Director, Venture Capital, Mars Corporate (Finance)

Job Description:

The Corporate Strategy team leads critical strategy development, strategic planning, value creation and portfolio transformation projects working with Mars Leadership Team, global segments, corporate development, global functions and other senior business leaders.
The Venture Director is responsible for strategy development and operational support for Mars Incorporated's four Venture Capital and Private Equity partnerships totaling over $2B in committed capital - including funds focused on Petcare, Human Health, Sustainability, and Consumer Goods in the Asia Pacific region. The Venture Director holds primary day-to-day responsibility for interfacing with the external investment managers who manage these funds, facilitating fund governance, monitoring fund performance, and driving overall strategy for our venturing activities.

• Interface with external investment managers
  • Engage regularly with Mars teams to understand strategies, agenda, and priorities - identify key needs that can be addressed via venture investing
  • Guide managers on focus areas for sourcing and help screen potential investments for strategic fit
  • Collect input from Mars experts as needed to inform investment decisions, support portfolio companies
  • Facilitate connections between managers / portfolio companies and Mars teams to discuss topics of mutual interest or to explore potential partnerships
• Facilitate fund governance
  • Prepare regular updates for the Mars Board of Directors, Mars Leadership Team (MLT), and other governance bodies summarizing both financial performance and delivery against strategic objectives
  • Facilitate Investment Committee meetings - work with external managers to assemble information on investment opportunity and prepare "cover memo" summarizing internal Mars perspective
  • Specifically for our PE partnership, support Corporate Development VP and Corporate Development GC on review of required diligence reports and documentation for fund investments.
• Monitor performance
  • Regularly assess financial performance against relevant external benchmarks / indices
  • Develop framework for evaluating delivery against strategic objectives and assess regularly
  • Collect feedback on partnership from Mars teams and channel to managers as relevant
• Drive overall strategy for venturing activities
  • Build and maintain network of companies and managers investing in similar spaces
  • Stay current on industry developments and Benchmark other (Corporate) VC funds to identify learnings
  • Periodically update Mars leadership on status of venturing efforts and any recommended changes to approach or improvements
  • Identify new strategic objectives that can be supported by venturing and develop potential fund scope

The Venture Director role is critical to shaping our overall corporate venturing strategy, and ensuring that Mars realizes maximum financial and strategic value out of its venturing activities.

This role will have the opportunity to work broadly across Mars, connecting with subject matter experts across business segments and functions who have perspectives relevant to the focus areas for our funds - ensuring we gather and appropriately Incorporate their Input while simultaneously ensuring that recommendations presented to governance bodies (Investment Committees, Governing Boards) reflect the interests of the enterprise as a whole.

This role also will be critical to ensuring the proper functioning of these governance bodies - ensuring necessary meetings occur with proper attendance, and that members have the i nformation necessary to make i nvestment decisions, Including recommending a course of action based on the Venture Director's work with Internal subject matter experts and external Investment managers.

This role will also work closely with our external Investment managers - building a strong working relationship with these managers and helping them understand our business and strategic objectives, while also maintaining an i ndependent perspective on manager performance and opportunities for i mprovement.

Key stakeholders will Include:

• Board of Directors
• MLT
• VP Corporate Strategy and VP Corporate Development
• Segment Strategy VPs and Segment Business Development Teams
• Corporate and Segment subject matter experts, across functions including general management, marketing, R&D, supply, commercial, and sustainability

BA / BS degree from a top tier institution. Ideal candidate holds an MBA degree from a top tier institution or equivalent work experience.

8+ years post-undergrad or 5+ years post-MBA experience, with significant experience in venture capital and / or private equity markets in one or more of the following roles:

• Investing role at a private equity or venture capital firm
• Asset management or portfolio management and advisory, with specific focus on venture capital or private equity asset classes

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 140,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.