient and orderly execution, monitoring and management of Venture Capital strategy and objectives in effective collaboration with multiple other Treasury, company and external functions/processes (Businesses, Functions, Strategic Planning, Operations, Compliance, Systems, Credit, Planning, Funding, Legal, Accounting, Tax, Counterparties and others). For example:

  • Ensure all activities are performed to negotiate, transact, monitor and manage the investments

  • Ensure all deal events are tracked and understood to ensure the company’s potential participation is optimized.

  • Evaluate financial performance of the company’s venture capital investments and ensure deal events and valuations are properly recorded

  • Ensure various reports and analyses are generated to effectively convey the performance and sensitivity of the venture capital portfolio to management, other members of the Venture Capital team, controllers, tax and other stakeholders.

  • Ensure the Venture Capital Team’s periodic and ad-hoc reporting is appropriately specified to effectively monitor the positions and conditions, and has been developed, created, optimized and distributed to the appropriate parties.

  • Evaluate impacts of changes in the regulatory environment, accounting standards and industry practices, and predict their impact to develop and propose optimal Dow positions for the conditions and create appropriate documentation for these practices.

  • Proactively evaluate Venture Capital practices for continuous improvement, and when opportunities arise, investigate, develop and propose solutions in infrastructure and procedures.

  • Ensure the Venture Capital team operates in complete compliance with all laws, regulations delegations, controls, policies, and procedures.

• Complete ad-hoc requests, deliver projects and fulfill other routine duties as may be appropriate and/or required.

Ideal candidates will have experience in front office markets roles. Ideal candidates will also have an outstanding track record of performance in a number of businesses and/or other functions which allows a deeper understanding of the nature of the company’s strategic objectives. Other high performing employees may be considered who have demonstrated the required characteristics and have relevant experience, and/or career switchers who have displayed strong interest in, and commitment to, the field.

Successful candidates have an innate passion for financial investments, business development and technology, are naturally curious with a desire for continuous learning, have strong quantitative and analytical skills with impeccable business judgement, enjoy contemplating and evaluating complex topics, can articulate complex concepts simply and quickly, are able to make quick rational decisions with incomplete and/or ambiguous information, are resourceful self-starters with a strong bias to action, think ahead to what will be required and act with a sense of urgency, have excellent project management and organizational skills and drive projects to completion by their deadlines, take responsibility/accountability for their results, excel in negotiations, have excellent attention to detail, enjoy networking and maintaining strong relationships both internally and externally, have a positive proactive attitude and work well as part of a company-wide team to collaborate for success.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of Bachelor’s degree or relevant military experience at a U.S. E6 or Canadian Petty Officer 2nd Class, Sergeant ranking or higher

• ​A minimum of 6 years of total experience with a focus in financial, investment and capital markets-oriented positions, and/or other relevant experience.

• A minimum requirement for this U.S. based position is the ability to work legally in the United States. No visa sponsorship/support is available for this position, including for any type of U.S. permanent residency (green card) process.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree (MBA with a finance focus preferred)

• CFA Charterholder

• Prior experience in front office roles within Financial Risk Management and/or Portfolio Investments in combination with prior commercial experience is desirable.

• Understanding of portfolio theory and the principles of accounting and business/financial law.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Additional Notes:

• This position does not offer relocation assistance

Benefits – What Dow offers you 

We invest in you. 
 

Dow invests in total rewards programs to help you manage all aspects of you: your pay, your health, your life, your future, and your career. You bring your background, talent, and perspective to work every day. Dow rewards that commitment by investing in your total wellbeing.

Here are just a few highlights of what you would be offered as a Dow employee: 

• Equitable and market-competitive base pay and bonus opportunity across our global markets, along with locally relevant incentives. 
• Benefits and programs to support your physical, mental, financial, and social well-being, to help you get the care you need...when you need it. 
• Competitive retirement program that may include company-provided benefits, savings opportunities, financial planning, and educational resources to help you achieve your long term financial-goals. 
  • Employee stock purchase programs (availability varies depending on location).
• Student Debt Retirement Savings Match Program (U.S. only).
  • Dow will take the value of monthly student debt payments and apply them as if they are contributions to the Employees’ Savings Plan (401(k)), helping employees reach the Company match.
• Robust medical and life insurance packages that offer a variety of coverage options to meet your individual needs. Travel insurance is also available in certain countries/locations.
• Opportunities to learn and grow through training and mentoring, work experiences, community involvement and team building. 
• Workplace culture empowering role-based flexibility to maximize personal productivity and balance personal needs. 
• Competitive yearly vacation allowance.
• Paid time off for new parents (birthing and non-birthing, including adoptive and foster parents).
• Paid time off to care for family members who are sick or injured.
• Paid time off to support volunteering and Employee Resource Group’s (ERG) participation. 
• Wellbeing Portal for all Dow employees, our one-stop shop to promote wellbeing, empowering employees to take ownership of their entire wellbeing journey.
• On-site fitness facilities to help stay healthy and active (availability varies depending on location).
• Employee discounts for online shopping, cinema tickets, gym memberships and more.
• Additionally, some of our locations might offer:
  • Transportation allowance (availability varies depending on location)
  • Meal subsidiaries/vouchers (availability varies depending on location)
  • Carbon-neutral transportation incentives e.g. bike to work (availability varies depending on location)

Join our team, we can make a difference together.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. ​​​​Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

As part of our dedication to the diversity of our workforce, Dow is committed to equal opportunities in employment. We encourage every employee to bring their whole self to work each day to not only deliver more value, but also have a more fulfilling career. Further information regarding Dow's equal opportunities is available on www.dow.com.

Dow is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to providing opportunities without regard for race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity, national origin, age, disability and genetic information, including family medical history. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may call us at 1-833-My Dow HR (833-693-6947) and select option 8.