Head of Venture Investing

About the Role

As Head of Venture Investing, you will spearhead a vital enterprise initiative within Strategic Business Development at Vanguard, dedicated to advancing the firm's strategic business priorities through informed venture investments. This leadership role encompasses oversight of the full venture investing lifecycle, including crafting investment theses, sourcing and evaluating opportunities, conducting due diligence, valuation, negotiating deals, executing investments, supporting portfolio companies, and engaging with the external innovation ecosystem. You will collaborate closely with senior executives and cross-functional teams to identify and leverage venture-backed technologies and business models that align with Vanguard's long-term strategic goals and enhance client value.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct all aspects of Vanguard Ventures Investing strategy, covering thesis formulation, opportunity identification, comprehensive evaluation, structuring, negotiation, deal closure, and sustained portfolio management.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the team by sharing expertise in venture investing, financial analysis, due diligence, strategic partnerships, and industry best practices.
• Align venture investment themes with Vanguard’s enterprise strategies and priorities, overseeing the process from target identification through to investment execution and portfolio engagement.
• Provide senior leadership with clear, data-driven market insights, investment rationale, diligence outcomes, valuation analyses, and well-founded recommendations to aid strategic decision-making.
• Construct and assess valuation models, perform scenario planning, prepare investment memoranda, and conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses to estimate value and risks, securing consensus for venture investments.
• Negotiate terms related to venture investments and commercial partnerships in collaboration with Legal, Finance, Compliance, and business partners.
• Establish and nurture relationships across the innovation ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, venture firms, fintech companies, strategic partners, and investment banks to facilitate deal sourcing, diligence, structuring, and execution.
• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective venture investments and strategic opportunities, synthesizing insights and presenting them to senior leadership.
• Monitor portfolio performance and strategic contribution, support ongoing relationship management, and facilitate connections between portfolio companies and relevant Vanguard business units as appropriate.
• Manage competing priorities and stakeholder expectations efficiently while promoting teamwork and meeting enterprise objectives with a degree of autonomy.
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in fields such as corporate venture capital, venture capital, corporate development, strategic partnerships, private equity, investment banking, or management consulting, with demonstrated leadership in venture investment sourcing, diligence, negotiation, execution, and portfolio management.
• Proven track record of leading venture financings or strategic minority investments; board or portfolio governance experience is advantageous.
• Established network within venture capital, startups, fintech, and investment banking sectors.
• Strong analytical proficiency, including financial modeling, valuation, scenario analysis, diligence, and investment thesis formulation.
• Strategic and technologically savvy thinker with sound commercial judgment, leveraging data and market intelligence for enterprise impact.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, persuasion, and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience interacting directly with senior executives.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and develop team members effectively.
• Capability to form informed viewpoints while remaining receptive to new data, feedback, and evolving strategies; collaborative yet detail-oriented and deadline-conscious.
• Ability to translate venture market insights into actionable strategic recommendations within a large enterprise environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, or related fields required; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience in asset management or financial services is a plus.

Additional Information

Work Model: This position is onsite in Malvern, PA, following Vanguard's hybrid work model to balance flexibility with in-person collaboration and learning opportunities.
Visa Sponsorship: Vanguard does not provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Vanguard is committed to fostering long-term financial wellbeing for its clients and values a mission-driven culture that supports employee growth and collaboration worldwide.