Director Investment Management

About the Role 
We are seeking a Director of Investment Management with a strong financial background and experience in early-stage investment. The ideal candidate will have a track record in managing shareholding in early-stage start-ups and a deep understanding of the venture capital world. Additionally, they should have experience in research-intensive organisations.

Research commercialisation, investment in startups, and entrepreneurship are key pillars of Swinburne’s value creation strategy. The Director Investment Management will assume overall responsibility for the operational delivery and continuous development of Swinburne’s equity management strategy and function, including providing operational oversight over Swinburne’s shareholdings through Swinburne Ventures Limited (SVL). The Director will work closely with the Commercial Innovation team to provide quality assurance on new venture deals, ensure proactive portfolio management for the growing equity portfolio, and act as shareholder representative on behalf of Swinburne. The Director will be responsible for operationalizing the investment infrastructure associated with Swinburne affiliated funds and co-investment schemes.

The Director Investment Management will form and leverage a credible network of external stakeholders, comprising of risk capital investment managers, relevant government bodies, and leading national and international venture programs. Using these networks, they will be responsible for creating a globally benchmarked best practice equity portfolio management function as part of building an integrated entrepreneurship ecosystem at the university.

The Director will be accountable for tracking and reporting on the operational performance of ventures within the portfolio and will be a trusted advisor to startup teams as they grow these ventures. The Director will also establish and serve on investment committees for associated funds and schemes and drive the governance and operational processes for effective investment into, divestment from and/or windup of equity positions.   


About You  
To be suitable for this role you will need to have experience in the below key accountabilities: 

•  In-depth experience of successfully managing complex programs involving balancing a portfolio of activities and competing priorities.  
• Deep appreciation of the realities of setting-up and growing commercial businesses, and a track record of financial management of shareholdings in such businesses. 
•  In-depth experience in managing multiple shareholdings in early-stage to mid-stage companies, preferably research-backed ventures, including negotiating equity transactions and making investment decisions 
• Proven ability to be persuasive with a diverse range of stakeholders, including strong verbal and written communication skills. Capacity to identify and influence critical stakeholders to gain support for contentious ideas 
• Proven ability to manage financial and operational resources in business environments that demand commercial nous and agility for managing finite resources.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s level qualification, or an equivalent professional qualification, in a relevant discipline.

About Swinburne University of Technology 
Swinburne is a research-intensive dual sector university of technology. With our strategic plan, Horizon 2025, we choose to build Swinburne as the prototype of a new and different university – one that is truly of technology, of innovation and of entrepreneurship; and, we’re proud of it! We are committed to a differentiated university proposition in education, research, and innovation so that:

• Every Swinburne learner gets a work experience
• Every Swinburne graduate gets a job
• Every Swinburne partner gets a tech solution
• Swinburne is the prototype of global best practice

The achievement of our 2025 moon shots is underpinned by our values, where our people are empowered to work together to build a better future. 

To Apply
Please submit your CV and cover letter addressing your suitability for this position. 

To review the Position Description and to apply, please scroll down to the bottom of the page.

If you are viewing this advert from an external site, please click ‘apply’ and you will be redirected to Swinburne’s Jobs website to access the Position Description at the bottom of the page.

For more information about the role, please reach out to Eve echarif@swin.edu.au and Mel at mtrousselot@swin.edu.au

Please Note: Appointment to this position is subject to passing a Working with Children Check.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with your application, please contact the Swinburne Talent Acquisition Team on staffrecruitment@swin.edu.au.

Applications Close: Sunday May 12th at 11pm

Swinburne offers flexible working options, leave and parenting/carer policies to support work life balance.

Equity and Diversity
Swinburne is a large and culturally diverse organisation and we are proud of our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion through key initiatives.  For further information on all our initiatives visit our Equity & Diversity website.

We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

We are committed to making the recruitment process fair and equitable for all our candidates. If you have specific accessibility or support requirements please contact inclusion@swin.edu.au

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants
We welcome and strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

For any support please contact DeadlyCareers@swin.edu.au or for more information on our Indigenous strategies please follow the link to our RAP Reconciliation Action Plan


Victoria’s Commitment to Action: Improving international student employment outcomes 
As a signatory to Victoria’s Commitment to Action, Swinburne seeks to remove barriers to international graduate employment. We welcome and encourage applications from international graduates.  

We are a 2023 Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant